The 18th Seoul International Music Festival, Life's Journey: Three Portraits

[PERFORMANCE INTRODUCTION] SIMF Chamber Music Series "A Journey of Life – Three Portraits" The passage of time, twilight and dawn, lyricism and meditation. The second stage of the 2026 Seoul International Music Festival paints these three hues through the music of Brahms, Jae Joon Ryu, and Shostakovich. First, Brahms' "Clarinet Quintet, Op.115" bathes the stage in golden sunset. This is a piece that the composer, who had initially declared his retirement, returned to write after being moved by clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld's performance. The melodies are deeply infused with the regrets of old age. Next, Jae Joon Ryu's "Sextet for Trumpet, Horn, Strings and Piano" pierces the darkness with the resonant first light created by the trumpet and horn, awakening a new moment in time. This is also a stage where you can experience the playing of two masters, Sergei Nakariakov and Radovan Vlatković, up close. Finally, Shostakovich's "Piano Quintet, Op.57" opens quietly with a Bach-like prelude and fugue, but as the piece deepens, inner tranquility and passion intersect, revealing a profound abyss. We hope you will enjoy this journey that flows from twilight to dawn and once again into the abyss. [PROGRAM] Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op.115 Clarinet Han Kim Violin Elina Vähälä Violin Na Hyun Kyun Viola Sejune Kim Cello Nayoung Baek Jae Joon Ryu Sextet for Trumpet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano Trumpet Sergei Nakariakov Horn Radovan Vlatković Violin Jiwon Song Viola Sangjin Kim Cello Jungran Lee Piano Kyu Yeon Kim Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57 Piano Ilya Rashkovskiy Violin Dami Kim Violin Jaewon Kim Viola Hayang Park Cello Arto Noras