Jin Eun-Sook's "Subito con Forza"
Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy"
Taiwanese-American maestro Mei-Ann Chen, the first woman ever to win the Malko Conducting Competition, will take the podium for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's regular concert at Lotte Concert Hall on September 4 and 5. On August 23, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed under the baton of German maestro Ruth Reinhardt, marking the second consecutive regular concert led by a female conductor.
Mei-Ann Chen is currently the music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta. She is also the first Asian woman to serve as principal conductor in the history of Austria's Graz GroBes Orchestra. After winning the Malko Conducting Competition in 2005, she gained worldwide recognition, and in 2015 she was named one of "30 Influential People" by Musical America. This will be her first time conducting the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
The first piece on the program will be "Subito con Forza" by Jin Eun-Sook, a leading female composer from Korea. Commissioned jointly by BBC Radio, the Cologne Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, the work premiered globally in Amsterdam in September 2020. In about five minutes, it encapsulates the dramatic tension between the explosive energy, static silence, and intense dynamism of Beethoven's music. Jin Eun-Sook's unique brilliance and vibrant colors are layered over Beethoven's classical themes, creating a new musical world of collision and coexistence. This will be the first time the piece is performed by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mei-Ann Chen will then conduct Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy," a masterpiece of German Romanticism, and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade," a quintessential work of Russian Romanticism.
The "Scottish Fantasy" will feature Korean-American violinist Stefan Jackiw as soloist. Stefan Jackiw is known as the grandson of the late essayist Pi Chun-Deuk. He is the artistic director of the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival and a member of the Junction Trio. This will be his third collaboration with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
The "Scottish Fantasy" is a work for violin and orchestra that Bruch dedicated to virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate. Structured in four movements and based on Scottish folk music, the piece features a dreamy harp solo and highlights the violin's lyrical melodies and technical brilliance. After the third movement's sweet and lyrical melodies, the work concludes with a lively and grand march inspired by Scottish folk tunes.
The final piece, "Scheherazade," is a symphonic suite composed by Rimsky-Korsakov, inspired by "Arabian Nights." The work is renowned for its exotic melodies, brilliant orchestration, vivid imagery, and captivating storytelling. It was also the music for Kim Yuna's free skating program when she won the World Figure Skating Championships in 2009. The suite weaves together a variety of instrumental colors, guiding listeners through a fantastical world of stories such as "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship," "The Story of the Kalendar Prince," "The Young Prince and the Young Princess," and "The Festival at Baghdad."
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