Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to Resume In-Person Concerts Next Month with 'Shostakovich Symphony No. 1'

Assistant Conductor Wilson Eung Debuts at Regular Concert... Violinist Esther Yu Collaborates

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold its regular concert "2020 Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Shostakovich Symphony No. 1" at 8 p.m. on October 16 at the Seoul Arts Center.

This concert marks the regular concert debut of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra assistant conductor Wilson Ng and is also the first time violinist Esther Yoo will perform with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

Under the baton of Wilson Ng, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Kod?ly's "Dances of Gal?nta," Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, and Glazunov's Violin Concerto. Tickets for this concert will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. on September 23 through the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra website, call center, and various ticketing outlets.

Wilson Ng has been serving as assistant conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra since last year and is the music director and principal conductor of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra, which he founded. Born in Hong Kong in 1989, Ng began studying flute at age 11 and studied in Paris and Lausanne. He served as guest principal flute at the Lyon National Opera before switching to conducting, studying at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has won the Paris Svetlanov International Conducting Competition, the 8th Georg Solti International Conducting Competition in Frankfurt in 2017, and the James Conlon Conducting Award at the Aspen Music Festival in 2016. He also placed third in the "2020 Mahler International Conducting Competition" held in early July.

Wilson Eung, Associate Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
[Photo by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, ⓒJino Park]

Gal?nta is a small town in northeastern Hungary where Kod?ly spent his childhood. Kod?ly was born in Kecskem?t, in the center of present-day Hungary, and moved to Gal?nta three years later, growing up there until he was 10 years old in 1892. He composed "Dances of Gal?nta" at age 51, reflecting his childhood memories. Kod?ly transformed the folk music of this small rural town, imbued with Hungarian sentiment, into sophisticated music that resonates with audiences worldwide.

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1 was the work that brought him widespread recognition. Born in Saint Petersburg, Shostakovich studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. At age 19, in 1925, he composed Symphony No. 1 as his graduation piece. The conservatory director Glazunov, who served as a judge, was deeply impressed by the work and recognized Shostakovich as his successor, supporting his music throughout his life.

The piece premiered on May 12, 1926, in Leningrad under the baton of Nikolai Malko, followed by performances in Berlin in 1927 conducted by Bruno Walter, in Philadelphia in 1928 conducted by Stokowski, and in New York the same year conducted by Rozinsky, helping establish Shostakovich's reputation as a composer both domestically and internationally. After the premiere, Malko said, "I felt that a new page in the history of symphony and great composers had begun."

When composing this piece as a student, Shostakovich was influenced by Stravinsky and Prokofiev, employing a distinctive musical language. The extreme contrasts between destructive, violent passion and immersion in pitch-black darkness became a scenario seen in many of his later works, evoking the unique emotional character of Shostakovich's music.

Violinist Esther Yoo
[Photo by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, ⓒ Marco Borggreve]

Violinist Esther Yoo will perform Glazunov's "Violin Concerto," one of the composer's most frequently performed works. The concerto is played without pauses between movements, with themes introduced in earlier movements reappearing later, exhibiting the fantasia-like concerto style often seen in the Romantic era. It is generally divided into three movements but sometimes considered as two or four movements.

Glazunov's Violin Concerto is based on Russian folk music themes. This piece demands lyrical expression and technical skill from the performer and was included in Esther Yoo's first album released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2015. Esther Yoo currently plays on the 1704 Stradivarius "Prince Obolensky," which she borrows.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra plans to prepare this concert as an in-person event but will respond flexibly to changes in COVID-19 related circumstances and government guidelines, also preparing video, audio, and online streaming to switch to a non-face-to-face online streaming performance if necessary.

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