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There’s more to Korean music than K-Pop. Young composers show how in L.A. Phil’s Seoul Festival

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Despite the prominence of Korean pop music, films winning Oscars, and Samsung being a household name, there’s a surprising paucity of information about the broader classical arts scene in Korea.

At only 21 years old, Yunchan Lim, who won the 2018 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has already achieved stardom status. Myung-Whun Chung, whose conducting career took off when he worked as an assistant to Carlo Maria Giulini at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1977, has recently been chosen for the position of leading La Scala in Milan, a choice that was supported by Italy’s nationalist president, Giorgia Meloni, over a seasoned Italian conductor.

Now, the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra has chosen Seoul, South Korea’s capital, for an eight-day festival titled the “Seoul Festival,” which serves as a continuation of their previous groundbreaking festivals in Reykjavik and Mexico City. Unsuk Chin, one of Korea’s most renowned composers, is serving as the festival’s curator.

She is, in fact, today’s only Korean composer who’s well known internationally.

Although Korea is known for its many acclaimed musicians, it continues to be a land shrouded in musical enigma. The majority of the classical music activities, even today, are confined largely within Seoul. The young composers and performers showcased at the inaugural L.A. Phil festival event, an extraordinary Green Umbrella concert of contemporary music at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday night, were all fresh discoveries, indicating a wealth of undiscovered talent in Korea’s musical landscape.

As a passionate cinema enthusiast, I must say that for many around the globe, Korean music remains an intriguing discovery. However, California seems to have had a significant head start in embracing this captivating art form. A shining example is Chin, whose music resonates profoundly, finding a comfortable home in the vibrant L.A. scene. Notably, Kent Nagano at Los Angeles Opera and the esteemed trio of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, and Susanna Mälkki at the L.A. Phil have been ardent supporters of Chin’s work.

Moreover, the echt-California composer Lou Harrison developed a deep fascination for ancient Korean court music and its instruments. The refined nobility of this musical tradition has subtly enriched the genetic makeup of California’s unique soundscape.

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Among the notable Korean composers preceding me, just two left a profound impact globally, much like myself. All three of us, being avant-garde exiles, carry an unusual resonance as outsiders.

Yun, born in 1917 and passed away in 1995, had an extraordinary career marked by unexpected events. Known as a trailblazing composer who skillfully combined traditional Asian music with modern techniques, Yun was briefly detained due to his involvement in the Korean independence movement during the early 1940s. He then sought refuge in West Germany, where he achieved prominence as a composer before an abduction led him back to Korea. In prison, he endured torture and faced the possibility of execution, but was eventually released due to the intervention of influential musicians like Igor Stravinsky, György Ligeti, and Herbert von Karajan, who applied pressure from their international platforms. Yun ultimately returned to West Berlin.

After that came Nam June Paik (1932-2006), a renowned figure known as the first significant video artist. However, it’s important to note that Paik was initially a classically trained pianist and composer. His early career followed in the footsteps of Schoenberg by creating 12-tone music. His journey into video art was unconventional, starting when he was influenced by John Cage and became one of the more eccentric members of the Fluxus art and performance group, known for its anarchic nature. When I asked Paik, who taught at CalArts during its opening years, about whether he viewed himself primarily as a composer, he replied that only someone who worked in a bank during the day and attended concerts only at night (a yuppie, as you might call them) would think otherwise.

The spirit of Yun and Paik, who uniquely combined their own creative sounds with a deep respect for tradition, whether they chose to honor it or not, continues to influence composers like Chin, aged 63, and the younger generation in Korea. Invited to the festival by Chin herself, who ventured from Seoul to study under Ligeti in Europe, this spirit is also deeply ingrained in Los Angeles’ musical scene, thanks in part to Salonen’s support of Ligeti’s work. Notably, the orchestra has already dedicated a festival to Ligeti’s compositions.

At the Green Umbrella concert, Chin showcased a diverse set of techniques among four captivating up-and-coming composers. Additionally, she welcomed an array of talented soloists proficient in Western and Korean instruments, along with Ensemble TIMF and the L.A. Phil New Music Group. These artists were all making their first appearances, alongside the radiant and eloquent young conductor Soo-Yeoul Choi.

In these four performances, lasting approximately 15 minutes each, Korean, European, and American musical traditions can provide a basis for innovation. Juri Seo’s Concertino for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, brilliantly executed by pianist HieYon Choi, comprises brief sections that incorporate a jazz fughetta and romanticism reminiscent of Schumann. Sun-Young Pahg’s “L’autre moitié de Silence” for daegeum and ensemble, featuring Hong Yoo as the soloist, presents an austere formality, with Yoo skillfully bending notes and manipulating time on the traditional Korean bamboo flute.

In Yie-Eun Chun’s lively Violin Concerto, specifically composed for the L.A. Phil’s festival, the soloist SooBeen Lee infused scale-like passages with a Paganini-esque touch. Dongjin Bae’s composition titled “reflective — silky and rough” for standard western flute and atmospheric strings, yet another L.A. Phil commission, evoked an ancient atmosphere through its pauses and captivating breathy solos skillfully performed by Yubeen Kim with mesmerizing concentration.

In the finale of his work titled “Gougalon (Scenes From a Street Theater),” Chin doesn’t replicate Hong Kong’s sounds with music, but instead, he converts them into lively orchestral banter. The result is as if you could hear their joy, their meals, their footsteps, conversations, laughter, and tears – experiences that transcend language because excitement can’t be contained by words.

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In a warm reception, New York acknowledges Gustavo Dudamel as its forthcoming conductor by bestowing upon him an honorary doctorate from Juilliard, followed by applause after the performance of Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 11.

Every piece here is unique music created by individual artists, each seeking their own distinctive sound. Blending Eastern and Western styles breaks down conventional boundaries, making it an expression of personal identity and frequently defiance. Chun’s scales seem slightly off-key as soon as you understand the situation. Bae’s smooth flute can suddenly become rough beneath the surface, giving a sensation similar to pausing Bach just before being overwhelmed by the world’s most captivating composer.

This version aims to convey the original message using simpler and more conversational language while maintaining the same tone and essence.

Conductor Soo-Yeoul Choi skillfully blends transparency and sensuality, using dynamic gestures that shape the music in a captivating manner. The performances, featuring a mix of L.A. Philharmonic and TIMF musicians, showcased various instrumental ensembles for each piece. It all came together harmoniously.

The festival carries on with weekend orchestra performances that include freshly commissioned Korean symphonies, four additional ones to be precise, alongside Chin’s 2014 Clarinet Concerto and a set of Brahms concertos. A chamber music concert, which includes pieces by Schumann and Brahms, performed by Korean artists, serves as the closing event on Tuesday.

Currently, Unsuk Chin’s latest work is gaining attention. Last month in Hamburg, Kent Nagano led the premiere of her new opera, “The Dark Side of the Moon.” This thought-provoking piece delves into the relationship between quantum physicist Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung, offering insights into how ideas and traditions intertwine. You can catch it on YouTube.

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2025-06-05 21:31

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