Seoul Philharmonic's 1.5m Melody Breaking Through COVID-19

Bensuke "Music Director Takes Responsibility for Safety"... Regular Performances Reorganized to Minimum Scale

Osmo V?nsk?, Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, is playing the clarinet during the rehearsal for "Grand Partita" on the 5th.
Photo by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] On the 5th, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's online concert was live-streamed on YouTube and Naver TV.

Following the first piece, Haydn's Symphony No. 94 'Surprise,' an unusual scene unfolded during the second piece, Mozart's Serenade No. 10 'Gran Partita.' Osmo V?nsk?, the music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (67), who conducted the 'Surprise' symphony, stepped down from the podium and blended in among the 14 musicians. He took on the second clarinet part and showcased his performance skills.

The landscape of orchestra performances is changing due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As social distancing has become important, pieces that require fewer musicians are being performed.

At the press conference held before the performance, Music Director V?nsk? explained, "Haydn's 'Surprise' Symphony and Mozart's 'Gran Partita' do not require many musicians but are very well composed pieces." He added, "If many orchestras resume performances, they will likely return to pieces with fewer musicians," and "It will be an opportunity to hear pieces not usually performed in regular orchestra concerts."

Music Director V?nsk? conducted Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' at his inaugural concert in February this year. 'Resurrection' is a grand work inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 'Choral,' featuring a choir and reaching up to 200 performers on stage.

Due to COVID-19, it has become difficult to enjoy such large-scale works in the future. Instead, pieces requiring fewer musicians are expected to become the main repertoire of orchestras. At the Seoul Philharmonic performance that day, the string players took the stage in fewer numbers than usual and performed while keeping a considerable distance from each other. The musicians were spaced at least 1.5 meters apart.

Music Director V?nsk? stated, "The music director is responsible for the safety of the performers," and explained, "The 1.5-meter guideline is based on research by the German Orchestra Research Association and is applied by orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic." He emphasized, "The safety of the performers is the top priority, so social distancing is most important." He continued, "Due to spatial constraints, not many musicians can be on stage, but we plan to deliver excellent performances accordingly," and asserted, "There will be no compromise regarding the quality of music or performance."

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is reorganizing its 2020 season regular concerts in accordance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines. They also revealed new performance principles. The concert programs will be changed to pieces where a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between performers can be maintained, and participation of wind instruments, which cannot wear masks and pose a high risk of droplet transmission, will be minimized. Due to difficulties with the entry of overseas performers, domestic musicians will be prioritized for soloist roles.

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