A New York maestro takes the podium in Seoul
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, November 22, 2024


A New York maestro takes the podium in Seoul
Jaap van Zweden makes his debut as the music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in Seoul, on Jan. 25, 2024. The conductor officially began his tenure as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music director, months before he is to step down in New York. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)

by Javier C. Hernández and Jin Yu Young



NEW YORK, NY.- In New York, Jaap van Zweden, the New York Philharmonic’s music director, is preparing to say goodbye: Farewell concerts under the banner “Celebrate Jaap!” are planned over the next few months before his brief, pandemic-interrupted tenure ends this summer.

But in Seoul, South Korea, where van Zweden officially began a five-year term as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director this month, a new chapter is taking shape. Last week he led sold-out performances of Ludwig van Beethoven and Gustav Mahler with the ensemble, his first concerts as music director.

“We had this feeling of trying to go to the next level,” van Zweden said in an interview from Seoul.

Van Zweden was greeted as a celebrity, his face plastered on advertisements that declared the start of a new era. Fans snapped photos in front of his portrait in the lobby of the Seoul Arts Center. His inaugural concerts drew high-profile figures in culture and politics, including the mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, who appointed van Zweden, and former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Critics praised van Zweden’s intensity and focus. The Korea Economic Daily, one of the country’s large business newspapers, said his music was as “impactful and engaging as an IMAX movie.” Another writer said he was “elegant and skilled, as if dancing.”

It helped that van Zweden was appearing with young pianist Yunchan Lim, a sensation in his native South Korea. Lim, who has been described as classical music’s answer to K-pop, joined van Zweden and the orchestra for Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. Then van Zweden led a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, earning an extended ovation.

It was a fresh start for van Zweden, 63, a Dutch conductor with a reputation as a hard-charging maestro, who arrived in New York in 2018. His time at the New York Philharmonic was interrupted by the pandemic, which strained his relationship with the orchestra.

In 2021, he made the surprise announcement that he would depart New York, saying the pandemic had made him rethink his life and priorities. His six-year tenure will be the shortest of any Philharmonic music director since Pierre Boulez, the French composer and conductor who led the orchestra for six seasons in the 1970s. Van Zweden has been praised for helping to usher the orchestra into the rebuilt David Geffen Hall, but he received mixed reviews as a conductor, facing questions about whether he had the star power needed for the job.

While the Seoul Philharmonic is among Asia’s most prominent ensembles, it has struggled in recent years with financial problems and management woes. Van Zweden’s predecessor, Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, stepped down in 2022 after three years.

Van Zweden said he was drawn to the Seoul Philharmonic because of the opportunity to rebuild the orchestra. He faced a similar challenge, he said, at the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has been music director for 12 years. (He steps down this season.)

He was also drawn to the cultural offerings in Seoul, he said.

“You can see that this whole art scene in South Korea is exploding, and it’s wonderful to be part of that,” he said.

Son Eun-kyung, the chief executive of the Seoul Philharmonic, wrote in an email that van Zweden would help the orchestra reach its full potential.

“I can definitely feel that the sound of the orchestra is definitely improving,” she said. “This is the combined result of the passion and enthusiasm of the music director and orchestra members.”

In Seoul, audience members were generally positive about the start of van Zweden’s tenure.

Kim Young-shin, who frequently attends concerts by the orchestra, said the musicians seemed to be responding to van Zweden, though she said they would need more time to reach “perfect harmony with one another.”

Bae Jin-woo, 24, was impressed by van Zweden’s rendition of a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky symphony last year. He said he had initially worried that van Zweden would struggle to adjust to Korean culture, but “tonight’s concert was so great that I don’t think I need to worry about such things.”

Van Zweden said his post-New York Philharmonic career would include his commitments in Seoul as well as a music directorship at a European ensemble. He declined to provide details but said the appointment would be announced soon.

He said he was eager to take the Seoul Philharmonic on tour to the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia. He also would like to record all of Mahler’s symphonies with the orchestra and would like to perform more music by Korean composers.

Van Zweden, who conducted five programs with the Seoul Philharmonic last year, said he had long felt a connection to South Korea. An early teacher, violinist Hyo Kang, is from Seoul; Kang has recently attended a few of his former student’s concerts.

Van Zweden is also impressed by the work ethic of the orchestra’s musicians.

“It’s a very open orchestra — the ego is not so big that you run into problematic situations,” he said. “They are willing to have a wonderful journey together.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

February 1, 2024

Jury finds Sotheby's did not help in any fraud of Russian oligarch

Josephine Baker, still moving

An explorer believes he found Amelia Earhart's plane. Experts aren't convinced.

'Maria Callas: Portraits from the Intensa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive'

Works by 20th Century & Contemporary icons lead Phillips' February 'New York Editions Auction'

Everard Auctions presents superior-quality estate paintings, silver, Asian art & furniture

Feb. 13 auction includes original prints by Banksy, Matisse, Lowry, other luminaries of Modern and Contemporary art

Experience Barbara Kruger's iconic art at Serpentine

The Architecture Drawing Prize exhibition open at Sir John Soane's Museum

Chita Rivera, electrifying star of Broadway and beyond, is dead at 91

Using AI, Hollywood agency and tech startup aim to protect artists

'An American Century: The Collection of Dr. James & Debra Pearl & Fine Photographs' at auction February 15

On Nantucket, a legal maneuver to protect historic homes from gutting

A New York maestro takes the podium in Seoul

'Passport' Review: A master of comedy in a Migrant Camp

The women of 'Feud: Capote vs. the Swans' are birds of a feather

At 80, the modest queen of contemporary music keeps exploring

Hauser & Wirth opens an exhibition of works by under-recognised artist Cathy Josefowitz

'Language Pit' Gary Hill's second solo exhibition with bitforms gallery now on view

Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn Research Center presents retrospective of photographer Gerald Annan-Forson

Jorge Eielson's centenary celebrated in new exhibition at Timothy Taylor, London

'Waiting to be Seen: Illuminating the Photographs of Ray Francis' now on view at Bruce Silverstein Gallery

'Recasting Antiquity: Whistler, Tanagra, and the Female Form' opens at the Michael C. Carlos Museum

Dance Prodigy Miaotian Sun Shines on International Stages

5 Meaningful Ways to Repurpose Inheritance Jewelry

The Smart Investor's Guide: Buying Bitcoin in India via Paytm

Local vs. International SEO: Choosing the Right Approach with Dubai Agencies




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful