Violinist Kim Bomsori to perform in Seoul under baton of Lahav Shani

Music & Performance

Published: 15 Jun. 2023, 15:43

Violinist Kim Bomsori to perform in Seoul under baton of Lahav Shani

Maestro Lahav Shani, chief conductor of the Rotterdan Philharmonic Orchestra [GUIDO PIJPER]

Korean violinist Kim Bomsori will perform Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77” under the baton of maestro Lahav Shani at the Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Kim has been performing Brahms’ violin concerto for about a decade since winning the 62nd ARD International Music Competition in 2013, where she performed the piece in the finale.

“The finale for the ARD International Music Competition was an opportunity for me to learn a lot,” said Kim in a recent email interview. “The performance of Brahms’ Concerto by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra was so great and helped me a lot to understand how to play this piece that’s regarded as a representative German score.”

Kim said she was able to deeply understand the symphonic aspect of this concerto and realized that it’s an important key in really understanding Brahms’ world of music that’s more profound and deep.

“The more you listen to the piece, you will feel the great respect Brahms’ had for Beethoven,” said Kim, adding that she hopes to deliver her interpretation of the piece, which will not be the same to the one she performed 10 years ago, or even a year ago, during the upcoming concert.

Violinist Kim Bomsori [SHIM KYU-TAI]

Kim, who has been busy performing across the globe as one of the most sought-after violinists at the moment, says she’s been anticipating holding a concert in her home country. She currently resides in Berlin. But above all, she said she’s “so looking forward to performing under the baton of Shani.

“I’ve never performed with Shani before but I’m so looking forward to performing with the orchestra and with him,” said Kim. “No matter how much I practice and rehearse, the players almost always have to start from the blank score to follow the orchestra and the conductor’s baton. Especially for Brahms, the piece can totally change depending on the orchestra’s performance. So I am excited how we would sound like under Shani’s baton.”

Shani, who is currently the chief conductor of Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, has never performed with Kim before. But he expressed, also in an email interview, that he has “heard very good things about her” and that he looks forward to the collaboration.

“Korea has a strong music culture and education, many good artists come from Korea. I would like to mention as a good example Cho Seong-jin, a pianist whom I admire and with whom I will work attain in Rotterdam next season.”

Shani was appointed as the chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic in 2016 at an early age of 27. His predecessors, like Valery Gergiev and Yanbnick Nezet-Seguin, were also appointed at relatively young ages.

Shani says although the Rotterdam Philharmonic ranks among the world’s top orchestras and performs with the foremost conductors, they do not restrict themselves to “known names.”

“The Rotterdammers are very curious and open-minded and they have a rare sense for budding talent, so you’ll find that many of the greatest musicians made their Rotterdam debut before the rest of the world discovered them,” he said. “When it comes to chief conductors, the Rotterdam Philharmonic has a broad view, and therefore a wide choice. I am sure, when they chose me as their new chief conductor, it was not because I was young, but because we shared the same energy, the same sense for risk-taking and pushing your limits, the same view on music making. If there is something the Rotterdam chiefs of the past few decades have in common, it’s these qualities rather than their youthfulness at the time they assumed the job.”

The program also includes Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No.l 6 in b minor, Op. 71, ‘Pathetique.’”

It’s the piece that Shani performed for his Rotterdam debut and a piece that “will remain as one of my dearest memories.”
“Of course, I had known and loved the symphony before, but it always fascinates me how many new discoveries there are waiting for you when you perform it with great musicians that are willing to approach the scores as if it were new, even though they have played it innumerable times. So to me, Tchaikovsky‘s Sixth will always be linked to this very special first encounter with the orchestra that would become my first as a chief conductor.”

Shani said this symphony symbolizes the “limitless energy and inspiration that I find so characteristic of my relationship with the Rotterdam Philharmonic.”

That is why, he says, he cannot “think of a better score to bring with us for the Korean audience, to let you share in the magic that we find in making music together.”

The upcoming concert at the Lotte Concert Hall begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Tickets range from 60,000 won ($46.90) to 220,000 won.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]