Directed by Leonidas Kavakos, the annual music festival runs under theme 'Spectrum: From Bach to Shostakovich' from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3
Classic Revolution, the annual classical music festival organized by Lotte Concert Hall, will trace the evolution of music across generations by bringing together two towering figures -- Johann Sebastian Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich -- composers separated by more than two centuries but now united under one festival.
From Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, the festival will present nine concerts, balancing orchestral and chamber music programs. This year’s edition is led by Greek violinist and conductor Leonidas Kavakos as artistic director, under the theme “Spectrum: From Bach to Shostakovich.”
Bach is celebrated for establishing a musical order grounded in the essence of counterpoint and theological ideals, while Shostakovich is remembered as a composer who upheld artistic integrity under political oppression. Shostakovich also studied Bach’s "The Art of Fugue" and "The Well-Tempered Clavier" extensively, carrying their spirit into the 20th century through his own "24 Preludes and Fugues."
The festival opens Thursday with Shostakovich’s "Symphony No. 6" and "Violin Concerto No. 2," performed by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under Dmitri Slobodeniouk, with Kavakos as soloist.
The following evening turns to Bach: Camerata Antiqua Seoul and the Apollon Ensemble, who will perform the Brandenburg Concertos, a set of six instrumental works composed between 1718 and 1721 (BWV 1046-1051). Kim Sun-ah, conductor of Collegium Vocale Seoul, an ensemble of professional musicians dedicated to baroque and classical choral music, singled it out as one of the most anticipated performances.
“It is extremely rare to hear all of the Brandenburg Concertos in one evening. I’m especially eager to see how Kavakos will interpret baroque style through a modern lens,” Kim said.
Saturday focuses on chamber music with two concerts featuring an international lineup of musicians, including violinists Lee Ji-hye and Shin Dong-chan, violist Ilias Livieratos, cellists Timotheos Petrin and Choi Ha-young, harpsichordist Iason Marmaras and pianists Alexander Malofeev and Kim Tae-hyung. The first concert begins at 11:30 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m., with both programs devoted to the chamber music of Bach and Shostakovich.
“Hearing Bach and then Shostakovich, and returning again to Bach before Shostakovich, sharpens the ear in a special way,” Kim, the pianist, said.
“And the chance to hear Shostakovich’s sonatas for cello, violin and viola in one evening is rare and deeply meaningful,” Kim added, referring to the 5 p.m. program.
On Sunday, Choi Ha-young, winner of the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition and Lotte Concert Hall’s in-house artist for 2025, will perform with the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Lu Shao-chia.
That same evening, Yang In-mo and Kavakos will join forces for Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor (BWV 1043), a masterpiece in which the two soloists exchange ideas on equal footing.
Yang and Kavakos share a rare distinction: both are winners of the Sibelius Violin Competition and the Paganini Competition. Kavakos won the Sibelius in 1985 and the Paganini in 1988, while Yang captured the same prizes in 2022 and 2015, respectively.
On Sept. 1, Collegium Vocale Seoul will perform "Jesu, Meine Freude" (BWV 227), the longest and most intricately crafted of Bach’s motets.
Sept. 2 features pianist Kim Tae-hyung with the Festival Chamber Orchestra, performing Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A major alongside Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony in C minor.
The festival closes on Sept. 3 with Kavakos conducting Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15 and Bach’s Chorale Partita with 11 Variations (BWV 768), joined by organist Park Joon-ho and the KBS Symphony Orchestra.
“Selecting works that could represent the vast world of Bach’s organ music within a limited time was a real challenge,” Park explained. “In the end, I chose his most famous piece (BWV 565) alongside the monumental Partita, a rarely performed variation set. The organ, with its extraordinary range, colors and dynamics, was perhaps the instrument closest to Bach’s imagination."
Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won, with all performances held at Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. Founded in 2020, Classic Revolution has previously spotlighted Beethoven in 2020, Brahms and Piazzolla in 2021, Mendelssohn and Korngold in 2022 and Bernstein in 2023. Last year, the festival highlighted orchestral music, bringing together five domestic orchestras.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
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