Pianist Paik Kun Woo and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, led by conductor Paavo Järvi, will present the essence of German classical music at the Seoul Arts Center on December 2 where they will play Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major.
The piece is one of Brahms' only two piano concertos. Twenty-two years after composing his Piano Concerto No. 1 in his early 20s, Brahms completed his second piano concerto at the age of 48.
"I can gain a much wider view of Brahms' music through Piano Concerto No. 2," said Paik. "I can see various aspects of Brahms, including his humanity. All four movements of Piano Concerto No. 2 have clear themes. The piece requires the use of a wide range of notes, from the lower notes to the higher register, and the grandeur of the symphony is beyond expression."
Paik Kun Woo will perform Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major in Seoul with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 is known to be very difficult for pianists to perform. So it is for Paik.
"I first played Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 when I was in my 20s and I remember that it was quite difficult," he said. "In fact, it was only recently that the musical notes started making sense to me. It was less than 10 years ago."
Paik has performed with prestigious orchestras around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.
Among other pieces, Paik's discography includes Bach piano works in transcription by Busoni, the complete Chopin piano and orchestra works, Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1, Brahms' Intermezzi, all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas and the works of Fauré Piano, which won the Diapason d'Or award.
Järvi, the Estonia-born American artistic director at the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, is known for his unique and challenging programs that "never let the audience get bored." Järvi and the orchestra performed Beethoven's Symphonies No.s 3, 4, 5 and 7 in Korea last year and received favorable reviews from classical music fans across the nation.
Järvi became the 12th music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and continued to work with that orchestra, which he considers to be his "other self," until the 2011-2012 season. During his tenure there, the orchestra rose to become a prominent orchestra in the U.S. Since 2004, he has been artistic director at the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In the 2010-2011 season, he also became music director at the Orchestre de Paris.
Conductor Paavo Järvi (middle) and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen will perform all four of Brahms' symphonies during their concerts in Korea.
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen will perform Brahms' single Violin Concerto in D major and his Symphony No. 4 in E minor at the Suseong Artpia in Daegu on November 1.
Then, it plans to present Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major and his Symphony No. 1 in C minor at the Seoul Arts Center on December 2.
The German orchestra will play Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Symphony No. 3 in F major and his Double Concerto in A minor on December 4.
In preparation for this series of Brahms symphonies, Järvi said, "Performing an entire series helps us to more deeply understand the thought process and psychology of the composer. When performing an entire series, we always come to have keener insight into the music of a composer, understanding different aspects, subtleties and the underlying meaning of the music."
Die Welt, a German daily, once praised the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen for having, "the best transparent feeling and sensibility today." The group is a relatively young orchestra, formed in 1980 in Bremen. Heinrich Schiff and Daniel Harding have been music directors at the orchestra.
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen has been very successful ever since Järvi took over the job as artistic director in 2004. The orchestra performs two regular concerts per year and then gives special chamber music concerts as well at an outdoor summer festival, the Sommer in Lesmona. It has also performed at the Bremen Music Festival since 1998, and it has been the orchestra in residence for the Bonn Beethoven Festival (Beethovenfest Bonn) since 2005.
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, who will be highlighted in the Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, has been notable for having a diverse repertoire that covers Classical, Romantic and Modern pieces. He is also known for his interpretations of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff will perform Brahms's Violin Concerto in D major in Seoul with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
For more information, please call (02) 580-1300 or visit the Seoul Arts Center homepage (www.sac.or.kr/eng/).
By Limb Jae-un Korea.net Staff Writer Photos courtesy of Vincero jun2@korea.kr
A poster for the upcoming Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen concerts.