Munich Philharmonic to offer seven all-Beethoven concerts with top Korean musicians

The Munich Philharmonic, a renowned German orchestra founded in 1893, will make a Korea-only tour in late November to take the stage seven times, featuring Korea’s most-sought after musicians.

During their tour, which will be conducted by Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, they will perform all-Beethoven programs in Daegu, Daejeon, Gyeonggi Province’s Gwangju and Seoul from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1.

The orchestra will take the stage with pianist Lim Yun-chan four times, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 at Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 26 and at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 29 and at Lotte Concert Hall on Dec. 1. Outside Seoul, the orchestra and Lim will perform at Suseong Artpia in Daegu on Nov. 24 and at Daejeon Arts Center in Daejeon on Nov. 25. In addition to the piano concerto, the orchestra will perform either Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 or Symphony No. 7, Op. 92.

This marks the third time that Lim will be taking the stage with the 70-year-old Chung who also performed worldwide as a pianist at a young age before taking up the baton. Together they performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in August, and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 alongside the One Korea Orchestra in October.

Lim, 18, became an instant international sensation after winning the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 as the youngest winner ever.

Before their collaboration in Korea, Lim will make his debut with the Munich Philharmonic on Nov. 16 in Munich.

Korean violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will join the orchestra in three concerts, performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major Op. 61 at Namhansanseong Arts Hall in Gwangju on Nov. 28 and Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 30.

The celebrated violinist has been performing with leading orchestras and artists around the world. The 36-year-old is the winner of the 2010 Indianapolis International Violin Competition. She also won the first prize at the 2009 Seoul Violin Competition and the 2010 Sendai Violin Competition.

The 130-year-old Munich Philharmonic is returning to Korea for the first time after five years. In 2018, the orchestra showcased Mahler Symphony No. 1 "Titan" and Brahms Symphony No. 1 led by Valery Gergiev.

Tickets for the Seoul Arts Center performances go on sale at 2 p.m. on Tuesday on SAC’s website for SAC members and at 2 p.m on Wednesday for the general public. The tickets, from 70,000 won ($53) to 360,000 won, are also available on platforms Interpark and Yes24.

For the shows at Lotte Concert Hall, tickets will be available from 3 p.m. on Sept. 26 on the websites of Lotte Concert Hall, Interpark and Yes24.