LA Phil's outgoing conductor exceeds reputation in first Seoul visit

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- Esa-Pekka Salonen, the renowned maestro of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, stirred his Korean audience last week with a rousing performance during his first visit to Seoul.

Salonen opened the concert on Sunday with "The Fireworks" by Russia-born composer
Igor Stravinsky -- considered among many to be the most influential composer of
the twentieth century -- capturing a burning vitality worthy of the piece's
title.
The Finnish conductor and composer was in the South Korean capital as part of a
17-day Asian tour that will take him to Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, among
other cities, with celebrated Korean-American violinist Sarah Chang.
During the Seoul performance, Salonen took his audience through a wide field of
modern music, gracefully bringing out the individuality of each instrument. He
further immersed the hall in stereoscopic sound by employing a slight variation
of the standard seating arrangement, in which cellos went along side the first
violins with the second violins in contraposition.
Salonen's collaboration with Chang in the Violin Concerto, written by Finnish
composer Jean Sibelius, however, did not live up to the high expectations of the
audience. Though she has studied the concerto since she was a child and
successfully recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic ten years ago when she was 18,
Chang seemed rushed, and appeared to have difficultly commanding the piece.
Still, her performance was captivating and passionate, and Salonen showed
versatility in keeping the orchestra synchronized. Chang received five curtain
calls.
Stravinsky's "The Fire bird," the last piece of the night, soared the most
dramatically. Under Salonen's dynamic conductorship, the 1910 ballet suite of
Russian folk tales came alive. Even when the first cello's string broke during a
climax depicting the "Infernal Dance of the Evil King Kashchei," the orchestra
followed in step with the conductor. The enchanted audience seemed to feel the
story, though there were no dancers to act it out.
Salonen responded generously with two encores -- "Valse Triste" by Sibelius and
"Fire Dance" by Manuel de Falla -- and received a long standing ovation.
The Asian tour will be one of Salonen's last programs with the L.A. Philharmonic,
as this year is his 17th and final season. Having received several major awards
and being named "Musician of the Year" in 2006 by Musical America, the maestro is
to start a new season next year at London's Philharmonia as Principal Conductor.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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