'Glass Ceiling-Breaking Conductor' Oksana Lyniv, First Visit to Korea with National Symphony in September

September 17th National Symphony 244th Regular Concert
Violinist Sergei Khachatryan Collaboration
Performance of Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 and More

"What is important to me is to become a co-creator in the life of myself, my homeland, and civilization."

Conductor Oksana Linyu? Oleh Pavliuchenkov [Photo by National Symphony]

Oksana Lyniv (45), a Ukrainian female conductor who became the first female conductor to step onto the podium in the 145-year history of the Bayreuth Opera Festival, will present her first performance in Korea. She will offer melodies of peace together with the National Symphony Orchestra.

On the 29th, the National Symphony announced that Lyniv will take the stage at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on September 17 to perform works by Ukrainian composer Yevhen Orkin (b. 1977) and Russian composer Rachmaninoff, among others.

Lyniv is a conductor leading the female wave in the conservative world of conducting. She is the first female conductor in the history of the Bayreuth Festival and a pioneer who broke the gender barrier at the 259-year-old Bologna Municipal Theatre in Italy. In 2016, she led the founding of the 'Lviv Mozart International Festival' held in Lviv, Ukraine, and in the same year established the Ukrainian Youth Symphony Orchestra, serving as its artistic director.

The concert will open with "Night Prayer" by Ukrainian composer Yevhen Orkin. This piece was world-premiered in March by the Ukrainian Youth Orchestra under Lyniv's baton. It is a tribute to the victims of the war in Ukraine, featuring a simple melody that builds tension to a magnificent climax. The piece conveys the earnest wishes for peace from two musicians longing for their homeland.

Violinist Khachaturian, performing as a collaborator on this stage? MARCO BORGGREVE [Photo by National Symphony]

Next, Aram Khachaturian's (1903?1978) Violin Concerto will be performed with soloist Sergey Khachaturian (38). This is a representative violin concerto of 20th-century Russia.

The piece incorporates folk music from the composer's homeland, Armenia, creating a unique work that blends playful and melancholic moods. Sergey Khachaturian, the soloist, gained recognition by becoming the youngest winner at the 8th Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition in 2000 and securing first place at the 2005 Queen Elisabeth Competition.

The concert will conclude with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth. Lyniv plans to highlight Rachmaninoff's great musical legacy, transcending walls that politics, ideology, and religion could not overcome. The piece harmonizes well with the ripening autumn scenery.

The National Symphony is collaborating with visual artists to open new horizons in classical music appreciation. The poster for this concert features the work of artist Kim Pan-mook, who has explored the chaotic identity of modern people through his 'Persona' and 'Between' series. He expressed Rachmaninoff's emotional state, overcoming the trauma of failure, through dots, lines, and planes.

Poster for the National Symphony September Regular Concert.
[Photo by National Symphony]

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