Cho Seong-jin’s album continues selling streak

Cho Seong-jin's piano album (Universal Music)The first solo album of pianist Cho Seong-jin continued to fly off shelves Wednesday, reflecting Koreans’ feverish interest in the 21-year-old who won one of the classical music world’s greatest piano contests. According to Universal Music Korea, over 40,000 of the album‘s initial 50,000 copies pressed were sold in Korea in just four days following the album’s Nov. 6 release, prompting the company to place a second order for another 50,000. Locally, a

Nov. 11, 2015

Lim’s album among Gramophone editor's picks

Lim Dong-hyek's new Chopin album (Warner Classics)Pianist Lim Dong-hyek’s recently released Chopin album is among the Editor’s Choice recordings this month at Gramophone magazine, a British publication considered a worldwide authority on classical music. Lim’s album, “Chopin Preludes, Op. 28, etc.,”  ranked among the 10 albums editor Martin Cullingford picked as the top classical releases of the month. The review largely favored Lim’s album over that of Chinese pianist Yundi Li, who also release

Nov. 11, 2015

K-pop sweetheart mired in pedophilia controversy

The song "Zeze" in 23-year-old singer-songwriter IU's recent EP album "Chat-shire" was accused of lyrics suggestive of pedophilia. Some scenes in the music video for the title track "23," such as those featuring IU with a baby bottle, added to the controversy. (Loen Entertainment)Singer-songwriter IU, previously considered K-pop’s sweetheart for her innocent image and vocal talents, has been mired in controversy over allegations of pedophilia in her song lyrics.At the center of the controversy i

Nov. 10, 2015

[Herald Interview] Xuefei Yang wants her music to pull ‘Heartstrings’

Critically acclaimed Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang wants her presence to become more known to Korean audiences with her latest album, “Heartstrings.”  A big-time classical music icon across Asia and parts of Europe, Yang is considered one of the classical guitar world’s leading musicians, having been acclaimed as among the “most extraordinary instrumentalists in the world” and the “most impressive advocate for her instrument.” Yet, in Korea, the 38-year-old guitarist has yet to establi

Nov. 9, 2015

[Herald Review] Kang flawless in farewell ballet

A scene from Kang Sue-jin’s final ballet production, “Onegin.” (Credia)As the tragedy-plagued Tatiana, local prima donna Kang Sue-jin has cemented her rightful ranking as one of the country’s most coveted ballerina figures with her final dance production, “Onegin.”Kang performed three shows at the Seoul Arts Center over the weekend along with the Stuttgart Ballet, capping off a perfect ending to her illustrious, three-decade ballet career. Bidding farewell to the local audience, Sunday’s perform

Nov. 8, 2015

Kang Sue-jin: ‘This will be my last performance in Korea’

Inarguably one of Korea’s most adorned artistic treasures, ballerina Kang Sue-jin will soon hang up her ballet slippers after her final production of “Onegin” with the Stuttgart Ballet.“This will be my last performance in Korea,” said Kang, 48, in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday.“Following the shows in Korea, I will take the stage again next year to perform ‘Onegin’ once more in Stuttgart and then I will retire,” she added.   Stuttgart Ballet artistic director Reid Anderson (from left t

Nov. 5, 2015

Brown Eyed Girls goes back to the basics

“Basic” is girl group Brown Eyed Girls’ sixth studio-length album, and their first in nearly two and a half years. Bringing all the members together at Mystic Entertainment’s label Apop and coming right on time for the group’s 10th anniversary, the album was carefully crafted in order to express what the members felt were at their “basic core.”“The album started with the question, ‘What is BEG’s basic?’” said rapper Miryo at a press showcase held at the Hyundai Card Understage in Seoul on Wednes

Nov. 4, 2015

Pianist Lim Dong-hyek wants Chopin to evoke tears

It has been seven years since local piano phenom Lim Dong-hyek has released an album. Dubbed one of today’s most acclaimed Chopin interpreters, the 31-year-old pianist has eagerly returned to his Chopin roots in unveiling his new album, which was released Monday, dedicated to the 19th-century virtuoso’s later, more somber works.“With this music, I hope that people will listen and actually be saddened,” said Lim during a press conference at the Stradeum concert hall in Seoul on Tuesday. “If your

Nov. 4, 2015

Genie joins charts’ move to ditch ‘recommended’ songs

Genie Top 100 charts, with recommended song on top (Genie Official Website)  Another of Korea’s four major digital music providers has followed CJ E&M’s lead in removing “recommended” songs, amid controversy over the market distortions caused by such music curation services.KT Music said Tuesday it would remove recommended songs from its digital music service Genie within the year, and continue to discuss improvements for fairer digital music services.“If the music industry works together to cor

Nov. 3, 2015

Psy gears up to return Dec. 1

YG Entertainment announced Tuesday that Korean singer Psy will return to the music scene on Dec. 1, via a poster that was shared on the agency’s official blog. It has been three years and five months since he released his last album “Gangnam Style” in July 2012. “I’ll go back to my basics and come back with a new album,” said Psy at last year’s year-end concert. “Look forward to what song Psy will bring, (he has) worked diligently since his concert last year. He is expected to meet your expectat

Nov. 3, 2015

[Herald Interview] Korean artist Yang Haegue holds first solo museum show in China

BEIJING -- Artist Yang Haegue is one of the most visible Korean artists in the international art scene nowadays. Her works were exhibited at major Western art institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Modern Museum in Sweden, Vienna Biennale and Lyon Biennale -- all within this year.  She opened her first museum show in China on Oct. 30, bringing some 36 major works spanning from 1994 to the present, at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beiji

Nov. 2, 2015

Pianist Yundi flubs Seoul performance, angers local fans

Chinese piano prodigy Yundi Li’s recent Seoul performance has been making headlines -- not for an outstanding performance, but because of his tempo blunders and seemingly shameless attitude afterward. The 33-year-old pianist returned to Korea to play alongside the renowned Sydney Orchestra, which performed two shows on Oct. 30 and 31 at the Seoul Arts Center -- with Li performing as a soloist with the orchestra Friday and violinist Vadim Repin performing Saturday. Despite being referred to as a

Nov. 2, 2015

K-pop boy bands to go head-to-head on music charts

Winner (YG Entertainment)Four popular K-pop boy bands are preparing for releases this month, signaling some formidable competition on the music charts. WINNER’s long-awaited album is due out this month after two more music videos for the album are recorded in Korea. The group’s agency, YG Entertainment, said earlier that WINNER had just returned from Sweden, where the band shot music videos for two tracks on the album.The five-member group’s return to the music scene overlaps with that of iKon,

Nov. 1, 2015

Royal birthday celebration relived after 220 years

Brought back to life after 220 years, the lavish royal birthday celebration of a Joseon-era crown princess was recreated at the Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul on Friday and Saturday. The National Gugak Center performed a grand reenactment of one of the country’s most illustrious royal birthday celebrations ever recorded in the history books -- the eight-day festival that King Jeongjo hosted for the 60th birthday of his mother, Hyegyeonggung, the Lady Hong. The one-hour reenactment gave audience

Nov. 1, 2015

Is the Korean digital music market pushing out artists?

This is the second in a two-part series examining Korea’s digital music industry. – Ed.　If it’s hard to name more than a few Korean artists who are currently active and not idol stars, K-pop ballad singers or TV discoveries, it’s not because they don’t exist.“There are only two genres in today’s Korean music,” said Shin Dae-chul, head of the Barun Music Cooperative, at a forum in Seoul. “Idol music, non-idol music. The rest is meaningless. ... (The current digital music system) has naturally pus

Oct. 29, 2015

4Minute to hold fan meetings in South America

4Minute will become the first K-pop girl group to hold a fan meeting in South America. The group will hold fan meetings in Peru on Nov. 8, followed by Chile on Nov. 10 and Argentina on Nov. 12. The quintet, having a six-year history, is expecting to gather about 10,000 fans for the event. The members have been working on planning diverse segments, including performances of their hits, for the fan meetup.  (Cube Entertainment)“Performance requests from fans in South America have been pouring in.

Oct. 29, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘La Bayadere’ starts slow, ends strong

Set against the imaginative backdrop of exotic India, the Universal Ballet’s latest production of “La Bayadere” pays homage to the 19th-century tale of two people’s eternal vows that ends in tragedy. The nearly three-hour-long “La Bayadere,” or the “The Temple Dancer,” follows the story of the alluring lower caste temple dancer Nikiya and her unflinching love for a young, royal warrior named Solor. Sharing her deep love and affection, Solor vows to the gods his eternal devotion to her.  Scene fr

Oct. 29, 2015

‘Ars Nova’ to feature Wu Wei on the sheng

Wu Wei, a renowned soloist of the traditional Chinese mouth-organ sheng, will hit the stage Friday night as part of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s two-day “Ars Nova” contemporary music concert series. The 4,000-year-old woodwind folk instrument is a rare sight in today’s music scene, with an equally rare-sounding instrumental pitch to match. “The sounds of the sheng are very mysterious and the skills it takes to play this instrument are not something that can easily be explained,” said SPO compo

Oct. 28, 2015

German orchestras to usher in the autumn

Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra’s guest conductor Chung Myung-whun (Matthias Creutziger)Following a number of world-class ensembles that have graced the Seoul stage this year, the month of November promises to be a much-welcomed continuation of some of the classical music world’s best.  The Seoul Arts Center is gearing up to play host to three of Germany’s oldest and celebrated orchestras -- the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

Oct. 28, 2015

[Newmaker] Cho Seong-jin, Korea’s new classical music icon

Pianist Cho Seong-jin (EPA-Yonhap)Cho Seong-jin, the winner of the Chopin piano competition, is a new classical music icon in Korea, setting recording history even before the release of his first solo album. The 21-year-old pianist’s upcoming album – a live recording of his performances at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Poland – was the top seller across all music genres at Kyobo Bookstore, the country’s largest book seller, as of 3 p.m. Tuesday -- a feat that no oth

Oct. 27, 2015