[At the Theater with Ryu Taehyung] This Year's Unstoppable Seoul Arts Center 'Symphony Festival'

Started in 1989... 21st Performance This Year Live On/Offline
Gwacheon City Philharmonic's Best Stage Including 'The Marksman of Matan' Overture
Seoul Philharmonic's 'Finlandia' Careful but Lacking Tenacity
Gyeonggi Philharmonic's High-Level Performance... Zanetti's Presence Highlighted
Pre-Performance Program Explanation and Instant Song Requests Draw Attention
Hanwha Mecenat Spirit Praised for 22 Years of Sole Sponsorship

Ryu Taehyung, music columnist.

Accumulated Know-How in the Performing Arts Through the Pandemic

This year's Symphony Orchestra Festival opened on March 30 with a performance by the Seongnam Philharmonic and concluded on April 22 with the KBS Symphony Orchestra. It was held on a large scale as if to compensate for the impact of the pandemic last year. Out of 21 performances, 10 were sold out. The number of viewers who watched the performances live on TV or smartphones reached 150,000. It felt as if the experimental know-how developed amid the tense atmosphere of walking on thin ice during the pandemic last year had fully settled.

Before the 7:30 pm performances, the ‘Relay Lecture’ was also interesting, where artists appearing in the Symphony Orchestra Festival or preparing to perform at the Seoul Arts Center explained the day's program themselves. It was a fresh feeling that only musicians who love music and dedicate their lives to it could sense. The audience listened attentively. They also accepted song requests from the audience. Notes with desired orchestra and concerto pieces were densely attached to the lobby windows like autumn leaves. Here, we reflect on some of the impressive performances witnessed from the audience seats at this year’s Symphony Orchestra Festival.

On March 31, the Changwon Philharmonic, conducted by Kim Daejin, performed Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite ‘Ballet for Martha’ in a small ensemble including piano. The pastoral and expansive scenery evoked the film ‘Dances with Wolves.’ Kim Yubin, who soloed in Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2, was both gentle and solid. She delivered a natural performance like a string instrument. There was almost no discomfort from breathing, making it as seamless as a garment without seams. Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 ‘The Inextinguishable’ featured strings and winds playing at full tone while two timpani blazed, creating moments where multiple layers of sound sparkled.

From March 30 to April 22, the Gwacheon City Symphony Orchestra performing at the '2021 Symphony Festival' held at the Seoul Arts Center.

On April 2, the performance by the Gwacheon Philharmonic, conducted by Seo Jin, could be called the best stage of this Symphony Orchestra Festival. Weber’s ‘Der Freisch?tz’ Overture dramatically highlighted its three-dimensional character. One could feel the wave moving from winds to strings as if grass was being laid down by the wind in sequence. The clarinet concerto No. 7 by Stamitz, soloed by Chae Jaeil, was bright and exemplary. In the second half, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 featured thick and soft strings, cool brass, and warm woodwinds that reminded one of the magnificent fjords captured by a drone. The brass section was outstanding, and the lightning-fast timpani was refreshing.

On April 3, the Bucheon Philharmonic, conducted by Jang Yunseong, delivered bold and strong interpretations of Liszt’s Mazeppa, Barber’s Violin Concerto (soloist Esther Yoo), and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. The encore, Saint-Sa?ns’ ‘Bacchanale’ from Samson and Delilah, left an exotic and captivating melody still ringing in the ears.

On April 7, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Baek Jinhyun, also gave a fine performance. It was rough but expressed its own unique color. It was rustic and original, producing a sound that other orchestras could not imitate. The practice seemed well done. The trumpeter delivered strong blows until his cheeks turned red, and the well-coordinated string players gave a performance that seemed one of a kind in the world.

The Russian journey began with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture, passed through Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (soloist Park Jinwoo), and reached Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 12 and the encore, Shostakovich’s ‘A Spin Through Moscow’ from the Moscow Cheryomushki Suite. It was a thrilling musical journey.

On April 10, the Seoul Philharmonic’s performance was conducted by music director Osmo V?nsk?. Sibelius’ ‘Finlandia’ showed meticulous conducting, as the conductor and composer share the same hometown, but there was also a wish for a more determined and forceful push forward. There was some regret that the winds and strings could have been thicker. The last piece of the first half, Yoon Il-sang’s Chamber Symphony, still evoked images of pain and fear and did not escape the challenging image of contemporary music that is not easy to appreciate.

Brahms’ Double Concerto was performed by violinist Christel Lee and cellist Jonathan Roozeman. It was a meeting of thin and delicate violin with a sensitive cello. The encore, Handel-Halvorsen’s Passacaglia, also made listeners pay attention to the muted sounds.

From March 30 to April 22, at the Seoul Arts Center, Massimo Zanetti, chief conductor and artistic director of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, is seen conducting the orchestra during the '2021 Symphony Festival'.

On April 17, the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by music director Massimo Zanetti, also showed a high level of performance. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, soloed by Kim Dasol, was a new experience shared by the pianist, orchestra, and audience as the sensitivity heightened as the performance progressed. A more robust and grand performance was missed in this piece. In Ravel’s ‘Mother Goose,’ the smooth flow and glossy color were somewhat lacking. However, the charm of a live performance that audio cannot imitate was clearly felt.

Respighi’s ‘Pines of Rome,’ specifically ‘The Pines of the Appian Way,’ is featured in the animation ‘Fantasia’ during the scene where whales fly through the sky toward space. The piece swelled magnificently enough to recall that scene. Zanetti’s presence, who constantly encouraged the members and created today’s Gyeonggi Philharmonic, stood out. Soloist Jung Hana’s movement was also excellent.

Increasing the Quantity and Quality of Contemporary Music and Ensuring Transparency in Selecting Collaborators and Orchestras

This year’s Symphony Orchestra Festival reaffirmed what drives the Korean classical music scene and served as an opportunity to pay attention to orchestras that had been overlooked. The pace of expanding the scope in this way should accelerate.

For over three weeks, except Mondays, people continuously visited the Seoul Arts Center where orchestra and concerto performances were held daily. The presence of people coming and going seemed to breathe new life into the venue. The Symphony Orchestra Festival became a model for exemplary concert-going culture by adhering to quarantine rules such as mask-wearing and QR code scanning.

The Mecenat spirit of Hanwha, which has solely sponsored the Symphony Orchestra Festival for 22 years, is also highly commendable. I offer some advice for the future development of the festival. It is a common and difficult request, but I hope the quantity and quality of contemporary compositions in the program will increase. Although challenging, I hope the selection of participating orchestras, collaborators, and programs will evolve with greater transparency and quicker reflection of trends. The ‘Spring Symphony,’ which has never stopped, is eagerly awaited again next year.

Ryu Taehyung, Music Columnist