Richard Yongjae O’Neill returns to Ansan with Ditto Fest

When violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill on Wednesday announced the program for the upcoming 11th Ditto Festival in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, a city some 30 kilometers from Seoul, he did so in front of an unusually sparse audience -- less than a handful of reporters.

Ansan, while not the best place in terms of accessibility, holds a special place in O'Neill’s heart.

”Ansan is the most familiar to me as I spent so much time here when we were filming ‘Hello?! Orchestra.’ In 2012, I was here constantly, visiting my kids‘ homes and schools, seeing the cultural center and walking around,” said O'Neill during a press conference held on Wednesday at Ansan Arts Center. 

In 2012, O'Neill filmed MBC documentary “Hello?! Orchestra,“ which followed his year-long journey with a project orchestra made up of 24 kids from multicultural families living in Ansan. Even after the filming finished and the Ansan Cultural Foundation took the helm of the orchestra, O’Neill kept his ties with the orchestra members, holding concerts and lectures for them.

“Perhaps, one of the things that makes me most happy is to know that the Hello Orchestra remains. Thank you to the cultural foundation for keeping my dream going,“ said O‘Neill

The 11th Ditto Festival will be held in cities throughout the country, including Seoul and his beloved city Ansan, featuring various ensemble music pieces.

O‘Neill said that he feels somewhat obligated to introduce great music, and that is his job. 

“There are so many pieces of music by composers that have been long gone for centuries and composers that live on this earth today. (Sometimes I find) their music is not known. As a servant of music, I am compelled to share that with people. Ditto has been always about my urge and my need to share great music with others,” said O‘Neill.

Ditto Festival will kick off in Ansan with a duo recital by Mun Tae-guk and pianist Han Chi-ho.

Violist O‘Neill will hold a duo recital with pianist Lim Dong-hyek on June 7 at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul and June 15 at Ansan Art Center, performing works of Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert.

“Ever since my Ehnes Quartet did the Beethoven Cycle a few years ago here, the music of Beethoven has not stopped in my mind,” said O‘Neill. “I think one can probably focus on works of Beethoven’s whole life and not be exhausted. It demands so much of you,” the violist said about the strength of the music of Beethoven.

“There are Schubert and Brahms pieces. Brahms Viola Sonata Op. 120 No. 2 in E Flat Major is a personal favorite of mine and one that I had been frightened to perform in public. I feel like matured Brahms‘ language is very similar to Beethoven. His compositional command just began greater and greater with lesser and lesser material. I find the sonata is one of my most beloved pieces and held it up on a pedestal forever,” said O‘Neil, explaining his fascination with Brahms‘ work.

”I think Lim Dong-hyek needs no introduction. He is an institution. He has made South Korea very proud for many years. He plays extraordinarily and beautifully. It is such a gift to play with him,” said O‘Neill about pianist Lim.

This year, cellist Mischa Maisky will join the Ditto Festival as a visiting mentor to the Ditto Ensemble. He is the third such mentor after violinists Gidon Kramer and Chung Kyung-wha. The Ditto Ensemble and Maisky will perform together on June 12 at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, with pianist Lim also joining on the stage.

Commenting on the next ten years for Ditto, O’Neill said, “We have come a long, long way since the very first Ditto concert. But there is a lot of unexplored territory. I think Korea is rather conservative with programming. New music is still very hard, and a lot of people are scared. I don’t blame them. It’s my job (to introduce new music more). I have to work harder.”

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)