New form of music concert to go on stage at Seoul Arts Center

A classical music concert that experiments to break out from conventional forms, “Beyond the Classic 2,” is to set the stage on Feb. 18, at the Seoul Arts Center by the Sam Philharmonic Orchestra, the organizer said on Monday.

The concert aims to reach music fans weary from the long-lasting pandemic, to bring hopes and laughter throughout its 100-minute session, the organizer added. Various artists’ collaborative performances will be put together under the theme of “a classical music feast,” with hopes of making the genre approachable to a wider public.

The performance will be produced as an entertainment talk show format, instead of a traditional classical concert that adds formal commentaries in between sessions.

The performer lineup at “Beyond the Classic 2” includes star musicians actively working in various platforms -- Ku Bon-su, a bass-baritone who formed a powerful fandom through an appearance on JTBC’s popular audition show, “Phantom Singer 3,” Ko Young-yeol, a “sorikkun” (traditional pansori singer) and pianist, Cho Yoon-kyung, a cellist YouTuber with 120,000 subscribers, and Baek Dong-hoon, clarinetist who won the 2013 Kumho Young Artist audition.

Ku will perform a song from his 2021 album “Spring,” while Ko is expected to introduce “Providence,” a self-written song. Cho, who mastered cello sounds in genres ranging from classical music to K-pop, will perform Haydn’s “Cello Concerto No. 1,” followed by Baek’s clarinet performance of Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622,” featured in the film “Out of Africa” directed by Sydney Pollack in 1985.

The concert also opens the first performance of the Sam Philharmonic Orchestra, founded this year and led by conductor An Doo-hyun. An will cohost the performance with music entertainer and livestreamer Songsabi.

“Beyond the Classic 1” successfully ended last May, viewed by critics as a concert which attempted to build bridges between music genres while maintaining its classical music pillars.

This year’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m, and tickets can be reserved at the Seoul Arts Center’s official website and online ticket site, Interpark.

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)