Pianist Yuja Wang to Visit Korea in October with Sir Antonio Pappano

Saint-Sa?ns 'Organ' Performance at Lotte Concert Hall
Yuja Wang, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1

Pianist Yuja Wang will visit Korea this October along with Sir Antonio Pappano, who will officially assume the position of principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from the 2024?2025 season.

Vincero, a classical concert planning company, announced on the 29th that the London Symphony Orchestra, representing the UK, will hold a concert in Korea on October 3rd at Lotte Concert Hall. This upcoming tour is the London Symphony's first Asia tour with the newly appointed principal conductor Sir Pappano.

Sir Pappano is currently the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and is set to officially take the position starting from the 2024?2025 season. He served as the music director of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome from 2005 to 2023, and the orchestra appointed him as honorary music director. Since 2002, Sir Pappano has also been the music director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. This visit marks his first to Korea in six years.

Under Sir Pappano's baton, the London Symphony will perform Berlioz's overture "Roman Carnival," Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, and Saint-Sa?ns' Symphony No. 3 "Organ." Yuja Wang will be the soloist for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1.

Yuja Wang is a pianist beloved not only for her outstanding technique but also for her improvisational and vibrant performances. In an interview with The New York Times, she emphasized the liveliness of performance, stating, "I believe all music is like a living organism in itself, expressing my emotions in the moment and being reborn anew." In February, at the 66th Grammy Awards, Yuja Wang became the first Chinese pianist to win an award in the classical instrumental solo category.

The overture "Roman Carnival," which opens the concert, is a piece by Berlioz that expresses the festival of Rome based on melodies used in his opera "Benvenuto Cellini."

Saint-Sa?ns' Symphony No. 3 "Organ," performed in the second half, was composed when he was 51 and is the most famous among the five symphonies he left behind. It was written by Saint-Sa?ns, who was an organist throughout his life. This will be a rare opportunity to experience the essence of the "Organ" symphony performed on the grand pipe organ of Lotte Concert Hall. Richard Gowers, an organist actively based in the UK, will perform the organ part.

Tickets for the concert will be available for reservation starting at 2 p.m. on the 31st through Lotte Concert Hall and Interpark.

The London Symphony and pianist Yuja Wang's Korea tour will consist of four performances. Before the Lotte Concert Hall performance, they will perform on October 1st at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater. The program at the Sejong Center will feature different pieces. The first piece will be Szymanowski's Concert Overture, followed by Yuja Wang performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 as a soloist. The concert will conclude with Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan."

On October 4th and 5th, performances are scheduled at Namhansanseong Art Hall in Gyeonggi Gwangju and Daejeon Arts Center, respectively. At these two venues, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" will be performed.