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PEOPLE EVENTS Yonhap Yonhap Jay Greenberg, a symphony-writing teen musical prodigy who is often dubbed the “next Mozart,” premiered his chamber piece based on Korean folk tales, during this year’s International Great Mountains Music Festival & School. According to the festival’s Artistic Director Kang Hyo, the festival’s organizing committee had commissioned the 16-year-old composer to write the 15-minute piece for string quartet entitled “Four Scenes.” It was performed by musicians of Sejong, a top-notch conductor-less string orchestra based in New York City, at YongPyong Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, on Aug. 15. “I was drawn to the subtle but present differences between Korean and better-known European fairy tales,” wrote Greenberg in the festival’s program guide. “Most importantly, numerous such tales have not been softened up or prettified for more upperclass readers, as is common in Western literature, and thus end in violent, tragic, or unexpected ways and/or feature content that would have been considered unacceptable in Europe during the same period.” Born in 1991 in New Haven, Connecticut, Greenberg began playing the cello when he was three years old, and he later taught himself how to play the piano. His first formal lessons in theory and composition began when he was seven, and, from then, it took him only three years until he enrolled in a special program of New York’s Juilliard School of Music, as a scholarship student. So far, he has already composed more than 100 musical works, including five symphonies, 17 piano sonatas ‘Next Mozart’ Premieres in Korea BY LEE YONG-SUNG KOREA HERALD STAFF WRITER and three piano concertos. Among them, his Overture to 9/11 received first prize in the composition competition at the Juilliard pre-college division in 2003, and he won ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers awards in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Sony BMG Masterworks label released his first CD in 2006, which includes his Symphony no. 5 and String Quintet performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jose Serebrier, as well as by the Juilliard String Quartet with cellist Darrett Adkins. “‘Four Scenes’ is different to difficult contemporary scores, in that it is based on classical harmonies with highly melodic tunes,” said Kang Hyo, a celebrated violinist who has been on the faculty of the Juilliard School since 1978, and is a visiting professor at Yale School of Music. Now in its fifth year, GMMFS is the first major music festival of its kind here, modeled after the famous summer festival in Aspen, Colorado. Like the Aspen Music Festival, the festival not only presents a month-long season of concerts but is also a summer music school that plays home to some of the most talented young musicians from around the world. In addition to the Sejong Soloists, the festival featured several internationally acclaimed performers, including pianists Paul Salerni and Plamena Mangova; violinists Chee-Yun and Frank Hwang; cellists Aldo Parisot and Jian Wang. ■ Jay Greenberg (From left) The opening film “Young@Heart” and the closing film “The Visitor” Jecheon International Music & Film Festival The fourth Jecheon International Music & Film Festival was held on Aug. 14 for six days, introducing 82 flicks from 30 countries plus a variety of music performances. JIMFF, started in 2005, is Asia’s first musicoriented film event where moviegoers and music lovers can share opportunities to enjoy both. This year it has established a new competition section titled World Music Film Today, where 10 films from nine countries compete to win awards and a cash prize worth $15,000, in a bid to solidify its position as a film festival. Jecheon, a city of 140,000 in Chungcheongbuk-do, is known for its serene landscape and clean environment, and the festival’s rapid rise to public recognition is its unique combination of music and film, while inviting tourists to join related events, especially outdoor concerts featuring well-known musicians. The Jecheon festival opened with “Young@Heart,” an intriguing British documentary about a rock choir. What’s special about this energetic and powerful group was that the average age of its members is 81. In the film directed by Stephen Walker, the senior citizens, ages 75 to 93, defy conventions and prejudices in a refreshing style that celebrates music and also plays a fine opener for the festival. The closing film, “The Visitor” by Tom McCarthy, was equally music-oriented. In the film, a widowed college professor living in Connecticut travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment. The professor finds new meaning in life when the couple teaches him to play an African drum. The Cine Symphony section this year featured 12 music-oriented films including Esteban Sapir’s “La Antena,” Ahmed El Maanouni’s “Burned Hearts,” Craig Zobel’s “Great World of Sound.” This section at the heart of the festival offered the latest movies that make music a central theme. The Music in Sight section featured 12 music documentaries that illustrated the colorful life of talented musicians. The Korean Music Film Now section revisited six Korean films that use plenty of music, including director Lee Jun-ik’s “The Happy Life” and Ha Ki-ho’s “Radio Dayz.” The Theme and Variations section brought audiences to the golden days of musical films, featuring seven well-known pieces such as “The Broadway Melody,” “42nd Street” and “The Jazz Singer.” Other popular events included a series of outdoor concerts entitled “One Summer Night,” introducing local and international musicians. Korean music groups such as DJ DOC, Jaurim and Crying Nut performed with foreign guests such as Chelsia Chan and MAU Project. For further information, visit the festival’s official website at www.jimff.or.kr. ■ 58 KOREA SEPTEMBER 2008 SEPTEMBER 2008 KOREA 59
EVENTS National Palace Museum of Korea’s Special Exhibition Box containing Royal Edict for Honorary King Jangjo upon his Appointment as Crown Prince/Joseon, 1872/ The National Palace Museum Chest for Scrolls and Albums of Chinese emperor Qianlong’s Calligraphy and Paintings/Qianlong Reign (1736-95), Qiang Dynasty/ The Palace Museum in Beijing Manuscripts and Illustrations of the Daoist “Yellow Court Scripture” (Huangting-jing)/Qianlong Reign (1736-95), Qing Dynasty/The Palace Museum in Beijing The National Palace Museum of Korea begins an exhibition showcasing antiquities that were used for decorating and preserving paintings and calligraphic works, starting Sept. 5 and running through Nov. 2. In ancient times Korean scholars used to communicate by exchanging writings and paintings. An interesting fact is that they cared about the decoration of their work of pictorial art and calligraphy as much as the contents. Colorful silk fabrics and papers were used for hanging scrolls, and wood sculptures and traditional knotting pieces added brilliant beauty to the storage boxes and frames. For the exhibition, the remains from China and Japan will be shown along with the masterpieces of Korean art during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Invented in China, the decoration art was spread to neighboring Korea and Japan and has become a precious tradition shared by the three countries. For more information, visit the museum’s official website at www.gogung.go.kr/eng. ■ Portrait of King Taejo (Treasure No. 931)/Joseon, 1872/Jeonju City Documents of the So Family of Tsushima (Important Cultural Property)/Edo Period, 18th century/Kyushu National Museum 60 KOREA SEPTEMBER 2008 SEPTEMBER 2008 KOREA 61
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