Jung Myung-Hoon Appointed:
KBS to Perform No. 5 in March, No. 4 in October
Mahler Cycle at Seoul Philharmonic:
No. 6 in March, No. 4 in November
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, two of Korea's leading orchestras, will go head-to-head next year with performances of Gustav Mahler's symphonies.
On December 26, the KBS Symphony Orchestra held a "70th Anniversary & Business Press Conference" at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, announcing that it will perform Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 5 in two special concerts under the title "Masters Series" to mark its 70th anniversary next year. This year, the orchestra performed all four Brahms symphonies in its special concert series, and next year, it will focus on Mahler's symphonies. Mahler composed nine symphonies. In the summer of 1910, he began working on his tenth symphony but passed away the following year before completing it. The KBS Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in March and Symphony No. 4 in October next year.
Myung-Whun Chung, Music Director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra [Photo provided by KBS Symphony Orchestra, (c) Matthias Creutziger]
Yap Pan Tsubeden, Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Photo by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, (c)bert hulselmans
Coincidentally, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra also announced a Mahler symphony cycle when Yap Pan Tsubeden took office as music director in January last year. Director Tsubeden has stated his plan to perform and record all nine of Mahler's symphonies during his five-year term, which runs through 2028. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed Symphony No. 1 last year, followed by No. 2 in January and No. 7 in February this year. Next year, they will perform Symphony No. 6, "Tragic," in March and Symphony No. 4 in November. As a result, both orchestras will perform Mahler's Symphony No. 4 just one month apart next year.
This year, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the KBS Symphony Orchestra also went head-to-head by performing Mahler's Symphony No. 2 one month apart, with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performing in January and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in February.
The two special Mahler concerts will be conducted by Jung Myung-Hoon, who will take the helm as the 10th music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra starting next year. This marks Jung Myung-Hoon's return to the KBS Symphony Orchestra after 28 years. He previously served as the orchestra's fifth principal conductor in 1998, albeit for a brief period.
Jung Myung-Hoon shared his special connection with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, saying, "I started living abroad at the age of eight and returned to my homeland at nineteen. The first orchestra I ever conducted in Korea was the KBS Symphony Orchestra."
Jung Myung-Hoon, appointed as the 10th music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, is expressing his thoughts at a press conference held on the 26th at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by KBS Symphony Orchestra
Jung Myung-Hoon is also currently the artistic director of Classic Busan. Classic Busan is a municipal organization under the city of Busan, responsible for operating the Busan Concert Hall, which officially opened in June. Starting in 2027, Jung Myung-Hoon will also serve as the music director of the renowned La Scala Theatre in Italy. In May, he became the first Asian to be appointed as music director of La Scala, drawing international attention. La Scala is considered one of the world's top three opera houses, alongside the Paris Opera and the Vienna State Opera.
At a considerable age, he is taking on leadership roles at three major arts institutions. He emphasized the sense of responsibility he feels, especially as the head of two Korean arts organizations. "There was a time when I had lived abroad for so long that I almost forgot the Korean language. Even now, I am more comfortable speaking English, French, or Italian than Korean. Nevertheless, I always feel a sense of responsibility for my country."
Regarding his appointment as music director of La Scala, he explained that it was because the musicians there are his closest friends.
"As a conductor, there are hardly any orchestras I haven't worked with. I don't enjoy traveling and prefer staying at home, but no matter how famous an orchestra is, sometimes the personalities don't match. That's why these days, I only go back and forth between Italy and France. I thought it was too late to take responsibility for an orchestra, but the musicians at La Scala are such close friends that I couldn't refuse."
In addition to the two special Mahler concerts, Music Director Jung Myung-Hoon will also conduct the special concert marking the orchestra's 70th anniversary in July next year. He is also scheduled to conduct three of the orchestra's twelve regular concerts next year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
