Classical music next month will fill the fall evening sky above Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 21 said it will host from Sept. 9-10 the "2023 Blue House Concert" with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and Korea National Opera at the heliport of the former presidential compound.
On the concert's opening day of Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra's permanent conductor Hong Seok-won and the national orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky's "Polonaise" from his opera "Eugene Onegin" and his ballet "Nutcracker" as well as Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5.
In addition, they will join forces with pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition of the U.S. in 2017, to present Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
On Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., the concert will feature leading Korean opera singers like Samuel Yoon, Lee Ah-kyung and Yang Joon-mo who will sing arias from famous works such as Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," in addition to domestic tunes such as the folk songs "Sanchon" and "Shingosan Taryeong."
The vocalists will also perform "Arirang" and "Nella Fantasia" with the national orchestra and Korean Adopted Children's Choir.
"This will be the second fall since Cheong Wa Dae was returned to the arms of the people," Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo Gyoon said. "The 2023 Blue House Concert will present a special impression through the harmony of Cheong Wa Dae's mesmerizing fall scenery and the beautiful melodies of K-Classics."
Admission to the concert is free but requires reservations starting on Aug. 23 from 10 a.m., with a limit of four tickets per applicant on the online marketplace Interpark (https://tickets.interpark.com/goods/23011656).
