Liebreich Envisions Innovation for Tonyeong

HOT German conductor Alexander Liebreich, 40, speaks to The Korea Times about his plans as the future director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF), which is held every year in the birthplace of the late Korean-German composer Isang Yun. /Awesome unpublished Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

It seems natural that the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) will be led by Alexander Liebreich, who is from the country where Isang Yun’s music is most popular, and has built a special bond with the two Koreas over the years.

Beginning in 2011, this young German conductor will assume artistic directorship of the event, held every year in the late Korean-German composer’s South Gyeongsang Province hometown.

``My relationship with Korea evolved in a very natural way, with natural chemistry,’’ the 40-year-old told The Korea Times in a recent interview in Seoul. In 2002, the conductor had the unique opportunity to tour both sides of the 38th Parallel, and became a guest professor in Pyongyang as part of a joint project by Seoul’s Goethe Institute and the German Academic Exchange Service.

``Germany has this history of a divided country, so it’s a natural thing to have a dialogue with Korea. It’s a cultural dialogue, not a political one,’’ he said. ``It was very, very pleasant to see that young (North) Koreans were very passionate about music and very curious, and I’ve been very fortunate to have contact with the students who are so hungry for new repertoires,’’ said the conductor, who was also able to meet Yun’s widow, I Soo-ja, during his post. ``I was lucky to be part of this cultural exchange,’’ he said.

``Both (North and South) Koreans are very passionate about music; I think it’s a very general Korean way of living. I noticed that many women on weekends go singing and dancing, it’s very unusual,’’ he smiled.

Last week, the Liebreich-led Munchener Kammerorchester (Munich Chamber Orchestra, or MKO) held the South Korean audience in rapt attention as it filled the hall with the discordant harmonies of Yun. In the latter half of the concert, one was reminded of a young Claudio Abbado, as the conductor rigorously led the group for a lively rendition of Haydn’s Symphony No. 45. There was also some good Simon Rattle-esque joie de vivre onstage, as the musicians left the stage one by one in the last movement, most appropriately for a symphony dubbed ``Farewell.’’

Liebreich may have been inspired by his elders, but he lived up to his reputation as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation, a rising maestro with his own color and style. This very program opened this year’s TIMF, which came to a close last Thursday, and the fine balance of modern music and standard classics seems to represent what one can expect in the days to come for the event.

Reviving Yun’s Spirit

For TIMF, Liebreich said he envisions ``innovative programming and building a bridge between East and West.’’ ``Because Tongyeong is the birthplace of Isang Yun, some people might expect us to perform just Isang Yun music but that’s not such a good idea,’’ he said. ``It should not be a gravestone. It should be in the spirit and ideal of Isang Yun, to search for new talent and compositions from the East and West.’’

It is thus important, he said, to feature commissioned works by contemporary composers, though in a good balance with a standard repertory like the works of Mozart _ ``it’s not a contemporary music festival but a living music festival,’’ he said. ``Programs should always have a contrast.’’

His tenure would be in time for TIMF’s 10th anniversary and major projects include forming a festival orchestra. TIMF would also be a playground for students who would be able to attend master classes led by prominent artists and other educational programs. This would require searching for new venues, and Liebreich sees much potential in the scenic seaside town.

The future director also hopes to involve artists from other fields. ``I’m a big fan of Kim Ki-duk movies and there are video artists, modern dancers,’’ he said. ``Isang Yun would want to mingle with other artists, like he did with (the late Korean video artist) Paik Nam-june.’’

It is difficult not to be charmed by the conductor, whose piercing blue eyes reflect a most palpable enthusiasm for Yun’s work.

Until recently, Yun (1917-1995) was disgraced in South Korea as an alleged communist spy. He was arrested but released following protests led by Herbert von Karajan and others, and spent the rest of his exiled life as a German citizen. The composer was a prominent intellectual figure in Europe and his works were recognized in Pyongyang before Seoul.

Liebreich said he is often asked whether North Koreans understand Yun’s music better than their Southern counterparts. ``For me, it’s very hard to answer that question. The other question might be, do perhaps Germans better understand his work than Koreans? I don’t know. Isang Yun is much more popular in Germany than in Korea, and he was a big intellectual figure in the 1960s and `70s,’’ he said.

``But in the end it all comes down to good music… Music speaks for itself, and in a concert it’s less important who the composer is. You hear it and you either like or not like it,’’ he said. ``Isang Yun was a global citizen,’’ he said about the composer who studied in Japan, France and Germany. ``There’s a German saying, `imagine there is war but nobody would take part.’ Isang Yun’s music is a big expression of humanitarian ideals,’’ he said.