Interview with Cellist Lee Jeongran and Violinist Kim Seohyun
"This year's Seoul International Music Festival has a dance theme, so I think the audience is even more excited and enjoying it." (Cellist Lee Jeongran)
"Through the Seoul International Music Festival, I was able to meet more performers and also grow musically." (Violinist Kim Seohyun)
Although their reasons were slightly different, cellist Lee Jeongran and violinist Kim Seohyun both said they were happy to be able to participate in this year's Seoul International Music Festival together. The two are leading performances at this year's Seoul International Music Festival. Out of the six concerts of the 17th Seoul International Music Festival, Lee Jeongran will appear three times and Kim Seohyun four times. The Seoul International Music Festival, now in its 17th year, opened on October 30 with the theme of "dance," filling the stage with music related to various dances such as waltz, tango, and ballet.
Lee Jeongran said, "Among the three elements of music-melody, rhythm, and harmony-rhythm stands out as the most important in dance pieces. It's exciting because it's important for performers to feel the rhythm as they play."
Another reason this year's performances were interesting was that the arrangements offered a new and different musical experience. At the opening concert on October 30, Astor Piazzolla's "History of Tango," which is usually performed as a duet, was arranged for a large orchestra. Igor Stravinsky's orchestral work "The Rite of Spring" was also performed as a chamber piece for two pianos and two cellos.
Lee Jeongran and Kim Seohyun will also participate in the closing concert, which will be held at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on November 6. They will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances," a collection of brilliant dance pieces. Previously, on November 2, they performed together in a string orchestra concert, and at the chamber music concert on November 1, they each played different pieces.
Kim Seohyun performed Glinka's Septet, while Lee Jeongran participated in Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence." The chamber music concert became an unforgettable stage for both, as world-renowned performers joined them. Kim Seohyun performed with Radek Baborak, the world-famous horn player who previously served as principal at the Berlin Philharmonic.
Kim Seohyun said, "It was my first time playing chamber music with a wind instrument, and having Mr. Baborak join us, I learned a lot during rehearsals-it was a fascinating experience." She added, "When I perform solo, I feel more pressure than enjoyment, but with chamber music or ensembles, it's fun to rely on each other and create music together. I want to do more chamber music and ensemble performances in the future."
Lee Jeongran performed "Souvenir de Florence" with world-renowned cellist Gary Hoffman.
"When I first entered a competition at the age of fifteen, Gary Hoffman was one of the judges. We've known each other ever since, and this is already our third time sharing the stage. During rehearsals, I was so happy to realize, 'This is the sound of Gary Hoffman.'"
Kim Seohyun is a rising teenage violinist who has drawn attention by winning a series of international competitions. In 2023, at the age of 14, she became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Switzerland. She also won the Eug?ne Ysa?e International Music Competition and the Leonid Kogan International Violin Competition in 2021, as well as the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition in 2022.
Earlier this year, she appeared as a soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the New Year's Concert, performing Sibelius's Violin Concerto, and also gave a recital at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei. She is scheduled to hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on November 15. At her Kumho Art Hall Yonsei recital in February, she performed works by Brahms, Ysa?e, and Faur?, and for the upcoming Seoul Arts Center recital, she plans to perform works by Debussy, Prokofiev, and Bart?k.
Kim Seohyun said, "When I was young, I wanted to expand my repertoire as much as possible, so I try to play works by a wide variety of composers." She named Janine Jansen, Julia Fischer, and Maxim Vengerov as her favorite violinists, adding, "Especially when Jansen plays, her music really feels like a person is singing."
Lee Jeongran is active as a member of Trio Jade and has recently been participating as a guest performer with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra feels like home for Lee Jeongran, as she joined the orchestra in December 2007 and served as associate principal cellist until May 2014. She said she feels great happiness performing with the orchestra again.
"After leaving the orchestra, I grew as a performer by playing in various fields, and when I was invited back as a guest and performed together, it felt wonderful. Especially when accompanying outstanding soloists, being able to watch their music-making process up close and play together brings me immense joy."
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