Kwun to Perform With Tokyo Met Symphony

This young man is like the Big Bang, though his fame has yet to catch up with his towering talents like Sarah Chang here. He could probably make any instrument sound good, but omg his 1774 Guadagnini has that buttery goodness.

Japan’s renowned Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, led by maestro Kazuhiro Koizumi, returns to South Korea April 16. The last time they played here was 23 years ago, and coincidentally enough, it will feature a 23-year-old Korean violinist as soloist.

>>Post-concert comment: The orchestra was awesome. Maestro Koizumi gave flight to such frills-free, yet charismatic music. The audience responded with very little coughs in between movements and gave a standing ovation.

The concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts presents a program of Tchaikovsky, including Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 with Kwun Hyuk-joo, a Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory graduate praised for his ``quintessentially Russian’’ sound. Not surprisingly, it is the violin concerto he performed most frequentlyViolinist Kwun Hyuk-joo will appear as soloist in the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra's concert April 16 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Seoul. /Courtesy of Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation onstage.

``But it’s different each time I play it and depends on the orchestra and conductor,’’ Kwun told The Korea Times, Tuesday, in Seoul, expressing enthusiasm about playing with a major Japanese orchestra for the first time.

The violin concerto seems to have a special place in his heart. ``When you watch a movie, sometimes you feel an emotional release in your heart that’s liberating, refreshing and beautiful. Russians are very free-spirited, relaxed and never rushed. I think among Russian violin concertos, and especially among Russian Romantic works, the Tchaikovsky piece expresses this characteristic of Russians well,’’ he said.

The virtuoso _ and one does not take the world lightly _ is regarded as ``a rising artist that will continue the Russian violin lineage carried on by Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Gidon Kramer and Vadim Repin.’’ Kwun was only 18 when he won the 2002 Yampolsky competition, receiving high praise from the elderly Russian maestro Tikhon Khrennikov.

``I feel extremely thankful,’’ he said about such compliments. ``But I myself am never satisfied with my playing. My teacher always told me, `the moment you’re satisfied, you’re doomed.’’’

Out of his tuxedo, Kwun looks nothing like the ``typical’’ classical musician, especially with a piercing in his right eyebrow. Contrary to his funky style and frank speech, however, he was extremely soft-spoken. While there was nothing wrong with his Korean, he spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. Having moved to the former Soviet State at age 10, he feels more comfortable with Russian. In addition to the language, Russian musicality seems to run in his veins.

He demonstrates lyricism, immaculate technique and powerful gusto _ characteristics that the aforementioned Russian master violinists share. And yet, it would be unfair to limit Kwun’s teeming musicality to the Russian repertoire. In recent years, he has showcased contemporary works with the Kumho Asiana Soloists and gave an exquisite rendition last February of Mozart’s Concerto No. 4 with the Seoul Philharmonic.

His repertoire covers all the standard violin pieces, from Paganini to Shostakovich, and keeps expanding as he explores contemporary works. Kwun has also won major international competitions, from the Queen Elisabeth to the Paganini, and has toured extensively in Europe, playing an exquisite 1774 Guadagnini. A young musician couldn’t ask for more.

The road leading to such accomplishments, however, was far from easy. His mother accompanied him to Russia but he was on his own to deal with various discriminations one is bound to face as a foreigner. ``When I look back to it now, I can smile. I used to be quite rebellious about it, but now I feel much more at ease,’’ he said.

Kwun added that he was fortunate to have great teachers like Kim Nam-yun and Eduard Grach. He has resumed his studies in Germany, and works toward his lifelong goal _ to perfect what he already knows, and to become his own teacher one day.

Also featured in the program are Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from ``Eugene Onegin’’ and Symphony No. 5. Tickets cost from 25,000 won to 100,000 won. Call (02) 6303-7700.