Biggest classical music festival this fall to kick off in Goyang in October


The Goyang Cultural Foundation in Goyang, the city between Seoul and DMZ, is holding the biggest classical music festival in October featuring world-renowned musicians.

A series of concerts will be held inside and outside of the Goyang Aram Nuri complex from Oct. 6-17, with about 260 artists coming from 13 countries.

The list of artists includes violinists Chung Kyung-wha and Gidon Kremer, and Korean bass Youn Kwang-chul, one of the most accomplished Wagner specialists in the German opera scene.

Also taking the stage during the festival is the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra led by Yuri Simonov, the Sejong Soloists with Vladimir Feltsman, the Haydn Piano Trio from Austria, and Piano duo AMAL.

Violinist Chung Kyung-hwa, one of Korea’s most beloved musicians, opens the festival with her recital at the Haydn Hall of the Goyang Aram Nuri Theater on Oct. 6. She will play alongside pianist Kevin Kenner to perform Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano & Violin No. 5 in F Major Op. 24 “Spring,” Brahm’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major Op. 78 “Regenlied” and Franck’s Violin Sonata in A Major for finale.

“We are honored to have violinist Chung’s recital as the festival’s opener. Chung, who recently returned to the music scene after a six-year hiatus due to a finger injury, is expected to show us her charismatic performance once again to us in Goyang,” Ahn Tae-kyung, president of the Goyang Foundation, said in a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday.

“Goyang is also a home to Chung along with her sisters and brothers,” Ahn added.

Another virtuoso, Gidon Kremer, a Latvian violinist and conductor, arrives in Goyang with European ensemble Kremerata Baltical on Oct. 19. He is sought-after around the world for his imaginative and fault-free performances. Kremer and the ensemble will perform Arvo Part’s “Passacaglia” for violin, strings and vibraphone and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor Op. 131, a version for string orchestra by Gidon Kremer and Victor Kissine.

The highlight of the festival is opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” produced by the Goyang Foundation and directed by Chung Eun-sook, former artistic director of the Korea National Opera. The opera features Korean soprano Im Sun-hae who rose to fame after making her debut in Europe as Susanna, Figaro’s fiancee.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Goyang Foundation for supporting us so that we could produce the opera with our own hands,” said the artistic director Chung. The opera presented by the Goyang Foundation will be held at Aram Theater on Oct. 11-14. Ticket prices range from 20,000 won to 80,000 won.

Aside from musical events, the National Ballet of China presents its signature performance “Raise the Red Lantern” at the Goyang Festival on Oct. 20-21. The ballet drama, adapted from the film of the same title directed by Zhang Yimou, tells the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines of a wealthy man in the 1920s in China. Beyond the creative choreography, the work is also noted for its vibrant use of colors and jaw-dropping sets.

For more information, call 1577-7766 or visit www.artgy.or.kr.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)