Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to Hold Riverside Concert at Yeouido Hangang Park on June 13-14

Conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will hold the "2025 Seoul Philharmonic Riverside Concert with the Federation of Korean Industries" at 7:30 p.m. on June 13 and 14 at the plaza in front of Mulbit Stage, Yeouido Hangang Park.

This concert is being held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Korea's Liberation, the 20th anniversary of the foundation's establishment, and the 80th anniversary of the orchestra's founding. Jaap van Zweden, music director of the SPO, will conduct the performance. The Federation of Korean Industries is sponsoring the event again this year, following last year's support.

Cellist Lee Jaeri, trumpeter Lee Sanguk, soprano Lee Haewon, and baritone Kim Jootaek will collaborate with the orchestra to perform classical masterpieces, operetta pieces, and film music. Audiences can enjoy beautiful classical melodies as well as a spectacular fireworks display that will light up the early summer night sky.

2024 Riverside Concert Performance Scene
[Photo by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra]

The concert will open with the overture to Leonard Bernstein's operetta "Candide," known for its bright and lively rhythms. Cellist Lee Jaeri, who made her debut at the 2021 Kumho Prodigy Concert, will perform Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme," a piece noted for its rich ornamentation, radiant colors, graceful atmosphere, and romantic sentiment. Next, trumpeter Lee Sanguk, who shone at the 2024 Kumho Prodigy Concert, will join the orchestra for the first movement of Russian composer Vladimir Peskin's Trumpet Concerto No. 1, characterized by its intense energy and dynamic rhythms. This will be followed by the third movement of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, renowned for its deeply moving lyricism.

In the second half, soprano Lee Haewon and baritone Kim Jootaek, both active on leading stages in Korea and abroad, will perform selections from Richard Rodgers' soundtrack for the film "The Sound of Music" and "Tonight" from Leonard Bernstein's musical "West Side Story," a timeless classic that expresses the love and excitement of lovers based on "Romeo and Juliet" through romantic melodies. The concert will conclude with Ravel's "Bolero," in which various solo instruments take turns playing the melody over the snare drum's repetitive rhythm, culminating in a grand and brilliant finale.

Since 2011, the SPO has held the "Riverside Concert" outdoors every year at venues such as Nodeul Island and Hangang Park to make classical music more accessible to the public. The Riverside Concert is free and open to all citizens without advance registration, and the 2,000 seats prepared at Hangang Park are available on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, citizens can enjoy the music freely around the seating area using their own mats and portable chairs.

The SPO also plans to livestream the concert via the SPO and Seoul City's "Live Seoul" YouTube channels for those who are unable to attend in person.