Davis to devote BBC orchestra to British composers in Korean concerts

From Thomas Beecham to Arturo Toscanini, Pierre Boulez, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and more, the BBC Symphony Orchestra has been home to world-class maestros showcasing their unique interpretations and leadership. From strict classical pieces to contemporary tunes, the orchestra is recognized for its attention to fine details and bringing out the most original interpretation of any masterpiece. Under the helm of conductor laureate Andrew Davis, the BBC Symphony Orchestra will perform on Oct. 8 and 9

Oct. 1, 2013

NYC retrospective reassesses LOVE artist’s work

NEW YORK (AP) ― Artist Robert Indiana says love hurt him.Love, as in his world-famous LOVE image ― stacked letters with a tilted O ― that became a symbol of the “make love, not war” 1960s counterculture revolution.That one image eclipsed all his other work. But now the artist’s first major retrospective, titled “Robert Indiana: Beyond LOVE,” at the Whitney Museum of American Art that opened Thursday could change that. “It’s a dream come true, a little late,” Indiana, who turned 85 this month, sa

Oct. 1, 2013

Lloyd Webber’s new show mines ’60s sex and scandal

LONDON (AP) ― He’s done the Bible, felines, operatic phantoms and Argentine politics. So what is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical about? Sex ― as well as politics, spying, social revolution and the Cold War. “Stephen Ward” centers on a sensational real-life scandal, the 1963 revelation that Britain’s war secretary, John Profumo, was involved with model Christine Keeler, who was also sleeping with a Soviet naval attache. If, as poet Philip Larkin once said, sex began in 1963, the “Profumo aff

Oct. 1, 2013

Korea International Art Fair hopes to revive depressed market

Korea’s biggest art fair opens on Thursday amid the high expectations of local galleries that hope to attract potential collectors and give exposure to their artists in a depressed art market.The Korea International Art Fair kicks off a five-day art market in which 180 local and international galleries will showcase works of their artists at Coex in Samseong-dong, Seoul. This year’s art fair drew 130 Korean galleries and 53 overseas galleries from China, Japan, the U.S., the U.K. and Germany, th

Sept. 30, 2013

Hallyu bash arrives in Gangnam

Seoul’s Gangnam is hosting its annual month-long hallyu bash starting Thursday, presenting a K-pop concert, fashion shows and an international marathon for both expats and locals starting Thursday.Marking its seventh edition this year, the Gangnam Festival celebrates hallyu culture as well as a marathon that welcomes expats, foreign tourists and local residents to run together. Gangnam gained worldwide attention last year as Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion

Sept. 30, 2013

Blurred lines on stage

One of the biggest performing arts festivals in Asia arrives in Seoul on Wednesday, featuring a total of 19 works from seven countries, including a play about late celebrated intellectual Susan Sontag (1933-2004). This year’s lineup for the annual Seoul Performing Arts Festival, celebrating its 13th edition, is filled with a number of cutting-edge, highly experimental works that blur the line between fantasy and reality. “SPAF 2013 aspires to encourage and inspire a new mode of creativity by inv

Sept. 29, 2013

Making Korean hip-hop a culture

This is the eighth in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.For rapper P-Type, a first-generation hip-hop artist in Korea, hip-hop is more than just a music genre: It’s a culture and attitude. And he hopes for the day when hip-hop becomes more than a trend here.“My dream is to make hip-hop grow its roots and become a culture in Korea so that future hip-hop artists can start a little bit easier than before,” P-Type said in an interview w

Sept. 29, 2013

Eyelike: Busker Busker’s 2nd album doesn’t disappoint

Busker Busker’s follow-up repeats winning formulaBusker Busker “Busker Busker 2nd Album”CJ E&MBusker Busker’s 2nd album sounds a lot like their first album, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The band’s signature acoustic sound mixed with Jang Beom-jun’s smooth voice is a breath of fresh air compared to the many repetitious, electronic beat-ridden songs currently in the charts. The album starts with a sentimental classical instrumental track, “Autumn Night,” which demonstrates the obvious t

Sept. 27, 2013

Male nudes take center stage in Paris

PARIS (AFP) ― The male nude took center stage in Paris on Tuesday as a controversial exhibition celebrating the masculine form went on show at the celebrated Musee d’Orsay.Juxtaposing traditional painting and sculptures with contemporary homoerotic photography, a museum better known for its impressionist masterpieces has brought together more than 200 pieces in a collection designed to stimulate and amuse in equal measure.“It is an exhibition that doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Guy Cogeval,

Sept. 26, 2013

Yoel Levi hopes to patch up, enhance KBS Symphony Orchestra

After being left vacant for nearly a year, the post of music director for the KBS Symphony Orchestra has been taken up by maestro Yoel Levi. Born in Romania but raised in Israel, Levi, with his rich international experience including the U.S. and Europe, is said to be the perfect fit for the orchestra, which aims at becoming the best in Asia. Levi has performed with the orchestra five times as a guest conductor in the past 16 years. And he will be leading the “Masterpiece Series III” concert on

Sept. 25, 2013

City museum opens northern Seoul branch

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has opened a new museum in the northern part of the city, an area long considered to have been excluded from the capital’s main cultural events. The northern Seoul branch of the Seoul Museum of Art opened to the public on Tuesday with the goal of bringing cultural benefits to residents.“The new museum will focus on showing the public that it has its basis in the local community,” said Kim Hong-hee, director of the Seoul Museum of Art. The SeMA has two other bran

Sept. 25, 2013

Upcoming K-pop releases to usher in fall season

October is set to be a star-studded month with a long list of K-pop acts who have announced their return to the scene with the release of new albums or EPs. Some of next month’s highly anticipated releases include K-pop idols IU, T-ara, Nine Muses and Kim Jae-joong of JYJ. However, the list doesn’t end there: Other scheduled K-pop releases include new beats from groups such as Block B, Boys Republic, Monday Kids and others. Superstar rapper Psy previously stated that his upcoming studio album wa

Sept. 25, 2013