Beethoven's Ninth Becomes a Year-End Tradition in Korea — Where Will Chung Myung-whun Conduct?
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the choral masterpiece known for its 'Ode to Joy' text (from Friedrich Schiller), has become a year-end staple in Korea since the 2000s, led largely by former Seoul Philharmonic conductor Chung Myung-whun. The massed-work, first performed at year-end in Leipzig in 1918, has global symbolic uses but is especially frequent in Japan and now Korea. This season many performances are scheduled: the One Korea Orchestra under Chung opens at Lotte Concert Hall on Nov. 19 with Korean soloists and national choirs; SNU Symphony plays on Nov. 24 to mark Seoul National University's anniversary; cross-national and commemorative concerts follow in December, including a Korea–Japan 60th anniversary joint chorus and multiple performances by the Seoul Philharmonic under chief conductor Jaap van Zweden and by Chung leading the KBS Symphony across several venues. Other regional orchestras also present the work, reflecting both commemorative programming and a sustained year-end 'Ninth' boom in Korea.
