String Quartet 'Esme Quartet' Continues Special Relationship with Lotte Concert Hall

Korean Chamber Orchestra and Lotte Concert Hall Selected as 'In-House Artists'
Performances by Korean Chamber Orchestra on 26th and Esm? Quartet on 28th

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The string quartet 'Esm? Quartet' will take the stage at Lotte Concert Hall again on the 28th. This is already their third time this year.

Esm? Quartet and Lotte Concert Hall have shared two precious stages with the meaning of 'first' before. On June 9th, Lotte Concert Hall hosted Esm? Quartet's domestic debut performance. In August, Esm? Quartet participated in the 'Classic Revolution,' a classical music festival newly launched this year by the Lotte Cultural Foundation, adding brilliance to the festival.

The special relationship between Esm? Quartet and Lotte Concert Hall continues. Starting this year, Lotte Concert Hall selected Esm? Quartet, along with the Korean Chamber Orchestra, as its 'In-House Artists.' Both Esm? Quartet and Korean Chamber Orchestra will each hold three concerts at Lotte Concert Hall through next year.

At a press conference held on the 23rd in the rehearsal room of Lotte Concert Hall, Baewonhee, the leader and first violinist of Esm? Quartet, said she is willing to endure a third self-quarantine to perform on stage. "Every time we perform in Korea, it feels like our connection with Lotte Concert Hall deepens. It feels like coming home."

Esm? Quartet plans to perform three pieces: Haydn's String Quartet No. 29 'How Do You Do,' Dvo??k's String Quartet No. 13, and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 'Rasumovsky No. 2.' The remaining two concerts are scheduled for May 11 and 16 next year.

Esm? Quartet is performing ahead of the Lotte Concert Hall In-House Artist Press Conference held on the 23rd at the rehearsal room of Seoul Lotte Concert Hall. From the left, 1st Violin Bae Wonhee, 2nd Violin Ha Yuna, Viola Kim Jiwon, Cello Heo Yeeun.
Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation

Esm? Quartet was formed in October 2016 and rose to stardom by winning the world's most prestigious 'London Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition' in April 2018. Currently, the members reside in Cologne and D?sseldorf, Germany, and are active mainly on the European stage. Along with European performances including an invitation to Wigmore Hall in the UK next year, a US tour is also planned. Baewonhee said, "Our performance schedule is booked as far ahead as 2023."

Regarding Lotte Concert Hall, where they are performing for the third time this year, Baewonhee commented, "There are concert halls where the quartet members cannot hear each other well during performances, but at Lotte Concert Hall, even the most sensitive parts are delicately conveyed on stage, allowing us to perform closely together."

Kim Jiwon, who plays the viola, said, "At first, the hall felt overwhelming because it was large, but now it feels like our home where we can perform comfortably."

Kim Min, Artistic Director of the Korean Chamber Orchestra, is answering reporters' questions at the Lotte Concert Hall In-House Artist Press Conference held on the 23rd at the rehearsal room of Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.
Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation

The Korean Chamber Orchestra will take the stage before Esm? Quartet. On the 26th, they will perform Bart?k's 'Romanian Folk Dances' and 'Divertimento for Strings,' and Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons.'

Kim Min, artistic director of the Korean Chamber Orchestra, said, "We prepared music with a seasonal feeling to give people good energy," adding, "Violinist Shin Jiah will be the soloist for Vivaldi's Four Seasons."

The Korean Chamber Orchestra is the oldest chamber orchestra in Korea. It was founded in 1965 under the name Baroque Ensemble. Kim Min has been the artistic director since 1980. He said, "I started this with my professor when I was a senior in university, and so much time has passed. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the orchestra's founding, and we prepared to perform all 46 Mozart symphonies, but due to COVID-19, we were only able to perform twice."

The remaining two concerts of the Korean Chamber Orchestra will be held on March 11 and July 2 next year. Kim Min explained, "Since next year marks the 100th anniversary of Piazzolla's birth, the March concert will feature violinist Yoon Soyoung performing the music of the 'King of Tango' (Piazzolla)." He added, "In July, we will perform representative classical pieces by Haydn, representing the classical era; Tchaikovsky, representing the Romantic era; and Vaughan Williams, representing modern Romanticism."