Gyeonggi Philharmonic Masterpiece Series 'Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2'

Jonghae Park Collaborates on Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2

The Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra will perform "Gyeonggi Phil Masterpiece Series IX - Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2" on the 21st and 22nd at the Gyeonggi Arts Center Grand Theater and Lotte Concert Hall.

Byungwook Lee, music director and principal conductor of the Incheon City Symphony Orchestra, will guest conduct the Gyeonggi Philharmonic.

In the first part of the concert, pianist Jonghae Park, known for his explosive touch and delicate emotional expression, will perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 as a soloist.

Jonghae Park won a prize and the youngest performer special award at the 2010 Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition, received the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Award in 2011 in Epiphany, Italy, and placed second at the 2018 G?za Anda International Piano Competition.

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 is considered one of the most challenging piano concertos. The overall mood of the piece is dominated by a melancholic yet romantic sentiment, featuring the grand scale and high-level technique characteristic of Russian pianism.

Pianist Park Jonghae [Photo by Gyeonggi Art Center]

The second part of the concert will feature Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, a work he composed ten years after overcoming depression caused by the failure of his Symphony No. 1. This piece reflects all aspects of his life?happiness and sorrow, love and pain, despair and hope. Particularly, the third movement is beloved for its sweet melodies and exquisite flow. Rachmaninoff received his second "Glinka Award" for this work.

Conductor Byungwook Lee said, "This year marks the 150th anniversary of composer Sergey Rachmaninoff's (1873?1943) birth. Many people enjoy and frequently hear his Piano Concerto No. 2 or No. 3, but Symphony No. 2, being a large-scale work lasting over an hour, is not often performed in concert halls. You can appreciate the dramatically changing first movement, the tension-filled second movement with its fast tempo and recurring lyrical melodies, the third movement which can be said to represent Russian Romanticism, and the fourth movement that concludes with a climax toward a hopeful future. I hope you will experience the essence of late Russian Romantic symphonies that follow Tchaikovsky's symphonies."

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