A live performance recording of Beethoven’s “Emperor Concerto” by Lim Yun-chan, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will be released in November, Universal Music announced Tuesday. Lim will take the stage with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Hong Seo-kwon, on Saturday at Tongyeong Concert Hall to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, known as the "Emperor Concerto." The album, to

Culture Oct. 4, 2022

On July 13, 2011, South Korean flutist Choi Na-kyung, also known as Jasmine Choi, played at a recital for the celebration of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s re-election. There she met people she considered to be truly selfless, people who live their lives for the purpose of tackling famine, climate change, improving women's rights and other pressing global issues. Unexpectedly, the joyful event made her depressed for months. “I love music so much, but I couldn’t help

Culture Oct. 4, 2022

Time travel to Japan's Edo period in Seoul An exhibition will take you on a time and space travel journey this weekend to 17th century Japan, without having to leave the city. An exhibition introducing urban customs and lifestyles of Japan's Edo period (1603-1867) is ongoing at the Seoul Museum of History, in central Seoul, through Oct. 23. Edo is the former name of Tokyo and the capital of the military government at the time, the Tokugawa shogunate. Titled "Scenes Around Sumidagawa River i

Culture Oct. 1, 2022

The new president of the Seoul Arts Center on Thursday unveiled plans to focus on “pure art," such as opera and ballet, as the organization seeks to return to its original goals. Chang Hyoung-joon, who was appointed in June as the 17th president of South Korea’s top art complex by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The Opera Theater, which was built as an opera and ballet theater, will regain its original position by presenting pure art works centered on op

Culture Sept. 29, 2022

The 9th edition of K-Music Festival, hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre UK, is set to bring an experience beyond K-pop with a lineup of artists that use traditional Korean music to find new sounds during the eight-week event. K-Music 2022 will kick off Oct. 5 with a joint concert by Dal:um and ReMidas at the Barbican Centre in London. Dal:um, a musical duo featuring gayageum player Ha Su-yean and geomungo player Hwang Hye-young, made their London debut at the Purcell Room last year. This time,

Culture Sept. 28, 2022

The National Gugak Center, a state-supported organization that aims to foster Korean traditional music, is set to perform a set of cantatas featuring Korea’s "Jongmyo Jeryeak" and "Arirang." The concert, conducted by Lee Yong-tak, the artistic director of the Contemporary Gugak Orchestra, will present a harmonious sound created by 123 performers. The first part, which will run for 45 minutes, will premiere a new rearrangement of "Jongmyo Jeryeak" by Suwon Un

Culture Sept. 27, 2022

Actor Im Chang-jung's worst nightmare came true when he returned to the musical stage for the first time in 10 years: He forgot his lines. Im, who played the role of Daniel in the musical "Mrs. Doubtfire," called it the "mistake of his life" over and over again during an interview with reporters on Thursday. “I’d never made that kind of mistake in my life. Forgetting an entire line of a scene. I felt terribly sorry for the audience and still think about h

Culture Sept. 26, 2022

The musical version of "Crash Landing On You," based on the 2019 megahit TV series of the same title, was unveiled Friday. The musical features familiar names from both the TV and theater scenes in the iconic lead roles of Ri Jung-hyuk and Yoon Se-ri. Lee Jang-woo, Lee Kyu-hyung and Min Woo-hyuk take the role of Ri, the North Korean officer, while Im Hye-young, Kim Ryeo-won and Na Ha-na portray Yoon, the heiress to a South Korean conglomerate. The actors and the creative team alike s

Culture Sept. 21, 2022

Evgeni Koroliov, Alim Beisembayev, Andras Schiff, Francois-Frederic Guy, Igor Levit and Eric Lu. These are pianists who are set to perform in South Korea later this year, offering a wide-ranging repertoire by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, among others. Russian pianist Evgeni Koroliov, known as a specialist in the Bach keyboard repertoire, will take the stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday for an all-Bach concert. The program consists of Bach Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in D mino

Culture Sept. 21, 2022

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra is embarking on a European tour for the first time under its new name. Known as the Korean Symphony Orchestra until March this year, it added "National" to its name to reflect that it is supported by the national budget. The tour will visit three countries in Europe, celebrating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-Austria relationship, the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Korea Culture Center in Poland and newly foun

Culture Sept. 21, 2022

Pianist Paik Kun-woo saw Alicia de Larrocha performing Granados’ “Goyescas” when he was in New York as a student. That was likely a concert on Dec. 7, 1967, that took place at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Granados. Even now he remembers vividly how deeply impressed he was by the performance and how the music filled the hall with warmth on a chilly night, thinking that he wanted to play it himself someday. That “someday” came half

Performance Sept. 21, 2022

The previews of the musical adaptation of “Mrs. Doubtfire” opened on Broadway at an unfortunate time -- on March 9, 2020 -- right as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in New York. 　Like most theaters and productions around the world, it only ran three performances before going on an uncertain hiatus. 　The previews returned in October last year, but had to close again in January. In May, the show was closed again, just one month after reopening, due to the spread of the omicron vibran

Performance Sept. 14, 2022

 Violinist Lee Sung-ju is set to celebrate the 45th anniversary of her New York debut with an all-Mozart concert. Lee made her New York debut in 1977 at Kaufmann Concert Hall as a winner of "Young Concert Artists." She went to the US at the age of 13 to study at the Julliard School, where she studied under Ivan Galamian and Dorothy Delay. For the upcoming concert, titled “Mozart Revolution,” Lee will go on stage with violist Kim Sang-jin and Camerata Antiqua Seoul,

Latest News Sept. 14, 2022

As The Walt Disney Company celebrates 100 years, pianist Lang Lang is set to release “The Disney Book,” which contains 27 songs from the entertainment giant’s iconic films. 　Speaking to Korean reporters on Tuesday in an online interview, Lang Lang said the project took him several years as he and his production team tried to make sure the new arrangement would be on par with the music of great composers like Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and so on. 　“I always w

Performance Aug. 31, 2022

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday said it is seeking 6.7 trillion won ($4.9 billion) for next year’s budget. 　Next year’s budget is a 9.3 percent cut from this year‘s, and stands in contrast to a 5.2 percent hike in the national budget proposed for the next year. 　An official at the ministry explained that some 450 billion won was transferred to local projects as part of the National Balanced Development Special Account for next year. Additionally, ther

Culture Aug. 30, 2022