22 Performances Including Symphony and Vocal Music Until December 6
Highlighting Masterpieces of the "Romantic Age" by Beethoven, Brahms, and More
The "M Classic Festival," a classical music festival hosted and organized by the Mapo Cultural Foundation, opens on the 22nd with the romantic outdoor concert "Mapo Saebit Culture Forest Concert," held in a city park under the moonlight.
The Mapo Cultural Foundation plans to present 22 diverse performances-including symphonies, chamber music, and vocal music-over a period of about 100 days until December 6. The M Classic Festival is an unprecedented large-scale pure arts festival at the local government level. Through this festival, the foundation has staged a total of over 580 performances over the past nine years, with more than 8,800 musicians participating and 700,000 audience members attending. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the festival will focus on works from the "Romantic Age," the golden era of classical music, highlighting pieces by Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Chopin, and Dvorak.
The opening concert, "Mapo Saebit Culture Forest Concert," will be held on a special stage at the lawn of Mapo Saebit Culture Forest and will be free for all seats, with two performances scheduled until the 23rd. Audiences can enjoy a variety of music, including opera arias, musical numbers, and Korean art songs. On the 22nd, resident musicians of the Mapo Cultural Foundation, baritone Park Jusung and soprano Noh Heejae, will perform. On the 23rd, baritone Ko Sunghyun, sopranos Choi Jungwon and Ahn Hyesoo, tenor Lee Jungwon, and pianist Lee Kyungmin will take the stage. Conductor Kim Kwanghyun will lead the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra.
The "Symphony Series," featuring symphonies by Beethoven, Dvorak, and Schubert, will be held on September 24 and 25 at the Mapo Art Center Art Hall Mac. Kwon Minseok, who made his conducting debut in 2020 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of the Netherlands, will conduct the specially formed M Classic Festival Orchestra for this event.
The September 24 performance will feature only works by Beethoven, including the "Coriolan Overture," Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor," and Symphony No. 5 "Fate." Pianist Jung Jiweon will perform as soloist for the "Emperor" concerto.
On the 25th, cellist Lee Kyungjun will perform Dvorak's Cello Concerto as the first piece, followed by Schubert's Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World."
There will also be six chamber music performances under the title "Chamber Music Series." The stage will encompass music from the Baroque era, which deeply inspired Romantic-era composers.
On September 26, the "Bach Special" stage will feature cellist Yang Sungwon and pianist Enrico Pace performing Bach's masterpieces, including "Cello Suite No. 2." Yang Sungwon will also present the essence of Baroque music on the classical instrument "viola da gamba."
On October 2, "A Musical Offering" will showcase the Baroque music specialist ensemble Il Gardellino, highlighting the charm of Baroque music centered around Bach's "A Musical Offering." On October 18, the "Cinema Concert" will allow audiences to enjoy famous classical pieces from iconic movie scenes, with commentary by actor Lee Sangyeob. Violist Lee Singyu and pianist Kay Kim Kyungeun will join the performance.
The chamber music concert on November 11 will be a solo recital by pianist Paik Hae-sun, a professor at the New England Conservatory, expressing longing for home through works such as Beethoven's "Les Adieux," Seo Jury's "Spring," and Schumann's "Fantasy."
On November 14, "At the Heart of Romance" will feature violinist Kang Dongseok and others performing chamber music masterpieces by Beethoven, Poulenc, and Brahms.
The sixth and final performance of the Chamber Music Series, "Virtuosos' Encounter," will be held on November 19. Violinist Lim Jiyoung, the first Korean to win first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, pianist Yang Sungwon, and cellist Song Younghoon will perform works such as Chopin's "Nocturne No. 2" and Beethoven's Piano Trio "Ghost."
There will also be four vocal solo recitals under the title "On Wings of Song." Tenor Kim Minseok (October 29), soprano Park Hyesang (November 5), soprano Im Sunhae (November 12), and baritone Park Jusung (December 6) will each present a recital.
Additionally, on October 22, broadcaster and pianist Daniel Lindemann and baritone Woo Juho will present a special stage titled "The Story of Two Men," featuring popular pieces ranging from Bizet's "Toreador Song" to opera arias and Korean art songs.
During the festival, free outdoor concerts called "M Stage" will be held at major landmarks in Mapo-gu, such as Guryong Neighborhood Park and Yanghwajin History Park, allowing audiences to enjoy classical music up close. For more information about the 10th M Classic Festival, please visit the Mapo Cultural Foundation website.
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