Tokyo Philharmonic's First Concert in Korea in 19 Years
May 7 at Seoul Arts Center · May 9 at Sejong Center
Performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Symphonies No. 5 and 9
Featuring Violinist Lee Ji-hye and Cellist Moon Tae-guk
Conductor Chung Myung-whun, representing Korea, and pianist Cho Seong-jin will collaborate on Schumann's Piano Concerto at the Seoul Arts Center this coming May.
Concert planning company Credia announced on the 12th that Chung Myung-whun will conduct and Cho Seong-jin will perform as soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra during their Korea tour concert at the Seoul Arts Center on May 7.
In the first half of the concert, Schumann's Piano Concerto will be performed with Cho Seong-jin as soloist. This is Schumann's only piano concerto, known to be dedicated to his lover Clara Schumann. In the second half, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 "Fate" will be performed.
Conductor Chung Myung-whun has had a relationship with the Tokyo Philharmonic since 2000. At that time, Sony Chairman Ogawa Norio, who had just been appointed as the new chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic, recommended Chung as the music director. Although Chung initially declined due to his commitments as music director of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra and Radio France Philharmonic, he later accepted Chairman Norio's offer to become artistic advisor and took office in May of that year.
In 2016, the Tokyo Philharmonic appointed Chung Myung-whun as its first foreign honorary music director. The honorary music director title is given to conductors who have contributed to the development of the orchestra.
As part of the 2015 Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization events, the Tokyo Philharmonic performed jointly with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Aside from that, this upcoming Korea tour marks their first performance in Korea in 19 years. Founded in 1911 in Nagoya, the Tokyo Philharmonic is Japan's oldest symphony orchestra and, along with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, represents Japan's leading orchestras. After relocating to Tokyo in 1938, it has been based at Tokyo Opera City since 1989, performing over 170 concerts annually across various fields including orchestral music, opera, and ballet.
The relationship between conductor Chung Myung-whun and pianist Cho Seong-jin is also special. They first met on May 1, 2009, when Cho, then a third grader at Yewon School, performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at a charity concert for children held at Seoul's Sejong Center. Since then, they have maintained a close relationship. Cho also participated in the commemorative concert for Chung's appointment as honorary music director of the Tokyo Philharmonic in 2016.
Tickets for the Tokyo Philharmonic's Korea tour concerts will be available from the 13th through Club Balcony, Ticketlink, Interpark, and the Seoul Arts Center. Following the Seoul Arts Center performance, the Tokyo Philharmonic will perform at Iksan Arts Center on May 10 and at Goyang Aram Nuri on May 11.
Conductor Chung Myung-whun will also perform as a pianist with the Tokyo Philharmonic. On May 9, at the Sejong Center, he will perform Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Symphony No. 9 "Choral" with the Tokyo Philharmonic. During the first half of the concert, Chung will play piano and conduct the Triple Concerto, which features three soloists: piano, violin, and cello. Violinist Lee Ji-hye and cellist Moon Tae-guk will join as soloists.
Tickets for the Sejong Center concert with Chung Myung-whun and the Tokyo Philharmonic will be available from the 14th through Club Balcony, Ticketlink, Interpark, and the Seoul Arts Center.
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