Chamber concerts with star soloists
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s guest principal timpanist Adrien Perruchon will perform at the city orchestra’s second chamber concert of the year on May 27. Provided by the SPO
The Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall will begin its four-concert series on March 3 with music from Scandinavia. The concert opener will be “Serenata in Vano for Clarinet, Basson, Horn, Cello and Double Bass” by Carl Nielsen, one of Denmark’s most admired composers. The concert continues with Norwegian composer Johann Halvorsen’s “Passacaglia and Sarabande with Variations for Violin and Viola,” and closes with “String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26” by Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian nationalist composer who represents Scandinavian music.
Formed in 2007, the CMS is led by Kim Dae-jin, who is currently a piano professor at the Korea National University of Arts and the conductor of the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. Its 16 members boast high profiles as musicians. They include Lee Kyung-sun and Baek Ju-young, both violinists and professors at Seoul National University; David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Chae Jae-il, principal clarinetist at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; and Lee Yoon-jung, principal oboist at the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra.
“CMS is Korea’s one and only chamber music society that belongs to a specific music hall,” said an official from the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, which runs both the art hall and CMS. “That has raised the level of chamber music in Korea and helped nurture talented musicians who create quality music through artistic communion.”
The Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall is set to give four chamber concerts this year, starting March 3. Provided by the CMS
The two remaining concerts in the series, on Sept. 1 and Dec. 1, will focus on the music of Claude Debussy and Johannes Brahms.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting three concerts with programs designed around instrumentalists rather than composers. The first was held on Feb. 18 and the second, scheduled on May 27, features guest principal timpanist Adrien Perruchon, offering classical music aficionados a rare chance to hear percussion solos.
The young percussionist, who is still mainly with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, was invited to Korea five years ago by Chung Myung-whun, the orchestra’s principal conductor, because of his “exceptional talent.”
He will play Greek-French composer Iannis Xenakis’ “Rebonds B,” a percussion solo, French composer Andre Jolivet’s “Heptade” for trumpet and percussion and two other works.
The last concert in the series will take place on July 1 with Svetlin Roussev, violin virtuoso and principal guest concertmaster of SPO, taking the lead. Three violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi and one Felix Mendelssohn octet will be played.
The Kumho Art Hall Chamber Music Society’s series is at 8 p.m. on March 3, June 2, Sept. 1 and Dec. 1 at Kumho Art Hall in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Seats are 30,000 won ($27) or 8,000 won for students. Call (02) 6303-7700 or visit www.kumhoarthall.com.
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s chamber music series is at 7:30 p.m. on May 27 and July 1 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 30,000 won. Call 1588-1210 or visit www.seoulphil.or.kr.
By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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