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Korea Foundation Presents ‘Spring Delight’ Piano Trio Concert

With support from the Irish Embassy in Korea and Culture Ireland, the Korea Foundation presented a piano trio concert, entitled ‘Spring Delight,’ at Kumho Art Hall (March 17, 2010). With the concert date falling on St. Patrick’s Day, the national founding day of Ireland, it was fitting for the performance to feature Cathal Breslin, an acclaimed pianist from Northern Ireland.



For the organization of its regular concerts of classical and contemporary music, the Korea Foundation will often arrange for the appearance of up-coming musical artists, from Korea and abroad. For this year’s spring concert, the Foundation presented a piano trio concert, comprised of pianist Cathal Breslin, a fast-rising star from Northern Ireland, along with Choi Jaewon (violin) and Choi Jungeun (cello), two sisters who are also members of the Sejong Soloists, a distinguished group of classical musicians. The three performed the works of Chopin, John Field, Handel, Prokofiev, and Brahms, as solo, duet, and trio presentations, which enabled each musician to display their artistic talent, individually and collectively.
The guest pianist, Cathal Breslin, who hails from Derry, Northern Ireland, has been praised as one of the most outstanding pianists of his generation. In recent performances, he has appeared with the Turin Philharmonic Orchestra, in Italy, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the Ulster Orchestra.
As part of his first visit and appearance in Korea, he performed Chopin’s ballade and nocturne, to commemorate the bicentennial birthday of Chopin, and the nocturnes of John Field, the Irish pianist and composer who is said to have had a major influence on Chopin. Of note, John Field’s energetic and lyrical nocturnes were ideally suited for welcoming the arrival of spring. He also played works of Chopin, who d his own form of nocturnes.
The Choi sisters, Jaewon and Jungeun, were a perfect complement to the piano artistry of Cathal Breslin, as was evident in their harmonious collaboration of Halvorsen’s Passacaglia, for cello and violin, based on a theme by Handel, which enabled the performers to fully present their instrumental mastery with elegant solo segments that was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. The exchange of melodies between the sisters was so natural that it appeared to be like a back-and-forth conversation of old friends.



Violinist Choi Jaewon is a talented musician who started to perform in public at the young age of 11. She has earned awards at prestigious competitions in Korea, and now maintains an active and varied performance career. Meanwhile, cellist Choi Jungeun made her debut in 1987 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. She is a musician with proven talent who has received awards at various competitions sponsored by leading Korean newspapers (Hankook Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and DongA Ilbo), along with being a recipient of the Unpa Music Award.
In the second half of the program, the three musicians performed Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1, whose animated melody seemed to a sense of optimism that is often associated with the start of spring. This work is noted for its of Brahms’ inner conflict due to his respect for Schumann, who provided patronage support, and his attraction to Schumann’s wife, Clara. Breslin’s performance was exquisite, maintaining a flowing balance as well as underscoring the impassioned interludes of the violin and cello.



It is encouraging to see one of Ireland’s leading pianists perform at the Foundation’s special concert on St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s founding holiday, as an example of cultural exchange between Korea and Ireland. It is thus hoped that cultural exchange between Korea and other countries can be further realized through the Foundation’s presentation of this kind of concert event, which appeals to Korean and foreign music lovers.

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