Charles Dutoit’s Royal Philharmonic to perform evanescent French music

Under legendary conductors such as Andre Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniele Gatti, the internationally acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has developed the power to highlight the smallest details, even in the most complicated pieces.

On Saturday and Sunday, classical music lovers in Seoul will be treated to the orchestra’s interpretation of works by French composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Berlioz as well as Chopin, Mendelssohn and Weber, under the baton of Charles Dutoit.

“Dutoit is currently the best person to interpret French music. He understands the impressionistic elements of the music and can add special passion to it. He has this great ‘libido’ that charms the audience,” said Jake T. Ryu, a music critic.

“The sound of an orchestra is very important to me and I do spend a lot of time working on the different aspects of sounds. French repertoire requires an evanescent outlook, very magical and colorful. German repertoire needs a different sound: More presence and substantial,” the conductor said in a written interview with the Korean press on Tuesday. 

An added treat for the concerts will be the soloists. The first day will feature rising star pianist Yuja Wang and the second day will feature violinist Stefan Pi Jackiw.

Wang made international headlines when she used the “faster than the eyes can see” technique for “Flight of the Bumblebee” at the Verbier Festival in 2009. She will be performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1. The Chinese native once said that Dutoit is the person who always controls her and the orchestra’s performance, even when she is carried away and runs too fast.

“I have known Yuja since she was 16 years old. I found her to be such a rare talent, not only with incredible technical ability, but most importantly, with great musical sensitivity. She moved me with her playing in a very deep way,” Dutoit said.

Jackiw, one of the stars of Ditto Festival, a local chamber music festival creating thousands of classical music fans around the country, will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64, which used to be the signature performance by the legendary violinist Chung Kyung-wha, who recorded the piece with Dutoit several decades ago and made it an international hit.

The Swiss conductor was more than keen to support young artists.

“Concerning the young generation of musicians, I find them extremely talented and eager to learn. In fact, I am amazed to see how they absorb a repertoire at an extraordinary speed.

“When I was young, we were encouraged to not only study the musical notes but also to research the life of the composer, the socio-political context in which a work was written, and to assimilate all of these components into our studies. This was handed down to me by my own mentors. By sharing this way of working, I feel we maintain a connection between the generations,” he said.

For more information about the concert, visit http://www.clubbalcony.com.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)