Concert Programme: Korean Composers

Korean Composers

Korean Composers

present a short film by Glenn De Kerpel

THE JOURNEY about the story of five people whose lives are marked by their love for the piano

GLENN DE KERPEL CAMERA GLENN DE KERPEL & GERT-JAN DE BAETS MUSIC FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN, ESTHER ABRAMI & CHRIS TAERWE EDIT & SOUND GLENN DE KERPEL watch The Journey on quatremainspianos.be/the-journey

Welcome!

Since the turn of the millennium, which was the start of the second South Korean New Wave, almost all of us have discovered the richness and diversity of Korean cinema (and tv). Maybe you were blown away by Bong Joon-ho’s recent Academy Award winner Parasite, or maybe you were glued to your screen for about eight hours, eager to see how Squid Game would end. It seems only fitting and about time that we also honour the composers that aided in making Korean cinema as popular as it is today. Not only will Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé perform a carefully curated selection of Korean scores, we also have the absolute honour to welcome two composers in person: Cho Young-wuk and Lee Byeong-woo.

Cho Young-wuk, as the go-to composer of Park Chan-wook, scored instant classics such as Oldboy, The Handmaiden and his newest feature Decision to Leave , for which Park Chan-wook won Best Director at the Cannes film festival. You will hear music from all of these films tonight. Secondly, we are delighted to receive

Lee Byeong-woo, who worked with director Bong Joon-ho on The Host and Mother . These scores will also be performed tonight. Moreover, Lee Byeong-woo will play the guitar for us himself. The music of Jung Jae-il, who appears on the Film Fest Gent poster this year, will also be performed, more specifically his scores for the Bong Joon-ho films Okja and Parasite, and Squid Game . “Way Back Then” from Squid Game was even especially recomposed for symphonic orchestra for this concert. The music of Nam Hye-seung, Kim Soo-chul and Mowg will also get its moment in the spotlight. I feel confident in saying that we are in for a magical evening.

Wim De Witte Programme Director

WHERE TALENT SPROUTS

Developing talent is important to us. That’s why Sabam for Culture offers concrete support to its members and cultural organisations through various financial aid and activities at events. By supporting Film Fest Ghent, we stimulate encounters between the worlds of film and music.

Programme Korean Composers,

Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé

Jung Jae-il

“Way Back Then” from Squid Game (2021)

“Home Again” from Okja (2017)

“The Belt of Faith” from Parasite (2019)

Nam Hye-seung

“Mr. Sunshine” from Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Kim Soo-chul

“Beyond the Years” from Sopyonje (1993)

Mowg

“Suffer and Suffer” from Burning (2018)

Lee Byeong-woo

“Dance” from Mother (2009)

“Lullaby” from A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

“Birds” from Incoherence (1994)

“In Praise of the Han River” from The Host (2006)

Cho Young-wuk

“Theme” from Narco-Saints (2022), co-composed with Lee Myung-ro “Seorae” from Decision to Leave (2022), co-composed with Kim Yookyung

“Beyond the Darkness” from A Taxi Driver (2017), co-composed with Cho Hye-won

“Under the Light” from Thirst (2009), co-composed Lee Jung-hee

“My Tamako, My Sookee” from The Handmaiden (2016), co-composed with Hong Dae-sung

“Cries and Whispers” from Oldboy (2003), co-composed with Lee Ji-soo

THE MUSIC

The music Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé will perform tonight was composed by five outstanding Korean composers: Cho Young-wuk, Lee Byeong-woo, Jung Jae-il (Squid Game, Parasite, Okja), Nam Hye-Seung (Mr. Sunshine), Kim Soo-chul (Sopyonje) and Mowg (Burning). Cho Young-wuk (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), the go-to composer of Park Chan-wook, and Lee Byeong-woo who worked with Bong Joon-ho on Mother and The Host will even be present at the concert themselves. Moreover, Lee Byeong-woo will play the guitar for us.

Cho Young-wuk

Before becoming a film composer, Cho Young-wuk, born on 1 January 1962 in South Korea, was active as a music producer. Already during his studies, he was engaged in Western-sounding rock bands where he played guitar. He did not rate that talent highly, but he still wanted to make a living through music, so he started working for a record company and producing music. He also loved film and a certain Park Chan-wook was among his circle of friends. Little did he know then that he would become his go-to composer: a relationship now compared to that between Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock or between Federico Fellini and Nino Rota.

After a film score he produced became a commercial hit, Cho Young-wuk started composing film music himself. He has since signed for the music of Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, among others, all directed by Park Chan-wook. His most recent score for Hunt by Lee Jung-jae was recorded under

the direction of maestro Dirk Brossé at Galaxy Studios in Mol.

When composing a film score, Cho Young-wuk usually starts from the screenplay and wonders what role the music can play. However, in his big breakthrough Oldboy, the music was written before the film was shot. In that thriller, the composer juggles and experiments with waltz themes and the piano dialogues with the strings. In the psychological drama The Handmaiden, Cho Young-wuk’s accessible music drives the tension between the characters and their complex relationships he captures in a hodgepodge of styles and instruments.

“I am very excited and delighted that the music I have created will be performed by Brussels Philharmonic. Every film music composer would be honoured to participate in this concert, so this is a glorious moment for me.”— Cho Young-wuk

Lee Byeongwoo

Born on 22 January 1965 in Seoul, Lee Byeong-woo is known as one of South Korea’s best guitarists. Because he always listened intensely to his elder brother’s guitar playing, his mother advised him to take guitar lessons himself. Touching the strings for the first time and pulling out a musical chord gave him a magical feeling. Initially, he focused on pop music but the need for additional education led him to Vienna, where he studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts.

“I always admired how the film score influences the film, and actually changes it completely. For me, music is magic. I am so honoured to be a part of this concert.”

— Lee Byeong-woo

In 1998, he moved to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he found his own musical voice and developed it further, thanks to many international contacts in general and Professor Julian Gray’s lessons in particular. Even during his studies, South Korean short-film makers asked him for permission to use his guitar music.

When those directors switched to feature films, they also wanted him as a composer. He wrote the music for about twenty films and his move into the video game world did not go unnoticed. His most famous scores are those for the horror film The Host and for Bong Joon-ho’s psychological thriller Mother. When composing, Lee Byeong-woo always wants to be at the side of the main character. Following and enhancing them seems to be his motto. But he also excels at combining opposites as in Mother where he combines Latin dance with Fellini-like circus music.

Jung Jae-il

Born on 7 May 1982 in Seoul, Jung Jae-il has been obsessed with music since childhood. He plays piano and guitar but in his hands, even a saw becomes a musical instrument. As a teenager, he was impressed by the British heavy metal band Carcass and he is still a fan of Metallica. He calls their music his main inspiration. He received his musical training at the Jazz Academy in Seoul and he was 15 when he composed the music for Bad Movie, a film he was not even allowed to see given his age. Jung Jae-il was a member of several rock bands and wrote music for film, TV, and musicals. Both a Korean and a more universal musical idiom are not foreign to him.

His worldwide breakthrough came as the composer for Bong JoonHo’s Parasite. Jung Jae-il met Bong Joon-Ho when the latter produced the film Sea Fog in 2014. Bong Joon-ho called on the composer when he was shooting Okja for Netflix. When composing, Jung Jae-il prefers to create a contrast between his music and the image. In Okja, he regularly uses

music from the Balkans. In Parasite, different genres intermingle. However, the collaboration between composer and director was not without its hiccups. Of the mini-symphony, “The Belt of Faith”, Jung Jae-il made no less than six versions. The seventh, composed dejectedly and with a hangover, eventually turned out to be the right one.

Rarely has a score been listened to so globally as the one for the Netflix series Squid Game in which his personal composition is perfectly blended with classical music. Jung Jae-il’s music is linked to the Korean characters, once again taking on a social dimension. The crescendobuilding “Way Back Then” is akin to a western theme but the film is also teeming with what Jung Jae-il calls “nonsensical baroque”. He composed his latest score for Hirokazu Koreeda’s Broker.

Nam Hyeseung

Nam Hye-seung is praised for her talent to musically accompany TV series and take them to the next level. She has collaborated on some 80 TV dramas including Record of Youth, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Crash Landing on You and Mr. Sunshine. Nam Hye-seung studied classical composition at Yonsei University in Seoul and was fascinated by the interplay of image and sound even then. She later composed for all kinds of film genres and manages to put a personal touch and colour in her music each time. She is a fan of Sigur Rós. In Mr. Sunshine’s theme, we listen to Richard Yongjae O’Neill’s viola solo and don’t forget the fresh piano keys.

Kim Soo-chul

Mowg

Kim Soo-chul started playing in a school band where he attracted attention with his passionate sounds as well as his personality. In the 1980s, he went solo and scored numerous hits. His first music score was for the film Whale Hunting. He also made music for sporting events such as the Olympic and Asian Games and the World Cup. His motive here was always to give Korean music a global appeal. He achieved this goal especially with his score for Sopyonje by Im Kwon-taek, in which a father tours South Korea to keep the Pansori tradition alive with his adopted son and daughter.

Since 1972-born Lee Sung-hyun looks a little like Mowgli from The Jungle Book according to some, he did not have to look far for a stage name. He got in touch with jazz, blues and rock by listening to the radio, and after high school he started performing in jazz bars. Because his parents opposed it, he emigrated to New York and gained his real musical knowledge in Harlem. Back home, he won several awards for his pop music and is now a professor at the Seoul University of Arts. He delivered his most famous score for Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, and it is completely in line with the film: mysterious, mesmerising, surprising, minimalist, obsessive.

Awards Album

About the Performance

The music of these Korean composers will be performed by a world-renowned orchestra: Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé. Furthermore, they can count on the expertise of gifted soloists such as concertmaster and violinist Otto Derolez, cellist Karel Steylaerts and pianist

Dirk Brossé

MUSIC DIRECTOR, CONDUCTOR

Dirk Brossé, an internationally acclaimed conductor and award winning composer, is currently Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Music Director of Film Fest Gent. He has guestconducted many top orchestras, all over the world, among them the London Symphony Orchestra London Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. In 2008 he made his first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 he made his debut at the Carnegie Hall, New York. Maestro Brossé is also a highly-regarded, award-winning composer, whose body of some 400 works includes concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music and symphonic pieces, as well as scores for cinema, television and stage, such as the Emmy-nominated score for the BBC/ HBO series, Parade’s End. Other scores include Prince of Africa, Daens, Tintin, Ben X, Pauline & Paulette, 14-18, and the nature documentary Onze Natuur.

Maestro Brossé is a versatile and creative performer with a keen interest in cinematic music; he is an early advocate of bringing

movie scores to orchestral venues. He was chosen by John Williams to conduct the Star Wars in Concert World Tour in 2009, the first world tour of its kind. Maestro Dirk Brossé has made more than 100 CD recordings and has collaborated with world-class artists such as John Williams, Toots Thielemans, Gabriel Yared, Hans Zimmer, Elmer Bernstein and Maurice Jarre. Dirk Brossé has been awarded the title Cultural Ambassador of Flanders, the Flemish Parliament’s Gold Medal for Merit, the Achille Van Acker Prize, the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award and the Global Thinkers Forum Award for Excellence in Cultural Creativity.

Anastasia Goldberg. Composer Lee Byeong-woo will play the guitar. Taegŭm virtuoso Hyelim Kim will also join the orchestra for “Beyond the Years” from Sopyonje

Brussels Philharmonic

“The world needs symphonic music. And symphonic music needs the world.”

That is the firm belief of the Brussels Philharmonic. As a symphony orchestra founded in 1935 under the auspices of the Belgian public broadcaster, unveiling the symphonic world as best we can is deep in our DNA. By innovating while maintaining full respect for the value of the past, we keep the symphonic music of the past, present and future relevant and inspiring – for ourselves and all of society. We do this from the historic Studio 4 at Flagey in Brussels, together with our music director Kazushi Ono: he shares our open and adventurous spirit and our rock-solid belief in the need for cross-fertilization between art, life and society.

The vision of our music director, Kazushi Ono, an experienced conductor whose reputation crosses continents, cultures and genres, overlaps in so many ways with that of the orchestra: the authenticity with which the great repertoire is kept alive, the permanent quest for innovation and evolution, the commitment to giving the music of today and tomorrow a central role, and the passion for sharing the love of symphonic music widely and generously.

That sharing takes place first and foremost in our home port at Flagey, where the orchestra rehearses, performs and throws open the doors to its activities, as well as on the major stages and at festivals in Flanders. The orchestra’s international reputation comes to the fore in its specialisation in recording soundtracks (including the Oscar-winning music for The Artist), the many successful recordings for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, and the ambitious projects on prestigious stages around the world (Carnegie Hall, New York, Philharmonie de Paris, Musikverein Wien, Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, Cadogan Hall, London).

Brussels Philharmonic is an institution of the Flemish Community.

Otto Derolez CONCERTMASTER, SOLOIST

Otto Derolez has been the concertmaster of Brussels Philharmonic since 1999. He is considered one of the leading violinists of Belgium, and as of 2012 been Faculty Professor at YOA Orchestra of the Americas, coaching young musicians all over the world.

Otto made his debut with the Brussels Philharmonic in 1999, with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. With this orchestra he has performed the world

premières of violin concertos by Jeroen d’Hoe and Michel Tabachnik, both dedicated to Otto Derolez. His performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto has been highly acclaimed, as well as the Alban Berg Violin Concerto which he performed with Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kalmar.

Otto Derolez studied at the Royal Conservatories of Ghent and Brussels, with professors such as Rudolf Werthen, Keti Sbestyen and Philippe Hirschhorn. He graduated from the Internationale Musikakademie für Solisten (IMAS) in Wolfenbüttel (Germany) under the guidance of André Gertler. He also received support and guidance from Yfrah Neaman.

As a soloist, he has performed in prestigious concert halls all over the world, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Festival Hall in Osaka, Cité de la Musique in Paris, just to name a few.

An active chamber musician, he has been a member of the Prometheus Ensemble since 1992. With this ensemble he recorded Schubert’s Octet and Trout Quintet, Stravinsky’s l’Histoire du Soldat, Schoenberg’s First Chamber Symphony and Transfigured Night

© THOMAS LEGRÈVE

Soloists

KAREL STEYLAERTS Cello

Karel Steylaerts studied cello at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in the class of Carlo Schmitz and at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with Maria Kliegel. In 1990, he was a laureate of the Tenuto Competition. He was a member of the Tröndlin Piano Forte Trio, with whom he released several critically acclaimed recordings. In 2006, together with violinist Shirly Laub and violist Tony Nys, Steylaerts founded TrioFenix, with whom he is regularly invited to perform at many national and international festivals. Their recordings of Beethoven’s works were highly praised by both press and audience. Sinds 2008, Steylaerts is the cello principal at Brussels Philharmonic. He is a guest professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles.

ANASTASIA GOLDBERG

Piano

Anastasia Goldberg received her first piano lessons at the age of 5 from Irina Renova. Three years later was her successful debut performance Haydn’s piano concerto in D with the Chamber Orchestra of Special Music School (Ekaterinburg). She graduated from the Ural State Conservatorium in Ekaterinburg and completed her Master’s degree by Naum Grubert at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. In 2000, Goldberg became a winner of the International Piano Competition in San Sebastian. She was invited to join the jury of the same competition in 2009. Goldberg has played with renowned conductors such as Mikhail Jurowski, Stefan Vladar, Michel Tabachnik, Anton Grishanin and many others. Several CD recordings have already been completed and the final production, released in-house (Goldberg Productions), with works by Mozart and Beethoven, was highly praised by the press. Goldberg is also a piano professor at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen.

HYELIM KIM Taegŭm

As composer and taegŭm (Korean flute) soloist, Dr Hyelim Kim has been using pioneering intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches rooted in Korean traditional music. As a taegŭm virtuoso, Kim was selected as an ‘emerging artist’ by the Korean Arts Council and as the Kumho Young Artist, has been invited to perform a live session with Nils Frahm on BBC Radio 3’s celebrated Late Junction, and was the soloist on the world premier of a taegŭm concertino performed with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, to name a few. She has also won prizes at various acclaimed competitions, including the Gold Medal at the Korean National Taegŭm Competition and the 1st prize at the Korean National Chongro Music Competition. Kim has performed at various prestigious festivals worldwide, including the London Jazz Festival, Melbourne Women’s Festival (Melbourne) and the China International Bamboo Flute Festival (Yuping). Kim is a regular member of the Third Orchestra (Barbican Centre). Kim has extended her musical practice to the interdisciplinary sphere.

MIHAI COCEA Viola

Born in Bucharest, Mihai Cocea started the study of violin at 5, later at 13 discovering the wonderful sound of the viola. He attended the National College of Music George Enescu in Bucharest, continued his studies in London, at the Royal Academy of Music. As a soloist, Mihai Cocea performed with several orchestras, among which NOVA Rossia, The Moscow Soloists, and St. Andrews Symphony Orchestra. Among Mihai’s most recent achievements is the recording, together with pianist Oana Zamfir-Cocea, of the viola sonatas by Brahms and Shostakovich.

As an orchestra musician, Mihai Cocea was the leader of the Liechtenstein Orchester and co-leader of the St Gallen Symphonic Orchestra, Switzerland. In 2020, Mihai Cocea was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for his artistic activity on an international level. Since 2017, Mihai Cocea has been the leader of the viola section with the Brussels Philarmonic Orchestra.

Musicians

Otto Derolez, CONCERTMASTER & SOLOIST

FIRST VIOLIN

Bart Lemmens (2)

Olivia Bergeot

Annelies Broeckhoven

Stefan Claeys

Kristina Rimkeviciute

Elizaveta Rybentseva

Anton Skakun

Alissa Vaitsner

Cristina Constantinescu

Justine Rigutto

SECOND VIOLIN

Samuel Nemtanu (1)

Aline Janeczek

Mireille Kovac

Sayoko Mundy

Eline Pauwels

Francisco Dourthé Orrego

Naoko Ogura

Julien Poli

Alexis Delporte

Nicolás Fernández Mancebo

Véronique Burstin

VIOLA

Mihai Cocea (1)

Griet François (2)

Philippe Allard

Hélène Koerver

Agnieszka Kosakowska

Stephan Uelpenich

Patricia Van Reusel

José-Miguel Freitas

Barbara Peynsaert

CELLO

Karel Steylaerts (1)

Barbara Gerarts

Julius Himmler

Emmanuel Tondus

Sophie Jomard Diego Coutinho

DOUBLE BASS

John Van Lierop (1)

Thomas Fiorini

Simon Luce

Luzia Vieira

Daniele Giampaolo

Benjamin Heymans

FLUTE

Lieve Schuermans (1)

Sarah Miller

Jill Jeschek (2)

OBOE

Joris Van den Hauwe (1) Maarten Wijnen Lode Cartrysse (2)

CLARINET

Anne Boeykens (1) Severine Sierens Midori Mori (2)

BASSOON

Karsten Przybyl (1) Alexander Kuksa Jonas Coomans (2)

HORN

Hans van deZanden (1) Luc van den Hove Mieke Ailliet (2) Claudia Rigoni

TRUMPET

Ward Hoornaert (1) William Castaldi

Rik Ghesquière Luc Sirjacques

TROMBONE

David Rey (1)

Sander Vets

Tim Van Medegael (2)

TUBA Jean Xhonneux (2)

TIMPANI

Gert D’haese (2)

PERCUSSION

Titus Franken (2)

Bjorn Denys

Gerrit Nulens Stijn Schoofs

PIANO / CELESTA Anastasia Goldberg (2)

HARP Primor Sluchin

GUITAR

Inti De Maet

GLOSSARY

(1) principal (2) soloist

Sponsors

THESE CONCERTS WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY

Credits

PRODUCED BY Film Fest Gent

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Brussels Philharmonic

COMPOSERS

Cho Young-wuk

Lee Byeong-woo

Jung Jae-il

Nam Hye-seung

Kim Soo-chul

Mowg

ORCHESTRA

Brussels Philharmonic

CONDUCTOR & MUSIC DIRECTOR FILM FEST GENT

Dirk Brossé

HOST

Tommy Pearson PROGRAMMING

Dirk Brossé, Music Director

Wim De Witte, Programme Director

Sophie Joos, Music Projects Coordinator

Patrick Duynslaegher, Consultant

Thomas Van Parys, Consultant

FILM FEST GENT

Marijke Vandebuerie, Managing Director

Wim De Witte, Programme Director

Sophie Joos, Head Music Projects

Katrien Destuyver, Concert Producer

Mathijs Poppe, Video Editor

Kim Verthé, Press & Communication

Helena Huvenne, Guest Service, Lien Puttemans, Ticketing

Jessica Bonte, Sponsorship & Protocol

Michiel Philippaerts, Programmer

Nathalie Decock, Management Assistant

BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC

Gunther Broucke, General Manager

Tom Pipeleers, Artistic Administrator

Brussels Philharmonic

Jim Seynaeve, Head of Production

Thomas Geurts, Head of Stage Management

Emma Touchot, Casting

Pieterjan Hermans, Librarian

Céline Krick, Librarian Assistant

Jean-Pol Peeters, Stagehand

Emiel Devylder, Stagehand

MUSIC CENTRE DE BIJLOKE

Natan Rosseel

Benjamin Lopiccolo

Pieter Kinoli

Wout Clarysse

Xavier Lecompte

Björn Van Severen Lieselot Le Comte

VIDEO & STAGE DIRECTION

Andries Vangeel, Director

Nele Van Campenhout, Assistant Director

Birger Embrechts, Score Advisor

Jeroen Buyse, Stage Manager

CAPTATIE - DB VIDEO

AUDIO RECORDING, BROADCAST MIX AND

POST-PRODUCTION MIXEVIL PENGUIN

Hans Bellens, supervising manager Floren Van Stichel, project manager & mixing engineer

Zdenko Vounckx, recording engineer

MOTION GRAPHICSTHE PACK

Filip Croon

Wim Symens

Jan Daghelinckx

Kenneth Dingens

PROGRAMME BOOKLET

Marijke Vandebuerie, Publisher

Wim De Witte, Editor-in-Chief

Kim Verthé, Editor

Silke Bomberna, Coordinator

TEXTS BOOKLET

Raf Butstraen

Silke Bomberna

Sven Hollebeke

DESIGN & PREPRESS

BLOUDRUK - Femke Vanbelle

SPECIAL THANKS

Korean Cultural Center (Sunyeon Jeon), Chun So-hye, Dean Choi, Jahye Lee, Pieter Corten, Raf Butstraen, Jana Dejonghe, Valentina Broes, Vera van der Heijden and the entire Film Fest Gent team

Our partners and all contributors for their enthusiasm and expertise

All members of the World Soundtrack Academy

This production was created with the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government through Belga Films Fund.