Conductor Chung Myung-whun on March 13 leads La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra at the La Scala theater in Milan, Italy. (La Scala Philharmonic Facebook)

By Cao Thị Hà

The nation's leading "maestro" Chung Myung-whun, 70, has been appointed the first conductor emeritus of the world-renowned La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Italy. 

The orchestra on March 13 said on its official website, "Our musicians wished to seal a close relationship with the Korean conductor, who has a relationship of nearly 35 years with us, by conferring Chung Myung-whun the title of conductor emeritus of La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra." 

This honor goes to a former conductor who has contributed to the orchestra's development.

The Italian daily Corriere Della Sera said Chung is the first and only conductor to get this award from the orchestra. 

Launched in 1778 as the orchestra of the La Scala theater in Milan, the ensemble debuted as a solo symphony orchestra in January 1982. 

First leading the orchestra in 1989, Chung has performed with the theater 120 times abroad including on an Asia tour in 2008, Spain tour in the 1990s, and concerts in 2017 in Taormina and Trieste, Italy. 

The orchestra's vice president Damiano Cottalasso said, "The return of maestro Chung to the podium is every time a wonderful opportunity to make music together with amazing results," adding, "But it is also increasingly the return of a friend of the orchestra, a family person, one of us." 

"It is not only an artistic partnership that has bound us to Master Chung for so many years, but it is above all personal and human." he added. "It is for this, and for all that we have shared in more than 30 years of collaboration, that the entire orchestra has decided to bestow upon him the title of Conductor Emeritus."

As the most famous conductor from Korea, Chung has performed with Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Opera Bastille in Paris, Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and led the world's most prestigious groups like the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. 

In June last year, he was named Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for raising Italy's image abroad. 

shinn11@korea.kr