[In Ryu Taehyung's Guest Seat] August's Classic Festival

Im Yunchan·Kim Yuwon... Star Appearance, Classical Music Getaway on Summer Nights
Classic Revolution 2022, This Year's Theme Mendelssohn·Korngold
Seoul Arts Center Music Hall Summer Music Festival, Selected Through 16 Individual and Team Applications

Pianist and conductor Kim Sunwook.

Last Summer Memories for Classical Music Fans

August used to be the off-season in the classical music world. Many people went on vacation, so the seats were often empty. Now, enjoying cool live music in air-conditioned concert halls is considered one of the best ways to escape the summer heat. This August, a series of music festivals will be held at Lotte Concert Hall and the Seoul Arts Center. The richly prepared stages will be perfect for reminiscing about the fading summer.

First, from August 12 to 21, Classic Revolution 2022 will take place at Lotte Concert Hall. Since 2020, violinist/conductor Christoph Poppen has served as the artistic director, and this is the third festival under his leadership. The inaugural year focused on Beethoven, last year highlighted Brahms and Piazzolla, and this year’s theme is Mendelssohn and Korngold.

Revolution-Popen. Photo by Lotte Concert Hall

At the opening concert on Friday the 12th, the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Christoph Poppen, will perform Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2. This work places a symphony within the form of a cantata, making the vocalists an essential part of the piece. At the UK premiere, the audience stood one by one in respect as the unaccompanied chorus of ‘Nun danket alle Gott (Now Thank We All Our God)’ resounded. Sopranos Hwang Sumi and Hong Jooyoung, tenor Kim Seil, and the Anyang City Choir will recreate that moving moment. Violinist Clara Jumi Kang will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, one of the “Four Great Violin Concertos.”

On Saturday the 13th, the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lee Byungwook, will perform Mendelssohn’s ‘The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)’ and Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish.’ Pianist Lee Hyuk will be featured in Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

On the 14th, Busan Philharmonic’s principal conductor Choi Suyeol and the Korean Chamber Orchestra will perform Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1. Violinist Lee Jiyoon and pianist Kim Taehyung will collaborate on Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto.

Two concerts are scheduled for the 15th. At 2 p.m., the Arete Quartet, Lux Trio, pianist Kim Taehyung, violinist Lee Jihae, violists Park Kyungmin and Jang Yunseon, cellist Moon Taeguk, and double bassist Jo Jeongmin will perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Korngold’s Piano Trio in D major, and Mendelssohn’s Piano Sextet in D major. At 5 p.m., the Arete Quartet, Lux Trio, pianist Kim Sunwook, Christoph Poppen, Clara Jumi Kang, violinist Lee Jihae, violist Park Kyungmin, and cellist Moon Taeguk will present Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1, String Octet, and Korngold’s Piano Quintet.

Pianist Lim Yunchan Photo by Yonhap News

On the 17th, the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic, conducted by Cha Woong, will perform Korngold’s representative film music pieces including the ‘Robin Hood Suite,’ ‘The Sea Hawk,’ and ‘Sinfonietta.’ On the 18th, the Wonju Philharmonic, conducted by Jeong Jooyoung, will present Mendelssohn’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and Korngold’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ both inspired by Shakespeare’s works, with cellist Moon Taeguk performing Korngold’s concerto. On the 19th, Wilson Ng and the Seoul Philharmonic will perform Korngold’s Symphony and Korngold’s Violin Concerto featuring violinist Lee Jiyoon. Pianist Lim Yunchan will perform Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kim Sunwook, will perform Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’ on the 20th, a concert that sold out early.

The finale on the 21st will be graced by soprano Hwang Sumi and pianist Helmut Deutsch. With elegant singing and renowned accompaniment, they will present Mendelssohn’s representative songs including ‘On Wings of Song’ and three songs by Korngold, bringing the festival to a grand close.

A Summer Retreat for Music Lovers: Lotte Concert Hall and Seoul Arts Center

After Classic Revolution ends, the Seoul Arts Center Summer Music Festival will take over from August 24 to 28. Now in its second year since its inception last year, this festival is promoted by the public theater Seoul Arts Center in cooperation with production companies, planners, and management agencies to foster mutual growth. In collaboration with the Korea Performing Arts Management Association, the lineup was selected, and all performance halls within the music center will be used to present a five-day relay of concerts.

The scale has grown compared to last year’s festival, which was held over three days in two theaters. Sixteen individual and group participants, including conductor Kim Yuwon, violinist Kim Donghyun, and violist Shin Kyungsik, were all selected through open recruitment. Kim Yuwon is a prodigy who won the 2018 Princess Astrid International Conducting Competition. The SAC Festival Orchestra, led by Kim Yuwon, is composed of Korean musicians active on the world stage. Concertmaster Shin Jungeun of the Augsburg Philharmonic leads the orchestra, with Jisanghee of the Bamberg Philharmonic and Kim Damin, concertmaster of the Marseille Opera Orchestra, serving as associate concertmasters.

Kim Yewon, principal second violin of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic, serves as the second violinist of the Festival Orchestra. Violaist Shim Hyobi, associate principal of the Minnesota St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, cellist Hyun Youngpil, principal of the Hofer Symphoniker, and bassist Jo Jaebok of the KCO also participate as principals. Kim Sehyun (flute) and Han Ije (oboe), graduates of the Karajan Academy, serve as principals, and clarinetist Kim Sangyoon of the Minnesota St. Paul Chamber Orchestra joins again this year. Bassoonist Jang Hyunseong of the Gwacheon Philharmonic and horn player Kim Jaehyung, lifetime associate principal of the Mainz Philharmonic, lead the wind section.

The opening concert on the 24th will feature Tchaikovsky’s ‘Polonaise’ from the opera ‘Eugene Onegin,’ Hindemith’s Viola Concerto with soloist Shin Kyungsik, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The closing concert on the 28th will present Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with soloist Kim Donghyun, R. Strauss’s Don Juan, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chlo? Suite No. 2.

At the Concert Hall, Ensemble Spes, led by violinist/conductor Park Kanghyun, will perform on the 25th; the Buier Ensemble, formed by clarinetist Jo Seongho, flutist Yu Jihong, oboist Go Gwansu, bassoonist Lee Eunho, and horn player Joo Hongjin, will perform on the 26th; and the Nuri Collective, a group of multinational musicians playing Baroque music, will perform on the 27th.

At the IBK Chamber Hall, the guitar duo Botti, formed by female guitarists Han Eun and Heo Yurim, will perform on the 24th, followed by saxophonist Brandon Choi on the 25th. The harp duo Harpsys, consisting of sisters Hwang Riha and Hwang Sehee, will perform on the 26th, followed by For Cellos, featuring four cellists Park Yushin, Lee Wonhae, Hyun Youngpil, and Jo Minseok, on the 27th. On the 28th, Dominus Baroque, a group featuring viola da gamba (Song Yoonji), recorder (Lee Hyowon), violin (Lee Jeongsu), and harpsichord (Lee Seungmin), will present music from the Baroque golden age.

At the Recital Hall, cellist Moon Woonghui will perform on the 25th; the Grand Duo, featuring cellist Jo Hyeongjun and violinist Park Suhyun of the Abel Quartet, will perform on the 26th; pianist Oh Yeontak and violinist Hayuna of the Esm? Quartet will perform on the 27th; and cellist Kim Sol Daniel, noted for the unique combination of cello and Gayageum, will perform on the 28th.

Rendezvous - Violinist Song Ji-won. Photo by Stage One

At the Inchun Art Hall, concerts featuring works by female composers will be held. Beginning with Beyond Music on the 26th, featuring violinist Kim Yuyeun, pianist Jeong Daseul, and composer/arranger Bae Seunghye; followed by Ciel Ensemble on the 27th, centered around violinist Noh Yeri with violinist Eom Heewon, violist Jang Heejin, and cellist Kim Hayoung; and Suits on the 28th, featuring pianist and composer/arranger Edwin Kim, violinist So Jaewan, and cellist Shin Hocheol, among other diverse ensembles.

Meanwhile, the Rendezvous de la Musique Festival, held from the 21st to the 25th at the Seoul Arts Center Inchun Art Hall, is also noteworthy. Directed by pianist Kim Hyejin, the festival offers fresh works by various composers and ensembles under themes such as ‘An American in Paris’ on the 21st, ‘A Ray of Light’ on the 23rd, ‘Pioneers’ on the 24th, and ‘Summer Day’s Fantasy’ on the 25th. The lineup includes pianist Ilya Rashkovsky, violinist Song Jiwon, cellist Lee Junghyun, flutist Jo Sunghyun, and clarinetist Kim Sangyoon, among others. August, transformed from a vacation month to a month of music, invites you to visit concert halls with a light heart.

By Ryu Taehyung, Music Columnist