OSM Performs With Nagano in Seoul

Conductor Kent Nagano, left, artistic director of the Orchestre Symphonic de Montreal, and violinist Choi Ye-eun appear at a press conference in Seoul Thursday. The Canadian orchestra gave a concert in Korea for the first time in 11 years Friday and gives its second performance featuring a solo by Choi at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Saturday afternoon. /Yonhap

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal (OSM, Montreal Symphony Orchestra), helmed by conductor Kent Nagano, performed in Korea for the first time in 11 years Friday. The Canadian ensemble, turning 75 years old next year, celebrates its North American roots and European inspiration in a special tour of South Korea and Japan.

OSM gives its second concert 5 p.m., Saturday, at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in northern Seoul.

``Korea has a long history of thousands of years, and 75 is really a short period of time. Also hwere I live part time in Europe, 75 years is really recent history. But for America, this is very old,’’ the conductor told reporters at a press meeting Thursday in his first visit to the country.

``During these 75 years, we’ve had good fortune to have many interesting and strong artistic voices in our music directorship,’’ said Nagano, who succeeds maestros Zubin Mehta and Charles Dutois among others as artistic director of the OSM.

On Friday, the OSM gave festive performances of the French and German masters, with Berlioz’s ``Symphony Fantastique,’’ the prelude from Wagner’s opera ``Tristan and Isolde’’ and Ravel’s ``Bolero.’’

The program reflects the musical history of both Nagano and the OSM. The 57-year-old, a native of California, has served as music director of Opera de Lyon in France and principal conductor/artistic director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin, Germany. ``(The OSM has) the technical brilliance we usually associate with North American orchestras… yet they have the sensitivity and aesthetics of a European orchestra,’’ said the conductor.

Following Dutois’ tenure, the OSM took on a strong French color, and Nagano said he spent the past two years introducing a more diverse repertoire, particularly the German literature of Beethoven, Wagner and Strauss.

The Nagano-helmed OSM is also known for premiering contemporary works, notably the award-winning opera ``Alice in Wonderland’’ by Chin Unsuk (aka. Unsuk Chin) last year and ``Rocana’’ by the Korean composer last month in Montreal and New York.

``My friendship with Unsuk Chin is a special one,’’ he said, adding that he has ``great admiration for her music.’’ ``She is one of the most talented composers of her time.’’ He joked that while great talent doesn’t always guarantee a good personality, Chin has the ``special bonus’’ of being a ``great person,’’ drawing laughs from the room. He also said he felt ``guilty because I asked so many new pieces from Ms. Chin.’’ Next week, Nagano will be performing ``Rocana’’ with the Chicago Symphony.

Saturday, the OSM will revive nature-inspired music: Debussy’s ``La Mer,’’ Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 and Strauss’ ``Ein Alpensinfonie’’ (An Alpine Symphony). Promising young violinist Choi Ye-eun will appear as soloist.

``I’m very honored to play with such a great ensemble in my home country,’’ said the 19-year-old, who currently studies in Berlin with the support of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. This is her second time playing with the OSM. The first was when she was 15, as the youngest ever winner of the 2003 Montreal International Musical Competition.

``We really met for the first time yesterday when we rehearsed yesterday,’’ said Nagano about meeting Choi, though the two had crossed paths last month in Bavaria. ``I must say the rehearsal was a very joyous one and we were all very delightful,’’ he said, adding that Choi’s teacher Ana Chumachenko also taught the OSM’s concertmaster.

As for the future direction of the orchestra, Nagano said he will focus on trying to realize its great musical potential and illuminate its special character, which he described as being ``a strong, colorful personality.’’

Tickets cost 10,000-200,000 won. Call (02) 6303-1919 for inquiries and 1588-7890 or 1544-1555 for reservations.

The OSM’s performance is the 10th of the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation’s World Orchestra series following the New York Philharmonic’s historic tour of the two Koreas in February. In November, the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Simon Rattle, will perform.

>>Read my interview with violinist Choi Ye-eun

Violinist Choi Ye-eun's Blooming Musicality

This is the seventh in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians - Korea Times

``I couldn’t put it down,’’ Choi Ye-eun told The Korea Times about playing the violin for the first time at age seven. ``The violin felt alive. It was like a friend,’’ said the 19-year-old, a rising young star in Korea and Germany. /Courtesy of Choi Ye-eun

Violinist Choi Ye-eun is the very image of a flower. When the smiling, petite 19-year-old met with The Korea Times, she was pretty in pink and constantly fiddling the rose sitting before her on the table. But her powerful stage presence is far from dainty and frail _ she’s more like a strong and vibrant sunflower. Deeply rooted in fertile lands, she lets nature take its course, allowing her pure love and passion for music naturally guide her growth.

``I never consciously thought, `I am going to become someone,’ nor did I systematically participate in competitions. It all came quite naturally,’’ said Choi. One of the most promising talents to emerge from Korea and Germany in recent years, she was named one of the ``Emerging Artists of 2007’’ by the American Symphony Orchestra League.

After studying under Kim Nam-yun, Choi currently works with Ana Chumachenko in Munich with the support of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. The violinist is in town to appear as soloist for the Kent Nagano-helmed Montreal Symphony Orchestra this weekend.

This will be her second time performing with the Canadian orchestra. The first was when she was 15, as the youngest ever winner of the 2003 Montreal International Musical Competition. This was not long after winning second prizes at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians and the 2003 Leopold-Mozart concours.

``I love the stage, and thought of competitions as just another chance to be onstage,’’ said Choi, who debuted at the age of 10 with the Seoul Philharmonic. ``I chose to enter concours based on the repertoire. If I enter a competition, the preliminary rounds are like recitals where I can play beautiful concertos.’’

Born in Seoul, Choi grew up in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. She began playing the violin at the relatively late age of seven. She had been playing the piano since five, but instantly fell in love with the violin.

``I couldn’t put it down. It was playtime for me. I’d hurry finishing up my schoolwork so I could play with the violin,’’ she smiled. ``I never felt the piano ‘spoke’ to me, but the violin felt alive. It was like a friend,’’ said Choi, who never left her ``best friend’’ unguarded that day at the buffet lunch. The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation’s Free Instrument Bank sponsors Choi’s Giuseppe Guadagnini.

Unlike many parents who zealously push talented children to practice on end, Choi’s family was, initially, not fully supportive. Her father, an engineer at Samsung Group, and mother, a former schoolteacher, were avid fans of classical music, but they thought the life of an artist would be too tough.

It was her violin teacher who insisted the eight-year-old Choi pursue music more seriously. ``She declared to my parents that she’d give up if I fail the junior audition for the Korea National University of Arts. But I made it,’’ she said.

Since then, she simply practiced for her own pure joy and also because she loved her teachers so much. Germany became her second home by chance, when a manager from the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation noticed her in a local festival in 2005 and recommended her to Anne-Sophie herself.

``It was a perplexing audition. I was given one month to practice Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Schostakovich concertos as well as Ravel, Beethoven and Debussy sonatas. But at the session I was asked to play Bach,’’ she said. The Foundation awarded the young artist a scholarship and continues to support her.

``After I went to Germany, however, I began to think I should have more concrete plans. But my teacher (Ana Chumanchenko) said life doesn’t work out as planned. You just go with the flow, like a river, occasionally bumping into rocks and taking opportunities that come by.

``My love and passion for music, and pursuing that love and passion, are my energy source,’’ she said, emphasizing the importance of music being an end rather than a means to achieve other things. ``I don’t want to become a commercial artist.

``I want to capture my own character in my music. Art is an expression, and I want to express all that I wish in my music. But what’s more important is to move the audience. I just supply the tools and it’s up to the audience to make their own interpretation,’’ she said.

``Professor Chumanchenko not only teaches me knowledge but directs my emotional and philosophical growth as well. I learn professionalism from Anne-Sophie Mutter, who is perfect in every way, from her looks to her roles as a mother, teacher and fellow musician,’’ she said. ``I wish to become an internationallrs y influential performer who can help those in need and also support young artists like (Mutter).’’

Choi has about two more years left before earning her diploma at Munchen Musik Hochschule. She said she feels at home in Germany, motherland to maestros like Beethoven. ``I love learning German, too. I think the tone and rhythm of German composers’ music are somewhat related with the phrasing of the German language,’’ she said.

The violinist will play with the Montreal Symphony at the Seoul Arts Center on Friday and Saturday. Call (02) 6303-1919. At the end of the month, she will be recording an album with other artists from the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. She will return to Korea at the end of May to play with the zestful Kumho Asiana Soloists before spending the summer on European stages with Gidon Kremer and Yuri Bashmet.

`The Air I Breathe’ Is Breathtaking

Cinema has seen its fair share of omnibus films about crisscrossing human relationships, but Jieho Lee's ``The Air I Breathe'' is one that deserves special attention. It fathoms human nature and the six degrees of separation, but also offers thrills, chills and fine acting through a star-studded cast. Art film falls in love with Hollywood: what more can you ask for?

Lee shows that a script by an anonymous newcomer, if gripping, can make it big in Hollywood. The Korean-American filmmaker makes his feature film debut with Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brendan Fraser and even Andy Garcia, who is known for working only with veteran directors. Even Julie Delpy makes a brief appearance.

Inspired by the Korean proverb ``huinoaerak,'' expressed in Chinese characters, the film explores four emotional cornerstones through four characters that personify them: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. As the director said in his own words, ``Air'' unravels like a noir ``Wizard of Oz'' as four individuals embark on a journey of self-discovery.

A fund manager (Whitaker) hears about a fabricated horseracing gamble that will ensure a win. Sick of his monotonous life, he gives it a shot. But things go awry and he ends up owing money ― or his fingers ― to a gangster appropriately called ``Fingers'' (Garcia). Carpe diem, he seems to say, and decides to rob a bank. In the process, he experiences the unexpected ― happiness.

Pleasure is depicted through a hit man (Fraser) working for Fingers. He has never lost a fight because he can see the future. But it's far from being a blessing: unable to change the results, he is a powerless spectator of what's coming. One day, he meets a young woman (Gellar), and his inability to see her future breaks his apathy.

Fingers decides to cash in on the success of a pop star (Gellar) as her new manager. (As an added bonus you get to see the charismatic actor groove to bubbly pop music.) Thrown into a world of coercive violence, the singer discovers comfort ― and painstaking sorrow ― in a helpful hit man.

A doctor (Bacon) has always been in love with Gina (Delpy). One day, Gina is rushed into the emergency room and only a blood transfusion within 24 hours can save her. But it is almost impossible to find a donor with Gina's rare blood type. However, a pop princess might be able to save the love of his life.

This ``hardboiled'' allegory is like an ancient Greek myth told in modern parlance, where gangsters reign instead of the gods. The story's universal appeal is by far its biggest selling point, particularly as charismatic actors give their finest performances.

Garcia pulls off yet another mobster, one that is reprehensible, yet very human. Gellar is absolutely stunning as a soulful young woman, and the other actors work their magic. The stars do not outshine one another but join forces altogether to create one brilliant big bang.

Actual people Lee met while working in Korea inspired this original script. As one story feeds into the next, ``Air'' maps out the spring, summer, fall and winter of the human soul. The emotions are like ``three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. From those three colors you can make all sorts of colors,'' the director recently told reporters in Seoul.

In addition to reaching artistic goals of reflecting on the human condition, he also ingeniously orchestrates pulsating excitement, keeping you on the edge of your seat to the final second.

In theaters April 9.

Seoul Women's Film Fest Marks 10 Years

The International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) celebrates a decade of upholding the female spirit and creativity by offering 141 films from 30 countries, April 10-18.

The world’s largest and most successful film event for women, IWFFIS has been a playground for women cineastes. But over the years, it grew to become a form of ``cultural movement’’ that explores feminine questions in larger context, as an important fiber of the social fabric.

Festival director Lee Hyae-kyoung (right/Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul) met with The Korea Times last week to discuss what it means to ``see the world through women’s eyes.’’

``Film theorist Laura Mulvey said the camera services male viewpoints and caters to their desires by objectifying females as an object of desire,’’ she said. ``The women’s film festival is not unrelated with the feminist movement. We aim to answer questions about how it would be to view the world driven by female desires and perspectives

``It also goes beyond women’s issues and fathoms what the female perspective means within the context of human and even non-human concerns, and what role it plays in creating new social systems and cultures,’’ she said.

Launched in 1997 as a humble biannual event, the film festival grew steadily. Unlike most festivals, IWFFIS is not state-funded, though it now receives generous support from the government. But whether it was small or big, the festival was always very popular, garnering an average of over 90 percent viewership for screenings _ rare for any given film event in the world. This is phenomenal considering that it caters to a largely female audience.

``Our aim is to instill in women confidence, nurturing the soul for a year until the next festival. It’s true we began as a separatist festival for women, with the female audience and filmmakers at the core. But we remained open and aimed to influence society as a simultaneous separatist and mainstreaming efforts,’’ she said.

Today, the female-male audience ratio is about 6:4. The festival is making efforts to expand to a wider audience in terms of age range. For moms, a day care center is prepared.

And in the spirit of opening up, the 10th edition of the festival features ``Open Cinema,’’ a lineup of works by male directors. ``Biological differences aren’t so important, male directors can treat women’s issues with a keen eye, while female directors can make action movies,’’ she said.

``Open Cinema is something we’ve been thinking of since our 4th edition of the festival. By opening up to males, we’re not losing our focus on women. It’s a sign of our openness and toleration, confidence and desire to communicate with a larger audience,’’ said Lee.

``While the festival retains a focus on women and social minorities, it also functions to a source of creativity and new, alternative values. If our efforts have thus far been geared to making things plausible and collective, we want our festival to help feminist values and philosophies to become a principal part of society,’’ she said.

``As society and values evolve, a women’s film festival does not have to disappear. It will continue to offer a unique perspective, not only in the context of Korean society but within Asia and in the world,’’ she said.

IWFFIS created the Berlin Asian Women’s Film Festival, which was launched last fall, and also collaborates with the festival in Chennai, India. While there are about 20 women’s cinema events in Europe, including the 30-year-old Creteil in France, and others in Asia, the Seoul festival is leading the pack.

What does it mean to ``see the world through women’s eyes’’? ``It’s hard to say in words,’’ said Lee, suggesting movies say more than a thousand words. She says one should watch at least five films to truly savor a festival.

``The themes vary, from dealing with sexual violence to postnatal depression, or it can have no theme at all. It can be very delicate or very violent. But in all, our festival allows women to express suppressed feelings and experiences in modern society. Most of all, it’s about creating alternative values in a post-modern society,’’ she said.

`Fate,’ When Pretty Boys Go Bad

"Fate" ("Sukmyeong 숙명," S. Korea)

Directed by Kim Hae-gon. Starring Song Seun-heon, Kwon Sang-woo.

In the star-studded gangster film ``The Fate,'' friends become foes and ``pretty'' actors get rough. Actor-turned-director Kim Hae-gon casts hallyu TV stars Kwon Sang-woo (``Stairway to Heaven'') and Song Seung-heon (``Autumn Fairytale'') and other familiar faces to play unfamiliar roles.

`The Fate'' is a quintessential commercial flick that feeds on star power, provocative action and melodrama. While weak storytelling and exhausting running time wane the fun, engaging performances by the supporting actors fill in the missing links.

[...] It's larger than life movie, where ``beautiful'' gangsters sporting sleek suits and an occasional scar win fights with odds of 30:1. The director tries to make a film a la Kwak Gyeong-taek, breaking down handsome actors' chiseled, Greek god image by having them swear and do some high kicks. Song and Kwon try to prove they can do more than just smile and cause ladies to swoon, following in the footsteps of heartthrobs Jang Dong-kun (``Friend'') and Joo Jin-mo (``A Love''). They tried, at least. >>More

Chin Unsuk's "Rocana" Premieres in Montreal

Composer Chin Unsuk, 46, celebrated the world premiere of her new orchestral piece ``Rocana'' Monday in Montreal. She will also receive its U.S. premiere Saturday at New York's Carnegie Hall before its debut in other parts of the world.

Under the baton of conductor Kent Nagano, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal (Montreal Symphony Orchestra) performed ``Rocana'' as part of its ``Grand Concerto'' series alongside masterworks by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. The same group will give the New York premiere, and Nagano will helm ``Rocana's'' Chicago debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, April 24-29. The Asia premiere will take place in the near future with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, where Chin is composer-in-residence.

Meaning ``room of light'' in Sanskrit, ``Rocana'' reflects Chin's observation of ``the behavior of beams of light _ their distortion, reflections, and undulations.'' ``The overall picture and the overall structure are one entity, one `tonal sculpture.' However, one can look at it from various angles, since the inner structures are constantly changing. Even if the music at times gives the impression of stasis, subtle impulses, interactions and reactions are continually present,'' the composer wrote about her piece in a statement

``Rocana'' was jointly commissioned by the Seoul Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, Bavarian State Opera and Beijing Music Festival Arts Foundation. This is the Seoul Philharmonic's first project with foreign partners and is expected to be a turning point for the domestic music scene, according to the orchestra.

This is Chin's latest premiere since her critically acclaimed opera ``Alice in Wonderland,'' which debuted last year at Munich's Bayerische Staatspoer (Bavarian State Opera). The modern opera was ranked in the ``Best of 2007'' list in the Los Angeles Times and was named ``World Premiere of the Year'' by European critics for Opernwelt magazine.

Born in Seoul, Chin is a trained pianist. She learned musical composition at Seoul National University before a German state scholarship took her to Hamburg, where she studied with the great Gyorgy Ligeti.

Chin has been praised for her ``formidable ear for sonority and for mining the expressive potential of the slightest nuances of pitch and pulse'' (The Guardian, United Kingdom). In 2004, her devilishly challenging Violin Concerto won her the prestigious Grawemeyer Award, the world's richest prize for composers. Proclaimed ``the first truly great work of this millennium'' by the Los Angeles Weekly, the concerto has been performed in more than 10 countries across Europe, Asia and North America.

Last fall, the composer led a series of creative premiere concerts with the Seoul Philharmonic titled ``Ars Nova.'' She also received the Composition Prize at the 2007 Daewon Music Awards, one of Korea's prime music events.

Chin currently lives in Berlin with her husband, pianist Maris Gothoni, and their young son.

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