"237 Performers" to Highlight Stravinsky's Music at the July Festival

From July 1 to 31 at the Art House in Daehak-ro

The House Concert, a concert planning company, will present its annual "July Festival" this summer under the theme "Stravinsky and 20th Century Russian Composers." The festival will take place from July 1 to July 31 at the Art House in Daehak-ro.

The July Festival offers an in-depth exploration of the musical world of a particular composer each year. In previous years, the festival has focused on Beethoven (2020), Brahms (2021), Bartok (2022), Schubert (2023), and Schumann (2024). This year, the spotlight is on Stravinsky, a composer who broke with tradition and explored new sounds and forms, leaving a significant impact not only on music history but also on the broader history of art.

2024 July Festival Performance Scene
[Photo provided by The House Concert]

This year's July Festival will focus on Stravinsky's works that exemplify his wide-ranging musical language, developed through constant experimentation, from his early nationalist and primitivist pieces to neoclassicism, jazz, and twelve-tone technique. The program will highlight piano works, chamber music, and vocal pieces that are well-suited to the house concert format. At the same time, works by other 20th-century Russian composers, including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Medtner, Schnittke, Gliere, and Weinberg, will also be featured.

The opening concert on July 1 will present Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" in its original version, conducted by Baek Yunhak, with percussionist Lee Wonseok, emerging actor Kwon Hyeongjun, and director Cho Eunbi participating. The closing concert on July 31 will feature conductor Jin Sol and the Artize Chamber Orchestra performing "The Rite of Spring" in an arrangement tailored to the scale of a house concert, with pianist Jang Junho, a student at the Korea National University of Arts, as a guest performer.

Other performances during the festival will include piano arrangements of "The Rite of Spring," "The Firebird," "Three Movements from Petrushka," the "Suite Italienne" arranged from "Pulcinella," Stravinsky's unique interpretation of tango rhythms in "Tango," and his final composition, "The Owl and the Cat."

Until now, the July Festival has been held exclusively at the Art House in Daehak-ro, but this year it will expand to other regions. Thirteen performances will be held at ten venues nationwide, including Haman Culture and Arts Center (Haman, Gyeongnam), Yeongdo Culture and Arts Center (Busan), Space Um (Busan), Art Bridge (Daejeon), Art Center Olive (Cheongju, Chungbuk), and Motus Art Hall (Seosan, Chungnam).

This year's July Festival will feature a total of 237 performers representing the Korean music scene, including pianists Park Jaehong, Park Jonghae, Kim Heejae, Sonya Bach, Ilya Rashkovskiy, Choi Hyeongrok, Kim Junhyeong; violinists Kim Hyeonmi, Baek Juyeong, Kim Eungsoo, Lee Jihye, Kim Donghyun; and cellists Lee Jeongran and Shim Junho. Rising musicians such as pianists Jang Junho, Hong Minwoo, Nam Yeseo, violinists Yoon Chamin, and Hyun Helen will also grace the stage.