Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to Release Online Joint Performance Video with Minnesota Orchestra on the 4th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will release an online ensemble video performed together with the Minnesota Orchestra on the morning of the 4th at 9 a.m. on the Seoul city and SPO YouTube channels and websites.

Osmo V?nsk?, the artistic director of the SPO, also serves as the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. V?nsk? is contracted with the Minnesota Orchestra until 2022 and was appointed music director of the SPO in January this year. Director V?nsk? organized this project to bring the two ensembles closer through the power of music and to demonstrate the healing power of music amid the global difficulties caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The two orchestras performed "Nimrod," one of the Enigma Variations by British composer Edward Elgar. First, Director V?nsk? and the SPO members gathered and performed at Lotte Concert Hall on June 5, and individual performances by members of the Minnesota Orchestra were added to create a single video.

V?nsk? has served as the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra for over 20 years, establishing it as one of the major orchestras in the United States, earning him the nickname "Orchestra Builder" in the process.

Regarding this collaboration, Director V?nsk? said, "I believe music allows us to share each other's emotions. Music can evoke feelings of sorrow, hope, belief in a better future, and love within us. Elgar's 'Nimrod,' performed together by the SPO and the Minnesota Orchestra this time, is a piece that brings to mind all these emotions whenever I conduct or listen to it. I am also confident that the musicians who performed this piece together shared the same thoughts not only in Minneapolis and Seoul but across the entire globe. We all put our hopes and wishes for your peace into this performance."

The "Enigma Variations," a set of 14 orchestral variations on an original theme, is considered one of Elgar's masterpieces, notable for its poetic imagination and solidity. Among them, the ninth variation (Adagio), known as "Nimrod," was composed for Elgar's longtime friend and publisher, August Jaeger. "Nimrod" was a great hunter mentioned in the Old Testament, and "Jaeger" means hunter in German. Elgar composed this variation with rich orchestration and warm melodies, recalling the warm conversations and artistic advice exchanged with his friend during difficult times.

"Nimrod" also gained attention when the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performed it in 2005 in Ramallah, the capital of Palestine, amid conflict. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra was founded in 1999 by Palestinian scholar Edward Said and Jewish conductor Daniel Barenboim, bringing together young musicians from Israel and Arab countries. The orchestra performed "Nimrod" as the final piece in their 2005 concert in Ramallah.

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