World class pianists gear up for concerts in Korea next year

Local performance planning agency Mast Media has announced the lineup for its upcoming concerts in the next year. A total of 18 scheduled performances featuring globetrotting artists is expected to give hope to audiences.

“The Great Pianists Series” will kick off with a show from Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, which is scheduled to take place at Lotte Concert Hall on Feb. 14 and 15. The concert will mark Zimerman’s first performance in Korea in two years.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang will return to Korea nearly six years after his last concert in the country. He will play Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on Feb. 23 at Seoul Arts Center.

Audiences will be able to listen to performances from the two winners of the International Tchaikovsky Competition -- French pianist Alexander Kantorov and Russian pianist Dmitry Masleev -- at solo performances on April 19 and May 8, respectively, at Lotte Concert Hall and Seoul Arts Center.

The most anticipated performance will be from Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini. It will likely be a historical moment since it marks the piano master‘s first Korean show, according to Mast Media. The event will be held on May 25 at Seoul Arts Center.

Other performers for “The Great Pianists Series” include Jan Lisiecki, Yuja Wang, Dang Thai Son, Paik Hae-sun and Eric Lu. The winner of next year’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will perform as well.

For the “Orchestra Series,” Russian National Orchestra and concert pianist Sunwoo Yekwon will perform together under conductor Mikhail Pletnev’s direction. Philharmonia Orchestra’s performance with American violinist Hilary Hahn will be conducted by Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

Besides the pianist and orchestra series, Mast Media is set to offer a wide range of special performances, from chamber music to ballet, the agency said. A concert featuring music from the movies of the globally beloved Studio Ghibli, titled “Joe Hisaishi & Studio Ghibli’s Live Concert,” will be held between August and September.

Sunwoo will collaborate with Taiwanese violinist Ray Chen at their duo concert on Aug. 31 at Seoul Arts Center. Russia’s St Petersburg Ballet Theatre will perform “Swan Lake” and “La Bayadere” at Seoul Arts Center on Sept. 13-19. Classical guitarist David Russell will hold a show in November, while soprano Kang Hye-jung will wrap up the year with a year-end concert.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)