SPO’s ‘Rush Hour Concert’ explores space musically

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off its yearlong exploration of space with “Rush Hour Concert I: Cosmos on Music Paper” on Thursday. 

The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Seoul Cathedral Anglican Church of Korea in central Seoul, as part of SPO’s “Rush Hour Concert” series that connects classical music with the humanities. Launched in 2016, the series aims to allow Seoul residents to conveniently enjoy classical music after work.

Under the overall theme of cosmos, the 2019 “Rush Hour Concert” introduces space-related classical pieces.

Thursday’s program introduces Mozart’s aria “The Queen of the Night” from the opera “The Magic Flute,” Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” and pieces from Gustav Holst’s seven-movement orchestral suite “The Planets,” Op. 32. Film composer John Williams’ themes for “Star Wars” and “Superman” are also included. 

During Thursday’s concert, pianist-professor Cho Eun-ah and professor Kim Seong-su from Kyunghee University’s Department of Astronomy and Space Science will provide explanations on the pieces and related astronomy. Conductor Cha Woong will lead the orchestra.

Three more concerts under the series are slated to take place: “Music Letter from Earth” on May 9, “Song of Star” on Oct. 31, and “Dreaming about Space” on Dec. 13. The titles are unofficial translations and are subject to change.

Thursday’s performance runs for about 90 minutes without an intermission. Tickets cost 10,000 won ($8.95). For more information, visit SPO’s English website.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)