April 7th, 8 PM, Ulsan Culture & Arts Center Grand Theater
Pianist Yoo Young-wook, 'Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23'
The Ulsan City Symphony Orchestra will present classical melodies from the classical, romantic, and modern eras at its 229th regular concert titled "Loss" on the 7th at 8 p.m. at the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center Grand Theater.
Nikolai Alekseyev, artistic director and principal conductor of the Ulsan City Symphony Orchestra, will lead the performance, featuring pianist Yoo Young-wook, known as Korea's Beethoven, as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23.
The concert will begin with Weber's "Oberon Overture," composed by the founder of German Romantic music.
This piece was introduced in an opera based on a French legend, but the opera itself was not very successful due to a weak libretto. However, the overture has remained a popular repertoire piece frequently performed at concerts to this day.
Following this, the audience will enjoy Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, one of the 27 piano concertos by Mozart and the most beloved by the public, performed in collaboration with pianist Yoo Young-wook.
This work is a masterpiece that showcases Mozart's refined and profound musicality. Unlike his usual habit of completing works quickly, Mozart took about two years to carefully compose this piece.
It is especially well-structured from the solo to the orchestral parts, and Mozart showed great affection for it by composing and including the cadenza himself, leaving space for the soloist to freely demonstrate their virtuosity.
Pianist Yoo Young-wook, who will take the stage as soloist, received a unanimous grand prize at the Santander International Piano Competition in Spain.
Notably, he won the International Beethoven Piano Competition held in Germany in 2008 with high praise that "if Beethoven played the piano, he would have performed like Yoo Young-wook," solidifying his position as a world-class pianist through numerous competition awards.
He is currently a professor in the Department of Piano at Yonsei University, dedicating himself to nurturing future musicians.
For the finale, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 6, performed for the first time in Korea since the 2000s, will resonate throughout the hall.
This piece, which received high acclaim as "more magnificent than the Prokofiev we knew," was banned from performance during its time due to its reflection on destruction and loss caused by war. However, posthumously, it has been recognized for its philosophical and noble humanistic ideas and artistic value.
Ticket prices are 20,000 KRW for Royal (R) seats, 15,000 KRW for Special (S) seats, and 10,000 KRW for General (A) seats. Members of the center receive a 30% discount, groups get 20%, and students (elementary, middle, and high school) and youth card holders enjoy a 50% discount.
Reservations and inquiries can be made through the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center website or by phone.
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