'About the Romance of Brahms'... Seoul International Music Festival Opens on July 7

7-14 Il Yesul-ui Jeondang, Total 6 Performances
Artistic Director Ryu Jaejun's 'Trumpet Concerto' Premiere

"Everyone dreams and hopes for romance at least once in their lifetime. This year, the Seoul International Music Festival sings of the romance cherished in all our hearts after passing through the tunnel of difficult and challenging times. We have prepared the festival so that we can reflect ourselves through the music of Brahms, the greatest composer of the Romantic era, who lived his life with love, timidity, and excitement."

2022 Seoul International Music Festival SIMF Orchestra Closing Concert. [Photo by Seoul International Music Festival]

The Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF), celebrating its 15th edition this year, will open next month. On the 14th, it was announced that the '2023 Seoul International Music Festival' will be held from the 7th to the 14th of next month at the Concert Hall and IBK Chamber Hall in the Seoul Arts Center, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Artistic Director Ryu Jae-jun explained that this year's festival theme is 'About Romance,' focusing on the musical world of Johannes Brahms (1833?1897), a master of the 19th-century Romantic era.

The festival, consisting of six performances, will present Brahms' tragic overture, Symphony No. 1, and the Double Concerto for violin and cello, among others, to the audience.

The chamber music series will be held four times, including the opening performance on the 7th, as well as on the 8th, 10th, and 12th. The performance on the 10th commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Finland. It will feature Magnus Lindberg's 'Clarinet Quintet,' Jean Sibelius' 'Legend' for clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet, and Brahms' 'Piano Quartet No. 2.'

Seoul International Music Festival Poster.
[Photo by Seoul International Music Festival]

The chamber music performances will be graced by outstanding musicians from around the world, including Kim Su-bin (violin, USA), Itamar Golan (piano, France), Claudio Bohorquez (cello, Germany), V?tor Fernandes (clarinet, Spain), and Ricardo Silva (horn, Greece).

The SIMF Orchestra, representing the Seoul International Music Festival, will perform on the 11th and 14th. The SIMF Orchestra is formed annually around the Ensemble Opus and invites soloists who perform each year. The collaboration with world-renowned conductors also draws attention. This year, Paolo Bortolameolli (on the 11th) and Vasily Petrenko (on the 14th) will take the podium.

At the closing performance on the 14th, the SIMF Orchestra will present the world premiere of Artistic Director Ryu Jae-jun's 'Trumpet Concerto.' Hungarian trumpet player G?bor Boldoczki will be the soloist on stage.

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