Art Center Incheon Kicks Off Season with Baek Geon-woo Piano Recital

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Art Center Incheon, a classical concert hall, announced on the 22nd that it will reveal its scheduled annual programs for this year and open the first ticket sales, marking the official start of the season.

Through various projects such as 'World Orchestra,' 'Ensemble & Recital,' and 'Series Concert,' Art Center Incheon, preparing to meet audiences with about 40 performances annually, will present for the first time this year the stage titled ‘The Seeker on the Keyboard,’ pianist Baek Geon-woo's 'Baek Geon-woo and Schumann.'

Scheduled for March 6 as part of the 'Ensemble & Recital' series, Baek Geon-woo and Schumann will portray both the inspired youthful days of Schumann and the later life stained with deepening madness, based on pianist Baek Geon-woo’s profound research and exploration, delivering a more three-dimensional representation of the composer’s musical world.

The 65-year-old maestro, who embarked on a nationwide tour with his new album 'Schumann' released last September under the Deutsche Grammophon (DG) label and received praise such as “a performance comforting Schumann’s soul” and “a solemn prayer comforting Schumann’s life,” named the two CDs in the album ‘Eusebius’ and ‘Florestan.’ These are the names Schumann himself gave to his contrasting personas?introverted, pure, passionate, and at the same time aggressive. In an interview, Baek Geon-woo said, “When I was young, I actually felt uncomfortable with the composer Schumann,” adding, “At the time, I didn’t know why, but it was because Schumann’s world was so complex. Only now have I been able to understand him, and through recording, Schumann’s life and music have come closer to me.”

This recital can be seen as an extension of last year’s tour, beginning with Schumann’s first work, ‘Abegg Variations,’ followed by three fantasy pieces, ‘Arabesque,’ ‘Dawn Song,’ five pieces from a diverse collection of short works, ‘Scenes from Childhood,’ and concluding with the composer’s last piano piece, ‘Ghost Variations.’ It will highlight not only the widely beloved masterpieces with beautiful melodies but also pieces imbued with Schumann’s darkness, delicately tracing the composer’s musical beginning and end?who blossomed with pure passion but walked into suffering amid turmoil in music and love?offering an opportunity to rediscover Schumann’s life and music.

The 'Ensemble & Recital' series will continue with performances by violinist Hilary Hahn, clarinetist Sabine Meyer & Armida Quartet, soprano Im Sun-hye & countertenor Damien Guillon, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, and soprano Jo Sumi & I Musici.

Tickets can be purchased on the Art Center Incheon website and Interpark. However, to comply with the venue’s quarantine guidelines under social distancing level 2.5 due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), seating will be arranged with two seats left empty between attendees.

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