National Symphony Orchestra Performs Stravinsky's 'Petrouchka'

At the Seoul Arts Center on the 31st

The National Symphony Orchestra will perform works by Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky at the regular concert held at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on the 31st. Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky left their homeland after the Russian Revolution, and this concert will explore their musical perspectives that did not conform to the ideology of the era through the works they composed before leaving Russia.

Stravinsky's early work "Bulkkotnori" (Fireworks) will be performed as the opening piece. This work marked the beginning of Stravinsky's career as a star composer and established his connection with Sergei Diaghilev, the founder of Ballets Russes. Unlike the well-known "The Firebird" and "The Rite of Spring," the bold harmonic progressions and brilliant rhythmic preludes of the 26-year-old Stravinsky stand out.

Conductor Ludovic Morlot [Photo by National Symphony Orchestra]

Next, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 will be performed, featuring Georgian pianist Alexander Korsantia as the soloist. Korsantia is a "late-blooming pianist" who won the Rubinstein Competition at the relatively late age of 30 in 1995. He described the piece by saying, "Rachmaninoff was greatly influenced by Chopin, and the core of this piece is as sophisticated as Chopin."

Stravinsky's "Petrushka" will conclude the concert. Originally a ballet, it features a dazzling orchestration designed with dance in mind. The music itself is excellent, and today it is often performed as an orchestral suite without the ballet.

The conductor will be Ludovico Morlot, music director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, who is from France. He is praised for his excellence in performing works by French composers and 20th-century pieces. During his tenure as music director of the Seattle Symphony, he won five Grammy Awards, elevating the Seattle Symphony to the ranks of world-class orchestras.