Pianist Paik going nationwide with Russian classics

Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.

After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the world’s most respected stages, earning him a reputation as one of the country’s most admired pianists.

Hitting stages across the country in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Chungcheong Province, the renowned pianist is slated to perform Scriabin’s “24 Preludes” and Rachmaninov’s “Piano Sonata No. 1.” As a self-proclaimed lover of classical Russian composers, the virtuoso said that with his nationwide tour, he wanted to bring his decades of dedication to playing and perfecting notes by Russian classics and share this love with the local Korean audience.

“There are an infinite number of pieces that I have within my repertoire, and they include Scriabin and Rachmaninov,” said Paik, in his first news conference in five years, at the Kumho Art Hall in Seoul on Monday.

“I have always had a strong connection to Russian music and composers. ... I feel it shows off more humanity and it has strengths that are similar to Korean temperament,” the pianist added. “The more I play Russian music, the more I truly come to love it even more.”

With more than 50 years of performing under his belt, Paik says that despite having performed these repertoires many times in the past, his advanced age and experience in no way means that his days of practicing and perfecting his craft are behind him.

“Even though I have played these pieces before, it is never the end,” he said. “I am always practicing and getting inspiration from new ideas; even to this day, I do not consider my playing as having achieved perfection.”

Paik’s upcoming Seoul recital will be held at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall for one night only on Sept. 22 with ticket prices range from 50,000 won ($41.50) to 130,000 won.

Following his nationwide tour this month, Paik will also be performing alongside the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra on Nov. 23 at the Seoul Arts Center, helping the orchestra bring life to Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5.”

Ticket prices to the Paik and Munich Philharmonic collaboration concert range from 70,000 won to 330,000 won. For more information, visit www.vincero.co.kr.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)