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| Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin will perform on June 14. / Courtesy of Kumho Art Hall |
By Yun Suh-young
The weather is warming up and so is the classical music scene. A range of classical music concerts will be available throughout the month of June, from solo concerts to outdoor music festivals.
The first to open the month is Keumho Art Hall's "Beautiful Thursday Concert" which will be held on the first two Thursdays of the month.
The two concerts will feature pianists Jeremy Denk on June 7 and Denis Kozhukhin on June 14. Both will be performing their first solo recitals in Korea.
Denk, a renowned American pianist, will be performing Mozart, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Liszt and Schumann, especially some of his favorite pieces such as Prokofiev's 20 Visions Fugitives for Piano, Op. 22 and Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op.109.
As for Russian pianist Kozhukhin, winner of the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition at age 23, he will be performing Handel, Brahms, Bartok, Debussy and Gershwin for his first recital in front of a Korean audience.
Tickets are 60,000 won. For more information, call 02-6303-1977.
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| Poster for SPO's Riverside Concert |
On the evening of Saturday, June 9, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold its annual concert along the Han River.
The "2018 Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Riverside Concert" will feature conductor Christopher Lee, singer-songwriter Jang Phil-soon, and guitarist Haam Choon-ho, performing with the orchestra.
The riverside concert has taken place since 2011 at Yeouido Hangang Park to provide a musical getaway during the summer and to meet audiences in a friendlier setting.
Visitors can bring their own mats or tents or use the chairs available on site. Ten thousand people can attend the event.
Program includes Wagner, Rienzi Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade Op.35, Moon River, Khachaturian's Spartacus Suite: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, the theme songs from "Superman" and "Star Wars" by John Williams and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Op. 49 to round off the event accompanied with fireworks.
Admission is free. For more information, call 120.
From June 14 through 16, an annual music event hosted by Hanwha Group, the "Hanwha Classic" will be held in Cheonan and Seoul.
This year's program invites German countertenor Andreas Scholl to perform pieces representing England and Italy such as Handel, Purcell, Boyce, Avison, Torelli, and Vivaldi. June 14 and 16 will be dedicated to the British composers whereas June 15 will mix British and Italian composers.
Ticket prices are between 20,000 won to 50,000 won. For more information, call 070-4234-1305.
Last but not least, another popular annual classical music event, Ditto Festival, will take place from June 8 to 16 at the Ansan Arts Center.
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| Cellist Mun Tae-guk performs with pianist Kim Han. / Courtesy of Ansan Arts Center |
The Ditto Festival, which began in 2009 by violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, has been an annual sell-out event topping ticket sales for Seoul Arts Center's 2008-09 performances, and holding 100 tours overseas.
This year's theme "Be the Original" is meant to go back to the beginning when it was first started but to constantly innovate with new artists and music.
Cellist Mun Tae-guk and pianist Han Ji-ho will perform a duo concert on June 8 followed by clarinet player Kim Han's recital on June 9. Richard Yongjae O'Neill and Lim Dong-hyek will perform as a duo on June 15 and Ensemble Ditto will perform on June 16.
Ticket prices are from 20,000 won to 60,000 won. For those booking the package for all four programs will get a 50 percent discount. For more information, call 080-481-4000.
