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| Conductor Park Seung-you, left, and pianist Lim Yun-chan, participate in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday. They will perform three Beethoven pieces in "Next Stage," a talent program that gives a chance to promising musicians to showcase classical music with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, in an concert on Naver, Sept. 28. Courtesy of Korean Symphony Orchestra |
By Park Ji-won
The Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will hold an online concert on Naver on Sept. 28, as part of its talent program to introduce promising musicians who could possibly lead the classical scene here in the future.
"Next Stage," the orchestra's special yearly program and the name of the concert, will be co-hosted by The Korea Times. This is the third such concert since it was introduced in 2018 under the baton of conductor Cha Woong and featuring cellist Kim Bum-jun.
The program is designed to give young artists the chance to play classical music with a large orchestra on a big stage. In particular, it aims to foster conductors by giving them full authority to organize the program from scratch.
This year, award-winning cellist-turned-conductor Park Seung-you, and 16-year-old piano prodigy Lim Yun-chan, will play three Beethoven pieces, including Piano Concert No. 3, to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the legendary composer.
The two hope to showcase new interpretations of the Beethoven masterpieces.
"I want to explore possibilities without being bothered by any perceptions on stage. By working together, I think that we can come up with new musical ideas and expect that these can be realized in the performance," Park said, with Lim echoing the view, during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Tuesday.
What the two talented artists have in common is the winning of prestigious international and local competitions. Park won the Rookie of the Year award presented by the Music Association of Korea in 2011, and went on to win first and second prizes in international conducting competitions, including the London Classical Soloists in 2015.
Lim, who debuted as a pianist at age 11, became a sensation after winning first prize at the IsangYun International Competition in 2019 as well as the UNESCO Audience Prize and SungYong Park Special Prize the same year.
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| Pianist Lim Yun-chan |
He is preparing to go to the Korea National University of Arts without going to high school, after beginning to learn the piano at age seven as a hobby.
"I simply went to a piano school near my house as my mom recommended me," Lim said.
He was selected as a student for the Seoul Arts Center's talent program for musical prodigies when he was a first year student in elementary school, and later attended the Korea National Institute for the Gifted Arts. He practices almost eight hours a day and his everyday routine is focused on this.
"I just love music. I think I naturally became a pianist because I love doing it… I don't listen to popular music. I only listen to classical music. When taking a rest, I listen to music. I study English in the morning, exercise and practice piano," Lim said.
Lim's dreams are also about music. He wants to become a composer, as he thinks composing music is what pianists should do; and also play all of the Mozart Piano Sonatas by the age 20.
"In the past, pianists were the songwriters. The custom cannot be seen lately. I think pianists should write music. Also, at 20, I want to play all of Mozart's piano sonatas."
When asked about the upcoming performance, he said "I hope the audience can learn the message of hope as Beethoven's concerto is about this."
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| Conductor Park Seung-you |
"My life's goal is to become a better person. I thought that becoming a conductor would make me a better musician because a conductor should understand the music more broadly. Conducting is a process of becoming a better individual," Park said during the interview.
As someone who spent more than half of her life in Austria where Beethoven built his career, she stressed that the composer is part of her ordinary life and a great inspiration for her music as well.
"There was a statue of Beethoven near my house. Whenever I encountered it, I bowed and talked to it about my routine and plans for music. I was raised surrounded by the legacies of the artist… I later bought a small statue of Beethoven and brought it to Korea. Every morning, I bow to him as a routine."
After winning multiple international awards, she decided to return to Korea and continue her career as a challenge to the music scene here, thinking the country is less important that the music itself. She currently directs the K Art Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches students as an adjunct professor at Sungshin Women's University.
"People were never passionate about conducting before. But many senior conductors paved the way in Korea's classical scene as conductors. (I was thinking of staying in Austria,) but I thought the country where I stay doesn't matter because music is deeply the same anywhere."
When asked about the upcoming performance, she stressed that Beethoven can give meaningful messages in terms of people keeping their humanity.
"Beethoven's music can give a humanitarian messages to all in this difficult time. I hope that the music itself can move people's minds and excite them as well, which is something very special."
For more information about the orchestra's "Next Stage," as well as ticket reservations, visit www.koreansymphony.com or call 02-523-6258.
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| Kim Yu-won, the conductor of the 2019 Next Stage, orchestrates the Korean Symphony Orchestra in this Sept. 8, 2019, file photo. Courtesy of Korean Symphony Orchestra |
