Tickets to all events, available for free, run out in 8 minutes
Known more for its steel and shoreline than symphonies, Pohang is redefining its cultural identity. This week, its growing classical music festival returns in its fifth edition.
"Five years may sound like a short time for a festival, but this fifth anniversary means a great deal to us. So this year, we’ve put together an especially varied and generous program to celebrate it," Park Yu-shin, cellist and music director of Music Festival Pohang, told reporters during a press conference Monday in Seoul.
Among the varied programming is the opening concert on Nov. 7 led by conductor and composer Yoon Han-kyeol, winner of the 2023 Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award in Salzburg, Austria. Yoon returns to the festival for the second time after his mesmerizing debut last year. This year, he unveils a new composition titled “Byeolsingut,” commissioned by Music Festival Pohang.
Inspired by a traditional Korean shamanistic ritual, known as "gut," performed to pray for a village’s peace, health, good harvest and prosperity, Yoon's “Byeolsingut” offers a contemporary reinterpretation rather than a folkloric reconstruction.
“‘Byeolsingut’ for orchestra does not seek to vividly re-create the sensual or folkloric elements of Korea’s shamanic ritual music. Instead, it approaches the essence of Byeolsingut through the lens of the Western classical tradition, translating its musical characteristics into a contemporary Western compositional language,” Yoon wrote about the piece.
Park, the festival’s music director, said that embracing Korea’s traditional and unique cultural identity is something she intends to continue. Baritone Samuel Youn, who will appear in a duo concert with soprano Hwang Su-mi, also emphasized the value of distinctiveness. He noted that uniqueness is essential for regional music festivals, which often face a limited audience base for classical genres.
Youn and Hwang will perform a program titled “Vom Lachen Zum Wahnsinn,” a German phrase meaning “From Laughter to Madness."
“We will combine storytelling, props and theatrical elements to express a wide range of human emotions with the hope of offering something more than a traditional recital,” Youn said.
Another highlight of the festival is the Hagen Quartet, which has been active since 1981 as an inspiration to generations of Korean musicians. Their participation aligns with the festival’s long-standing commitment to chamber music.
“When we reach the festival’s 10th anniversary and look back, I hope that the fact that so many remarkable quartets have come to this festival will be remembered as something truly extraordinary and a source of pride,” Park said.
This year’s theme, “Affinity,” reflects the festival’s aim to cultivate artistic bonds and deepen musical connections. The festival runs from Friday through Nov. 13 at various venues across the city, including the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education Cultural Center, Hyoja Art Hall and more as its main venue, the Pohang Culture and Art Hall, is under renovation. Because the alternative venues are not permitted to host paid performances, tickets to all events were offered for free -- and all of them were snatched up within just eight minutes.
“While the sellout suggests growing interest, offering free performances is also an experiment for us. I’m not sure if it was driven purely by enthusiasm for the festival or for classical music. But I do feel that people will leave with a different mindset,” Park noted.
"Many arrive not knowing what a serenade or duo recital is, yet walk out realizing that music is genuinely enjoyable."
gypark@heraldcorp.com
