SPO, Chung fly with Mahler No.1 Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra “Mahler Symphony No. 1” (Universal Music) After releasing the debut album “Debussy and Ravel” under Deutsche Grammophon, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director Chung Myung-whun will launch their live recording of Mahler Symphony No. 1 “Titan” on Nov. 3. The program was recorded at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hal...

Musician-writer describes Koreans’ bizarre side in ‘Halla Seoul’ Swedish singer-songwriter and author Lasse Lindh said he will return the love he has received from Korean fans in his upcoming concert in Seoul in November. The 37-year-old gained instant popularity here after his song “C’mon Through” appeared in the soundtrack of the 2006 MBC sitcom “Soulmate.” The unexpectedly enthusiastic resp...

LONDON (AP) — Amy Winehouse drank herself to death. That was the ruling of a coroner's inquest into the death of the Grammy-winning soul singer, who died with empty vodka bottles in her room and lethal amounts of alcohol in her blood — more than five times the British drunk driving limit. Coroner Suzanne Greenaway gave a verdict of "death by misadventure," saying Wednesday the singer suffered ac...

Lee Soo-in presents ‘han’-inspired adaptation of Durrenmatt’s 1956 tragic comedy Can one’s past be bought? Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby famously tried but failed. It is one of the things that money can’t seem to buy. As Oscar Wilde noted, “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” Yet director Lee Soo-in’s new adaptation of Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt’s 1956 tragicomic play, “The Visit...

Yoshiki Hayashi says he likes K-pop groups such as Girls’ Generation Heavy metal band X Japan has gone through many painful experiences including the deaths of two former members but its rock ‘n roll spirit will survive, said the group’s leader, drummer and pianist Yoshiki Hayashi. The act has been on a world tour in 2011 and the first leg of its Asia tour will be Seoul on Friday at the Olympic...

Similes, conspiracies, the creative process and ‘Bad as Me’ PETALUMA, California ― Over the course of three hours of conversation at a roadside diner here called Pete’s Henny Penny, Tom Waits, the singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, actor and note taker, will offer the following similes and metaphors, seemingly at random though just as likely cataloged in his memory for future use: an aging m...

Pianist Son Yeol-eum is extremely busy doing concert tours, regularly writing columns and managing her Facebook and Twitter. But such multi-tasking keeps her motivated to play better concerts and communicate well with her fans, said Son. She did 13 concerts in September and plans to perform eight times in October and six in November. “When I’m on a stage, I try my best to enjoy it. I find it r...

Musical ‘Winter Sonata’ brings back Yoon Suk-ho’s famous first-love saga “Is this Joon-sang?” “Is this Yoo-jin?” The famous lines are back, and so is the famous first-love saga. But this time it is on the stage, not the small screen. Few would argue that KBS’2002 mega hit drama “Winter Sonata” was not one of the first examples of hallyu. Thanks to its enormous popularity, the main actor Bae Y...

The SM Town Live World Tour is held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday.(S.M. Entertainment) S.M. Entertainment singers wrapped up their series of international concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday. The nation’s largest entertainment agency has held concerts at seven major international venues since the first SM Town concert in Seoul in August 2010. The 1...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy leaves a clinic where she gave birth on Wednesday carrying her baby girl Giulia, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News) PARIS (AP) -- Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is heading home with her newborn girl Giulia, the first baby born to a sitting French president. Bruni-Sarkozy left a Paris clinic Sunday with her daughter and bodyguards, ...

Violinist Kim Eung-soo (left), cellist Kim Yong-sik (right) and pianist Chae Moon-young rehearse at the House Concert in Yul Haus in southern Seoul on Oct. 14.(Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald) Musicians say they practice harder because of the closeness to their audience At a small underground recording studio on a rainy day, pianist Park Chang-soo quietly sat checking the program of the 295th Ho...

DJ Cam’s ’Seven’ offers sullen hip-hop DJ Cam “Seven” (Inflamable) There’s something dour about DJ Cam’s new album “Seven,“ with its slow and brooding fusion of hip-hop and jazz. The French mix master has an interesting approach to blending disparate sounds, but seldom do things develop into a full gallop here, leaving the effort feeling a bit unfinished. DJ Cam likes trickles of piano, stre...

The Chung Trio, consisting of siblings Chung Myung-whun on the piano, violinist Chung Kyung-wha and cellist Chung Myung-wha, will hold a concert in December in memory of their late mother Lee Won-sook, CMI Korea said. Myung-whun has repeatedly said in press conferences this year that he would push for a tribute concert for his mother who died in May at the age of 93. The trio will hold the conc...

Janek Ledecky’s musical returns for fourth run in Seoul Clad in blue jeans and wearing his Ray-Bans, Janek Ledecky isn’t used to walking down the street without being recognized. “Here, I feel like I am a secret agent or something (because no one notices me),” the Czech pop superstar told The Korea Herald in Seoul, Wednesday. In his home country, taking public transportation would be unimagina...