Violist O’Neill Set to Dazzle Fans

This guy has an amazing stage presence. I've also noticed his exquisite taste in shoes.

Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill/Photo Courtesy of Credia

Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill is back to show off a different musical streak. The 30-year-old star musician begins a cross-country tour this weekend to play tracks from his fourth solo album ``Mysterioso’’ (Archiv Produktion/Universal), a Baroque project with the renowned period ensemble Alte Musik Koln.

``If I were to find a main concept to tie all of the tracks together, I would have to say it is the sound world within which the piece exists,’’ said O’Neill in a statement. The album features Baroque classics like Corelli’s Violin Sonata No. 12 ``La Folia’’ and Vitali’s Chaconne in G minor _ which, based on manuscripts, are a special treat for period music purists.

For the recording, the artist modified his viola, a rare Giovanni Tononi from 1699, with gut strings, which are not wound like today’s synthetic steel ones, and used a baroque bow. ``The timbre of the viola is even more mellow, rich and gentle, with gut strings. I am sure that any listener will be able to tell right away how different and mysterious the tone color is,’’ he said.

To capture the life and energy of the pieces, he paid heed to articulations of notes, tempi and hierarchy of beats. The style indeed contrasts sharply with the poeticism of O’Neill’s earlier albums, but his way of liberating a controlled gust of lush emotion and whirlwind colors remains unchanged.

``As classical musicians, we dedicate our whole lives to the pursuit of deepening our knowledge and understanding of the great masterpieces of the great composers of all time… Baroque period practice affects so much of what we do in later periods, including the work of Mozart and Brahms. Those composers had deep respect of the Baroque,’’ he said.

After entering the public spotlight through a TV documentary as the loving son of a Korean adoptee, the violist has been captivating fans with his music. In addition to his best-selling albums and sold-out performances, O’Neill’s stardom was manifested in appearances in the sensational TV soap ``Beethoven Virus’’ and a fashion-icon award ceremony alongside movie stars.

One of the few violists to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Grammy nomination, O’Neill studied at the Juilliard School in New York. While appearing in various halls, he also teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Read my previous interview with Mr. O'Neill. He also published an essay on classical music.

Ensemble Ditto Storms Across Korea

The ultimate boy band of the classical music world.

Members of the ensemble Ditto from left: pianist Lim Dong-hyek, 24; violinists Stefan Jackiw, 23, and Johnny Lee, 29; cellist Patrick Jee, 30; double bassist DaXun Zhang, 28; and violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, 29. This photo is also part of their modeling campaign for Theory Korea. / Courtesy of Credia

Last year, a group of young men took the local music scene by storm. At chamber group Ditto’s Seoul concerts, die hard fans darted for the door before the last song came to an end so they could line up for autographs. They’re like the Shinhwa of the classical music scene.

Ditto is back for their second season, which is expected to be ``bigger and better,’’ said violinist Johnny Lee, 29, at the opening night performance Wednesday in Seoul’s hip Hongdae area.

The chamber group has certainly gotten bigger, with pianist Lim Dong-hyek, 24, violinist Stefan Jackiw, 23, and double bassist Daxun Zhang, 28, joining Lee, violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, 29, and cellist Patrick Jee, 30.

Mozart’s Duo for Violin & Viola K.423 and Beethoven’s ``Razumovsky’’ String Quartet No. 9 filled the small hall where indie rock bands usually perform. Dressed comfortably in jeans, the young musicians conversed afterward with their mostly female fans. When asked if they had girlfriends, Jackiw exposed his single status and the crowd shrieked with excitement.

Jackiw, who, apart from being an up and coming artist in the United States, is noted here for being the grandson of celebrated writer Pi Chun-duk. ``I’ve read both his essays and his poems and spent a lot of time with him in the summer. He was a fan of classical music and we talked a lot about literature and paintings… Spending time with him and talking about music influenced my music,’’ he said, adding that he learned about great musicians like Herbert von Karajan and Anne-Sophie Mutter through him.

Outside the hall, large posters and stationary featuring the youthful members were on sale _ rather than CDs. While there is sharp criticism about the overly commercial ``star’’ marketing tactics, the group’s public appeal is incontestable. Au contraire to stereotypes that chamber music is boring, the group secured a tour across nine cities, beginning with Daejeon on Sunday all the way down to Busan (June 20), then back in Seoul (June 28) and finally Inchoen (July 2).

Ditto is recognized for reaching out to a wider audience, and the tour includes stopovers at elementary schools in Busan and Daegu. Many non-classical music fans learned to appreciate the genre because of these Korean and Asian-American musicians, indicated by the group’s online fan community. Fans flocked to Hoam Art Center for Lee and Jee’s recitals Thursday and Friday, and concertgoers kept glancing back during breaks as other Ditto members were seated at the rear.

Chamber music seems to invigorate the members’ lives as well. ``I usually get really nervous about going onstage, but chamber music relieves me of that kind of stress. In addition to making great music, I’m just excited about working and hanging out with guys my age,’’ said Lim, who is receiving positive feedback on his newly released album (Bach’s ``Goldberg Variations,’’ EMI). ``Plus, I don’t have that many guy friends so this is very nice,’’ he laughed. The pianist cooked doenjang jjigae (bean curd stew) for the members in his New York apartment.

Lee, the only ethnic Korean member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said although June is vacation for him, playing with Ditto ``doesn’t feel like working.’’ Jee also expressed his excitement about collaborating with good friends.

The highlight of the group’s program this year is Schubert’s Piano Quintet ``The Trout.’’ The Austrian composer wrote it when he was 22, and classical music legends like pianist Daniel Barenboim, violinist Itzhak Perlman, violist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Jacqueline du Pre and double bassist Zubin Mehta jammed onstage together for the piece in their youth.

O’Neill said he thought long and hard about deciding on a piece that would be satisfying for a diverse audience, including both fans and people who don’t know much about classical music.

The Seoul performances will take place at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., June 28, at the Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal station on subway line 3. Call 1577-5266.

``Ditto'' is also the title of the book violist O'Neill wrote.

Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill’s Art of Giving

Violist Richard Yonjae O’Neill said the viola is a beautiful instrument with a wide range of colors and expression in a Korea Times interview in Seoul. In his new book “Enjoy the Classic, Ditto,” he writes how of the violin, viola and cello, the viola most closely resembles the human voice, particularly that of a loving mother. / Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill reminds you of the Energizer Bunny. He keeps going and going. For the 29-year-old violist, it would be typical to go on a cross-country tour with Schubert across Korea, and then fly to Los Angeles to teach for eight hours before heading to New York.

After a few days of playing chamber music at the Lincoln Center and fiddling contemporary pieces at the Guggenheim, he's on the move again. Following a quick stop to lecture at UCLA, he's in Milan with John Zorn, making modern music history. This is how 2007 zipped past for the musician.

One of the few violists to ever receive the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as a Grammy Award nomination (Best Soloist with Orchestra), Richard Yongjae O'Neill is rising to prominence as one of the leading artists of his generation. But it seems to be more than a deep passion for music that keeps him going. It is the power of sharing through music.

``An artist should give of oneself. It's important to give, to share, to reflect on the human condition, our finite existence, life, pain, death, all of these things,'' O'Neill told The Korea Times in January when he visited Seoul. He was celebrating New Year's with his New York-based chamber group Sejong Soloists at one of their sellout performances.

It was 7 p.m., and he looked like he was ready to drop after a full day of rehearsing, but he kept a smile on his face. For the photo shoot, I thought he'd just strike a pose with the viola, but he actually played segments of three pieces!

O'Neill is someone who, both on and offstage, is very willing to open up and reach out to others. He cannot walk past a homeless person without lending a helping hand ― though such eagerness has gotten him into trouble, like when one person attacked him in New York.

``It's sort of the same way when you're onstage. Of course you don't know everyone in the auditorium, but you have to have that same feeling of selflessness. You're on the stage for them; you have to open yourself up. Although they don't need help like the homeless, it's about sharing.

``We share the same conditions. Art is our way of being together in a society that is becoming increasingly fragmented and selfish. Music is a great way to relate with each other and it's just there to share,'' he said.

Perhaps this is what earns him rave reviews from the international press, who call him a ``ravishing,'' (London Times) and ``technically immaculate'' (Los Angeles Times) performer whose ``electric performance (holds) the audience in rapt attention'' (New York Times).

``Art is the best of humanity, our essence. It doesn't have anything to do with politics or money, and captures the best of the human condition, or more than the human condition. It transcends it because it doesn't die, it lives on,'' he said.

``A creative profession is an honor and a privilege. Adding something to the universe that's creating beauty is an amazing thing. I get the luxury of spending my days discussing details about phrase shapes, tempos, ideas and colors.

``It's funny how people see color when they hear music… If I were to describe myself in terms of a color, it'd be something dark. Maybe a darker, faded red… I gravitate toward that type of music, something darker, but live with energy,'' he said.

O'Neill said he couldn't imagine life without music. But "I could imagine going into social work helping people; I respect people that make it their life to help people. It's not only very noble but we need that. So much about our society is about money and making personal gain. We need people to be helping people," he said. >>More

`Enjoy the Classic, Ditto'

Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Compiled in Korean by Jo Jeong-hyeon

Joongang Books: 237 pp., 12,000 won

One of the most promising ― and explosively popular ― young artists of today, violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill has three hit albums and a string of acclaimed performances on the world stage under his belt. Now the 29-year-old brings a collection of essays, ``Ditto'' (also the name of a chamber ensemble of which he is a member).

The book is in essence a guide to appreciating classical music, which is often regarded as being limited to the elite intelligentsia. ``Enjoy the classic, you don't necessarily have to understand everything!'' writes the author. He compares the music genre to food, how one does not necessarily have to be a great chef to enjoy delicacies.

But this is no ``Dummy'' guidebook. The author presents thoroughly subjective viewpoints and experiences with classical music as both an individual and artist. While strongly autobiographical, however, the book's core focus is not O'Neill (readers probably know about his life from the hit 2005 KBS documentary, "Human Theater.")

Rather, it is a passionate love letter to music. Through his personal anecdotes and philosophies about music, O'Neill establishes a basis of mutual understanding, heart to heart, with readers -- ditto.

Just as celebrated director Park Chan-wook, one of O'Neill's fans and sponsors, writes in the foreword, you feel like you know the author, both as an artist and individual, after reading it, and some might feel inspired to tackle centuries-old music.

The book also includes a list of concert etiquette and recommended music pieces.

Read about my interview with Mr. O'Neill