The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will give the Asian premiere next year of a piano concerto by Shin Dong-hoon, a Korean composer drawing attention on the international music scene, with pianist Cho Seong-jin as soloist. Marking the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death, the orchestra will also present his only opera, "Fidelio," along with symphonies and chamber works.
The orchestra unveiled its 2027 subscription program at a press conference on the 19th at the arts organizations building of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. Jeong Jae-wal, chief executive of the Seoul Philharmonic, said the orchestra plans to present a wide range of programs under the theme of "freedom," including concerts marking the Beethoven anniversary, a project to record Mahler's complete symphonies, and new contemporary works.
The most anticipated program is the collaboration with Cho on June 24 and 25. Appearing on a Seoul Philharmonic subscription concert for the first time in 11 years, Cho will perform Shin's piano concerto under music director Jaap van Zweden. The work received its world premiere with the London Symphony Orchestra last November, and this will be its first performance in Asia.
Shin has been expanding his international standing with commissions from major European orchestras. The Seoul Philharmonic has revived its Artist of the Year program after five years, having suspended it in 2022, and selected Shin as the first honoree for the 2027-2028 season. Following next year's piano concerto, he is scheduled to present a new work in 2028 co-commissioned with overseas ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestra will also run a composition fellowship to nurture emerging Korean composers around Shin. "We thought Shin was a next-generation composer growing on the international stage who deserved to be spotlighted," Jeong said. "We will continue to discover capable composers and provide them with opportunities."
Korean performers will also feature prominently. Pianist Park Jae-hong will play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 on Jan. 14 and 15, and Sunwoo Yekwon will perform the Piano Concerto No. 2 on April 29 and 30. Conductor Choi Soo-yeoul will join violinist Randall Goosby for Korngold's Violin Concerto on Aug. 27, and conductor Holly Choe will take the podium on Oct. 15.
A large number of concerts will mark the Beethoven anniversary. The orchestra will perform the Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," No. 5, No. 7 and No. 9 "Choral," and on Oct. 1 and 2 will present "Fidelio," Beethoven's only opera, in concert opera form. The cast includes sopranos Jennifer Holloway and Hwang Su-mi and tenor Simon O'Neill. The Chamber Classics series, held five times during the year, will also be devoted to Beethoven's works.
The orchestra will take on a notable challenge abroad as well. On May 12, the Seoul Philharmonic will become the first orchestra from outside Europe to perform at the opening concert of the Prague Spring International Music Festival in the Czech Republic, playing Smetana's complete cycle of symphonic poems, "Má vlast." The same work will be performed in Seoul on April 22 and 23. "This is my first time conducting the complete 'Má vlast,'" van Zweden said. "It will be a chance for a new experience for me as well."
The orchestra is also experimenting with more performances of the same program. Responding to growing demand from classical music audiences, it will perform major repertoire such as Mahler's Symphony No. 5, "Fidelio" and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 three times each. "We can feel that ticket demand is rising," Jeong said. "We will increase the number of performances to test actual demand, and if the results are good, we will consider expanding further."
The project to record Mahler's complete symphonies, launched in 2024, will continue. The orchestra will perform the Symphony No. 5 in March and the Symphony No. 3 in November, with live recordings to be released on album.
