By Lee Jihae

Video = Republic of Korea government's official YouTube channel

A video of four classical music prodigy teenagers performing titled "New Era, New Sound" (unofficial translation) has been uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Republic of Korea government.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 17 said it hopes the video will elevate Korea's status as a new global power in classical music and promote the major step forward produced by the performances by the prodigies, who are expected to lead in following the footsteps of virtuosos Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan.

The video features violist Park Jiyool, violinist Lee Mi Hyun, cellist Lee Jeri and pianist Lee Juwa. All four have won major contests including the DongA Junior Music Competition and earned recognition for their skills.

The video starts at Cheong Wa Dae and shows several venues before ending in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District, where the presidential office was relocated. The music played is the third movement of "Summer" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons."

The four musicians start the video with individual performances, beginning with a piano piece at Cheong Wa Dae and followed by that of a violin and viola at the Baekbin railroad crossing in Yongsan-gu, which is considered the gateway between Seoul and other regions. The clip later shows a cello performance at the War Memorial of Korea in the same area and concludes with the quartet performing on the grass yard in front of the presidential office.

Lee Juwa compared the performances to "a wonderful midsummer night's dream," adding, "I hope for more opportunities for classical music to become more accessible to the public, which feels that the genre is difficult."

The ministry said, "We created a video announcing a new dawn of the Yongsan era with newcomers who will follow in the footsteps of Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan in leading classical Hallyu."

"We hope all the people of the Republic of Korea gain strength through the video and work together to help the country take a major step forward."

jihlee08@korea.kr