[Herald Interview] Classic Revolution with flair

For the upcoming Classic Revolution musical festival, five conductors will showcase the distinctive strengths and styles of their orchestras, including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic, Suwon Philharmonic and Gyeonggi Philharmonic.

The festival, organized by the Lotte Foundation for Arts, has shifted its schedule from mid-summer to take place from Saturday to Wednesday this year. In line with this change, the festival's focus has shifted from individual composers to highlighting five conductors presenting a program of their choosing.

Among the conductors to be featured at the festival are Choi Hee-chuhn and Choi Soo-yeoul.

The two conductors both have musical families. Choi Hee-chuhn’s older sister is pianist Choi Hee-yeon, now a professor at the Peabody Conservatory in the US, and Choi Soo-yeol’s father is the late composer Choi Dong-sun. In addition, they are both professors, Choi Hee-chuhn teaching conducting at Hanyang University, and Choi Soo-yeol at Yonsei University.

Despite these similarities, the two conductors have followed distinctly different paths to achieve success.

For Choi Hee-chuhn, opera has been a central focus, particularly the grand, multi-hour works. During his tenure as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, he conducted numerous operas, with Weber's “Der Freischutz” being a particular favorite he performed over 40 times.

Having led both the National Symphony Orchestra and the Jeonju Philharmonic Orchestra, the seasoned conductor now serves as the 7th music director of the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra.

His study is filled with more than 300 thick, well-worn full scores, The score of “Der Freischutz” is wrinkled and worn from his perspiration.

"I wouldn't trade these scores for anything in the world," he said during an interview last month.

He always uses a pencil when scribbling on his music sheet.

“Over the course of 20 years as a conductor, some of my thoughts and interpretations have changed. So I always use a pencil,” he said.

On Sunday, conductor Choi Hee-chuhn is set to present an all-Beethoven program, starting with the "Fidelio" overture, followed by Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 2.

Not often performed in Korea, Symphony No. 2 offers a perhaps unfamiliar glimpse into Beethoven's determination to overcome adversity. "It is a piece that will undoubtedly inspire many people during this time of pandemic when a steadfast belief in hope is more crucial than ever,” Choi said about his decision to introduce Symphony No. 2.

Meanwhile, Choi Soo-yeol, who grew up listening to experimental music thanks to his composer father, specializes in contemporary music.

During his time as an associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, he collaborated with composer Chin Unsuk on the orchestra's contemporary music series. Last year, he shared the podium with a robot conductor.

His study is filled with about 1,000 scores. "Contemporary music pieces are short, so the scores are thin, and about four-fifths of them are performed only once," he said, confessing, “I find it difficult to maintain concentration for more than an hour.”

Numerous performances and premiers have developed his foresight for contemporary music. "After performing a piece once, I get a sense or a feeling of whether it will be performed again."

On Monday, he will lead Hankyung Arte Philharmonic to perform Liszt's Faust Symphony, a reimagining of Goethe's "Faust." Liszt's Faust Symphony vividly portrays the story's characters in its three movements and is not often performed in Korea.

“I think about why this piece has not been performed frequently. Because it’s not good? I absolutely think that that’s not the case. It is a challenging piece because it needs a choir as well as a soloist and an organ, but it is worth the challenge,” Choi said. “The 70 minutes might seem short but I care about how time is perceived, not the physical time.”