Classical Music

“Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra’s Russia Sentimental”: Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra said it will hold a special concert on Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall on Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. With new artistic director and conductor Geum No-sang, the orchestra will deliver the unique sounds of Russian symphony with pianist Suh Hai-kyung on Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. The second part of the program will be Mussorgsky “Pictures of an Exhibition. Geum studied conducting at Wien Music Hochschule, under Professor Otmar Suitner, the General Music Director and Conductor of the Staatoper Unter den Linden Berlin from 1980 to 1985. He had been invited to conduct orchestras in Austria, Macedonia, Italy, China, Taiwan and Japan. Coming back to South Korea, he conducted the prestigious KBS Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 50,000 won. For details, call (042) 610-2262. 

“Great Mountains Music Festival & School”: The 8th Great Mountains Music Festival & School will take place through Aug. 13 at the Alpensia resort in Gangwon Province, gathering renowned and rising artists for 55 programs and master classes. The focus this year will be showcasing final works of great composers when they were grappling with age or illness. Under the theme “Illumination,” the highlights of the two-and-a-half week program will include Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Quintet in C Major and Mendelssohn’s rarely heard String Quintet No. 2, all of which are late works of the composers. Rising stars such as pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Shin Hyun-su, double bassist Sung Min-je and tenor Kang Yo-sep will also perform at the festival. Tickets range from 40,000 won to 50,000 won. Reservations can be made through www.gmmfs.com, www.clubbalcony.com, or www.interpark.com. For more information, call (02) 725-3394~5.

“Asia Philharmonic Orchestra”: The Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1995 by Maestro Chung Myung-whun and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, will hold its regular concerts in Korea, Japan and China. In 1995, when Chung conducted the opening ceremony of an international orchestral festival in Tokyo, he met many Asian musicians from top orchestras. His idea was to put them together. The orchestra’s program will be Beethoven Symphony No. 7 and Brahms Symphony No. 1. The concert will be held on July 30 at the Culture & Arts Center’s Grand Theater in Incheon, on July 31 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall, on Aug. 2 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and on Aug. 4 at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Tickets range from 40,000 won to 100,000 won in Korea. For more information call (02) 547-5694.

“Daniel Barenboim & WEDO Beethoven Symphony Cycle”: Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim will lead his youth orchestra, consisting of artists from the Middle East including Israelis and Palestinians, to hold a rare concert series at the Seoul Arts Center, covering all Beethoven Symphonies from No. 1 to No. 9, from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14, except for Saturday. On Aug. 14, the program will be No. 2 and No. 9, joined by soprano Jo Su-mi, mezzo-soprano Lee Ah-kyung, tenor Park Ji-min, bass Hamm Suk-hun and the Korean National Choir. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information call (02) 318-4301. They will also perform Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in d minor Op. 125 “Choral” in Imjingak near the demilitarized zone to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula on Liberation Day on Aug. 15.