Lotte Cultural Foundation's Large-Scale Classical Music Festival 'Classic Revolution' Debuts in August

The Annual Summer Festival of Classical Music... This Year, Beethoven's Music Spotlighted from August 17 to 30

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] A new classical music festival that will excite domestic classical music lovers is set to begin this August.

The Lotte Cultural Foundation announced on the 27th that starting this year, it plans to hold a grand music festival every summer at the Lotte Concert Hall, which is celebrating its 4th anniversary, under the name "CLASSIC REVOLUTION." The first CLASSIC REVOLUTION will open on August 17 and continue until August 30.

CLASSIC REVOLUTION is a festival designed to provide performers with opportunities for new musical challenges and harmony, and to deliver the joy and vitality of music to audiences, similar to major European summer music festivals such as the Salzburg Festival in Austria, BBC Proms in the UK, and Verbier Festival in Switzerland. Over approximately ten days, audiences can enjoy a variety of classical performances ranging from recitals to chamber music, concertos, and symphonies.

Each year, CLASSIC REVOLUTION focuses on one composer, highlighting their great masterpieces through diverse matinee and afternoon performances. This year, marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the festival is held under the name CLASSIC REVOLUTION 2020 "BEETHOVEN." Over nine days, eight symphony orchestras including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, five chamber music groups, and one soloist will present a rich program of Beethoven’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and solo pieces in morning and afternoon sessions.

The Lotte Cultural Foundation plans to continue annually assigning a new year and theme to the CLASSIC REVOLUTION festival name, spotlighting the great masterpieces left by a specific composer during their lifetime.

The artistic director of CLASSIC REVOLUTION is Christoph Poppen (64), a German conductor who has served as artistic director of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

Christoph Poppen, Artistic Director of Classic Revolution
Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation

Ticket prices for the evening performances of CLASSIC REVOLUTION are 50,000 KRW for R seats, 40,000 KRW for S seats, and 30,000 KRW for A seats. Matinee chamber music performance tickets are priced at 40,000 KRW for R seats and 30,000 KRW for S seats.

Various packages are also available to enjoy the diverse programs at affordable prices. The All Day Pass package, for audiences who do not want to miss a single performance in the CLASSIC REVOLUTION 2020 series, offers all performances at a 40% discount. The Big Nine and Big Five packages allow selection of 9 or 5 desired performances, respectively, and can be purchased at a 10-30% discount depending on membership level. There are also genre-specific packages. The Revolution package, which bundles orchestra performances for a deeper appreciation of Beethoven’s symphonies, as well as matinee and chamber packages, allow audiences to choose performances according to their preferences and preferred viewing times.

Ticket sales will open first on May 13 for Lotte Concert Hall Vineyard members, followed by general members on May 20.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.