27th, Sejong Center Chamber Hall
'SMTO Ensemble with Im Hyunjung'
Pianist Lim Hyun-jung and a gugak ensemble present new melodies on stage.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (President Ahn Ho-sang) announced on the 23rd that the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (Director Kim Sung-guk) will perform the 2023 Chamber Music Series II 'SMTO Ensemble with Lim Hyun-jung' at the Sejong Center Chamber Hall on the 27th.
Pianist Lim Hyun-jung has been praised by The New York Times as a pianist with "fantastic technique, undeniable intense instinct, and mad freedom." Her debut album, "Complete Recording of Beethoven Piano Sonatas," released through EMI Classics in 2012, ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Comprehensive Chart and No. 1 on the iTunes chart.
'SMTO Ensemble' is a chamber music ensemble team formed this year, centered on principal members of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra. They had a successful debut stage in May with the 'Chamber Music Series I' concert titled 'Dazzling Fragments,' presenting works that reinterpret traditional music.
This performance is the second stage for the SMTO Ensemble and the second chamber music series of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra in 2023. It consists of three chapters featuring 'modern' pieces contrasting with the 'traditional' pieces presented in Chamber Music Series I.
The first chapter is a solo stage for the SMTO Ensemble, featuring three pieces: 'Gayageum Trio - Secret Hill' (composed by Hwang Ho-jun), which recalls memories of a small hill discovered at the edge of a field bordering an unknown forest in childhood; 'Geomungo Duo - Dadraegi' (composed by Kim Sung-guk), inspired by the percussive expression of the geomungo; and 'Ryonggang Ginari' (composed by Lee Tae-won), with collaboration by Kim Yuri (Seodo Minyo master and Jeonju Daesaseupnori master division champion).
The second chapter is a stage to meet Lim Hyun-jung's intense and beautiful piano melodies. Three pieces arranged or composed by Lim Hyun-jung herself will be performed solo: 'Jajinmori' (arranged by Lim Hyun-jung), 'Saeya Saeya' (composed by Jung Hyun-woo), and 'Arirang Fantasy' (composed by Lim Hyun-jung).
'Arirang Fantasy' (composed by Lim Hyun-jung), themed on the Miryang Arirang, is a piece that deeply moved European audiences. Lim Hyun-jung, who studied in Europe from childhood and longed for Korean music and culture, chose this piece as an encore at her 2012 debut at the Royal Albert Hall in the UK, performing it to an audience of 6,000 to widely introduce Korea and affirm her Korean identity.
'Jajinmori' was arranged in the same context. 'Saeya Saeya' was composed by emerging composer Jung Hyun-woo (currently studying at Seoul National University), who has collaborated with Lim Hyun-jung on numerous musical projects. The piece focuses on projecting the melody of the folk song 'Saeya Saeya' into various musical styles.
The final chapter is a joint stage with the SMTO Ensemble and Lim Hyun-jung, featuring two pieces: 'Monggeumpo Taryeong' (composed by the late Baek Dae-woong, arranged for ajaeng by Song Ye-eun), based on the melody of Monggeumpo Taryeong, a representative folk song from the Hwanghae Province region; and 'Ensemble No. 8' (composed by the late Kim Hee-jo), which depicts the process of purifying the mind while drinking tea through three movements: Dasim (Tea Mind), Daeak (Tea Music), and Daseonsammae (Tea Zen Samadhi). These two chamber pieces will be newly reborn with the special addition of pianist Lim Hyun-jung's piano performance in this concert.
The event will be hosted by Yoon Joong-kang, a gugak critic, broadcaster, and director active in various fields, making the performance even more engaging.
Kim Sung-guk, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra, said, "I am very much looking forward to the harmony between pianist Lim Hyun-jung, who captivates audiences with her outstanding performance skills and romantic sensibility, and the gugak ensemble. I hope that this stage, which breaks down the boundaries between gugak and Western music, will serve as an opportunity to introduce our music not only to classical and gugak enthusiasts but also to a wider audience."
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (President Ahn Ho-sang) announced on the 23rd that the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra (Director Kim Sung-guk) will perform the 2023 Chamber Music Series II 'SMTO Ensemble with Lim Hyun-jung' at the Sejong Center Chamber Hall on the 27th. [Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts]
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