Cellist Chang`s Brahms tour starts today

Cellist Chang Han-na is back.

Putting aside the ambitious conducting career she has been pursuing, Chang returns to Korea to give a nationwide tour. The eight-concert tour that kicks off today in Gumi is her first solo recital here in three years.

"I think starting studying conducting with (Lorin) Maazel was an opportunity for me to think and to musically grow a lot. Through the experience of conducting masterpieces by Brahms and Tchaikovsky, I think my view of looking at cello has widened," she said at Monday`s press conference in southern Seoul.

"But solo recitals are a chance for me to solely communicate with the audience during the two hours. From the first to the last note, I would like the audience to be with me throughout this musical journey," she added.

The cellist chose Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 and 2 for the program.



Brahms music is special to Chang. She grew up listening to it. It also made up her first lesson with her music master Mischa Maisky, which she says was the most important hour in her life as a cellist. Chang added that she understands better and discovers new sides of the composer as she grows older.

Interestingly, Chang`s Seoul Arts Center recital this Saturday follows Maisky`s on Friday. She said she was delighted by the coincidence because she has not seen him in two years. Although she will not be able to attend his concert, Chang said she plans to spend some time with him while he is here.

However, asked how she feels about performing at a similar time and being compared to her master, the cellist gave a succinct and clear answer.

"Maisky is a true artist, not merely a musician. He performs with an edge, getting rid of all the needless parts. I have my own different musical voice. So I think comparing us is inappropriate," she said.

Meanwhile, Chang met her fans as a conductor earlier this year and launched a project titled "Absolute Classic" with Seongnam Cultural Foundation, where she plans to give masterclasses and conduct a youth orchestra.

As the project shows, Chang said she has a strong passion for making classical music popular among mainstream audiences.

"It is the only thing that I, as a musician, can do to give back to the society. The impression that we get from music is huge. It is why I began studying conducting. More than 100 people creating a harmony in an orchestra is unique to classical music and I want to share that with people," she said.

Chang, a diligent rehearser, said that she and the Irish pianist Finghin Collins, who will accompany her throughout the tour, are rehearsing an average of seven hours a day. Collins jokingly compared Chang to a "slave driver" and said she does not stop until she gets the right sounds.

Following her concert at Gumi Art Center today, Chang will perform seven more recitals at Goyang Aram Concert Hall on Friday; at Seoul Arts Center on Saturday; at Changwon Sungsan Arts Hall on Nov. 26; at Gunpo Culture & Art Center on Nov. 28; at Dream Forest Art Center in Seoul on Dec. 1; at Busan Cultural Center on Dec. 3; and at Seoul Arts Center again on Dec. 5.

For more information, call (02) 749-1300.

(youngaah@heraldm.com)



By Koh Young-aah