Say ‘Cello’ to Daegu Concert House
If you've never been to see a symphony perform before then maybe you can't imagine the overwhelming beauty and excitement of hearing 100 instruments all playing the same piece at the same time right in front of you. Just try to imagine how forty violins in unison would sound. It's powerful. Maybe you didn't realize this is an experience you can have here in Daegu or that world-class performances are being held in our own Daegu Concert House several times a week. Perhaps you've noticed this building across from Daegu Station because of its striking architecture and wondered what happens inside. Take a deeper look into the phenomenon that placed Daegu on the UNESCO Creative City for Music last year.
Daegu Concert House hosts a variety of international acts. Since it's re-opening in 2013, more than 1,000 musicians from around the world have played here. Recently, on Friday, May 11th the WDR Cologne Symphony Orchestra from Germany accompanied by soloist Arabella Steinbacher took the stage. The performance consisted of two classical pieces; first was a Beethoven composition. This piece featured several violin solos performed beautifully and without sheet music by the special guest Steinbacher. One can really gauge the well-engineered acoustics of the theater when listening to every note of a single violin heard from every seat of the Grand Hall, a venue which seats 1,284 and accommodates a full 100 piece orchestra on stage. The first piece lasted an hour before there was a 20 minute break for intermission. The second piece was a composition from Sibelius which really harnessed the full power of the entire orchestra and was completely engrossing. The following ovation from the audience was lengthy and enthusiastic, it was quite a performance.
The Daegu Concert House is really dedicating to curating global acts and bringing classical musicians from all over the world to our city. They run Asia’s first month-long orchestra festival called World Orchestra Series which features everything from international orchestras all the way to local elementary school orchestras and a total of 1,800 musicians. One of the largest programs run is the Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival. This includes concerts, seminars and workshops and aims to share the work and knowledge of living composers from around the world (this year there is a focus on composers from Europe) to the citizens of Daegu.
If you're more interested in local talent, Daegu Concert House has a program called Beautiful Tuesday which aids musicians in finding places to perform in and outside of Daegu. Be sure to check out the schedule on the English-friendly concerthouse.daegu.go.kr/eng/index.do so you don't miss any upcoming performances! There's such a variety from Korean to international orchestras, Korean traditional music, operas and intimate recitals. Don't miss this opportunity to attend something unforgettable in Daegu.
