Korea’s Leading Orchestras Spotlight Tchaikovsky and Respighi in New Year Concerts

KBS and Gyeonggi Philharmonic to Perform Tchaikovsky
Seoul Philharmonic to Collaborate with Buchbinder
National Symphony's New Director Abado Makes Debut

The composers highlighted by Korea's leading orchestras for their New Year concerts this year are Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Ottorino Respighi. Tchaikovsky remains one of the most frequently performed composers, while Italian composer Respighi is commemorated on the 90th anniversary of his death this year. Conductor Myung-Whun Chung will take the stage for the first time as the 10th Music Director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, and Roberto Abado, the new Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, will also make his debut. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year concert will feature the renowned pianist Rudolf Buchbinder as a soloist.

The KBS Symphony Orchestra will hold its first regular concert of the year on January 16 at Lotte Concert Hall. Marking its meaningful 70th anniversary, the KBS Symphony Orchestra has appointed Myung-Whun Chung as its new Music Director. Over the next three years, Music Director Chung will lead the KBS Symphony Orchestra, conducting three of the twelve regular concerts scheduled for this year, as well as two special concerts: the 70th anniversary celebration in July and a planned performance of a Mahler symphony.

Myung-Whun Chung, Music Director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra
[Photo provided by KBS Symphony Orchestra, Takafumi Ueno]

The first regular concert will feature Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos, winner of the 1985 Sibelius Competition, will perform as the soloist for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold its New Year concert on January 9 at Lotte Concert Hall. David Yi, who previously served as associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic and is currently Artistic Director of the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the program, which includes George Gershwin's Piano Concerto and Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 "Organ." The original plan was for Jaap van Zweden, Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, to conduct, with the second half featuring Respighi's "Pines of Rome" and Schubert's Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished." However, due to van Zweden being unable to travel to Korea because of the flu, the conductor was changed and the second half of the program was revised. The first half will feature Gershwin's Piano Concerto, with the legendary pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, who turns 80 this year, performing as soloist.

Roberto Abado, the new Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, will also make his debut on January 11 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. Abado comes from the distinguished Abado family, which has long upheld the Italian musical tradition. He has served as Music Director of La Scala and Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and his uncle was the late maestro Claudio Abbado, who passed away in 2014. For his inaugural concert, Artistic Director Abado will present a program consisting exclusively of works by Italian composers. The concert will open with Respighi's ballet music "The Fantastic Toyshop," followed by "The Four Seasons" from Act 3 of Verdi's opera "Les V?pres Siciliennes," and Rossini's overture to the opera "William Tell."

Roberto Abado, Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra
[Photo provided by National Symphony Orchestra, (c) Yasuko Kageyama]

The Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra will hold its New Year concert on January 10 at the Grand Theater of the Gyeonggi Arts Center. Sunwook Kim will conduct, with pianist Seonwoo Ye-kwon, winner of the 2017 Van Cliburn Competition, performing as soloist. The program includes Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.

Kumho Art Hall will present its New Year concert on January 8, featuring a solo recital by baritone Kim Taehan, who will serve as the venue's resident artist this year. Kim will fill the program exclusively with opera arias, performing three arias from Mozart's operas in honor of the 270th anniversary of the composer's birth, as well as works by Richard Strauss, Puccini, and others. Kim Taehan was the youngest winner of the 2023 Queen Elisabeth Competition and is currently a soloist at the Frankfurt Opera House.