Leonard Bernstein Visiting on a Midsummer Night... Lotte Cultural Foundation's 'Classic Revolution'

New Artistic Director Andreas Ottensamer, Principal Clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic
Highlighting the Life and Works of Leonard Bernstein, a Genius

"To understand music, you don't need to know much about pitch, flats, chords, or the like. Above all, the most wonderful thing is that there is no limit to the variety of emotions music can give us." - Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein [Photo by Leonard Bernstein Official Website]

The Lotte Cultural Foundation announced on the 25th that it will hold the summer classical festival '2023 Classic Revolution - Leonard Bernstein' at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, from August 11 to 20.

'Classic Revolution' is a project presented annually by the Lotte Cultural Foundation since 2020, featuring a comprehensive program of representative works by a specific composer. This year, the festival will spotlight the composer Leonard Bernstein.

Bernstein is celebrated as a brilliant genius as a performer, conductor, and composer. He continuously elevated contemporary music to new dimensions, developing and presenting his own unique musical language. His works strongly reflect the influence of jazz and clearly reveal distinct grooves from North and South America. The festival will open with his iconic 'Candide' Overture, and throughout the festival period, Bernstein's most representative works, including dance pieces from West Side Story, will be performed.

Additionally, to enhance the festival program, works by Johannes Brahms, one of the composers who greatly influenced Bernstein, will also be performed. Bernstein, who valued tradition and origins, was a follower of Johann Sebastian Bach and often incorporated deep reflections on classical forms into his works. The festival program will also include works by Brahms, Bach, as well as Bernstein's friends, mentors, and those who greatly influenced their works, such as Schumann, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Dvo??k, offering a broad lineup.

Art Director Otenzammer_(C) Katja Ruge [Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation]

The artistic director is Andreas Ottensamer, who is actively working as principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic and has recently expanded his scope to conducting. With a fresh and spirited sensibility, he is leading a more cohesive program and is expected to serve as conductor during the festival period.

More dedicated to the festival than ever, Ottensamer showed his enthusiasm and preparedness by writing a greeting for the program book well ahead of the Classic Revolution’s opening, about five months in advance. He said, "Classic Revolution is a music festival that balances innovative progress and traditional values, as reflected in its name. This philosophy reminds us of the precious values of respecting our roots, heritage, family, and origins while striving for growth with an open mind and curiosity toward new experiences beyond limits." He added, "Selecting Leonard Bernstein as the representative composer also aligns with this musical spirit."

Andreas Ottensamer was born in 1989 into a family of Austrian-Hungarian musicians and began seriously studying clarinet in 2003. In 2009, he was selected as a scholarship student for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, leaving his studies at Harvard University to pursue a career as a musician. He officially joined the Berlin Philharmonic as a member in 2011 and has been serving as principal clarinetist ever since.

He later studied conducting under Nicholas Pasquet in Weimar and Johannes Schl?fli in Zurich. He served as assistant conductor to Riccardo Muti, Jaap van Zweden, and Fran?ois-Xavier Roth, and made his official conducting debut in the 2020/21 season leading the Armenian National Symphony Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He is scheduled to conduct the MDR Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia, Lisbon Gulbenkian Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Galicia Real Philharmonic Orchestra.

This year’s stage will feature various domestic artists gathered in one place. Korean performers active on the international stage, including flutist Kim Yubin, soprano Hwang Sumi, cellist Han Jaemin, pianist Yoon Hongcheon, and Shin Changyong, will appear.

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