Pianist Lang Lang (Mast Media)Following his concert in Busan on Sunday night, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang is gearing up for his Korea tour’s final performance with a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday night. Lang Lang’s performances this month mark the pianist’s first solo concert in the country in five years. The pianist is slated to play Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons,” Bach’s Italian concerto “BWV 971” and Chopin’s “4 Scherzos.” Lang Lang’s first taste of classical music stardo

Let others rise. To take our place. Until the Earth is free -- hear the words of one of the longest running productions in musical history, Les Miserables, which has found its way back onto the local stage.  The Korean-language production made its premiere in 2012 and sparked a craze that led to more than 40 million viewers flocking to the theater to experience the musical that won four awards at the 19th annual Korean Musical Awards in 2013. A scene from the Korean reproduction of the musical “

As the year comes to a close, many people may be scrambling to figure out how to spend their free time during the cold winter while getting a bit of artistic indulgence. For those looking to kick the winter blues, there’s nothing like a night at the theater to add a little enchantment to one’s evening.  A scene from the Universal Ballet Korea‘s production of “The Nutcracker,” which will be staged at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul from Dec. 18 to 31. (Universal Ballet Korea)Inarguably one of

Undeniably the entertainment world’s most recognized tale of torrid love and romance, the epic war tale from the 1930s, “Gone with the Wind,” is one of the most beloved and enduring classics. The Korean-language musical rendition of this literary and cinematic masterpiece has made its way back to the Seoul stage, only this time, without the lure of flashy K-pop idols in starring roles. Although nowhere near the historic caliber of Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel turned 10-time A

Pianist Cho Seong-jin will join the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Chung Myung-whun to perform Chopin in a Seoul concert next year in a widely anticipated union of Korea’s classical music icons. At the concert, to be held at Seoul Arts Center on July 15, the pianist who shot to local fame after being crowned as the first Korean to win the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition will be performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The performance

This year saw worldwide accolades of unprecedented proportions for classical music artists from Korea.From the first Koreans to win the top prizes at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition and Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, to the first Asian to take home the crown at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, 2015 has cast a light on local classical scene talent like never before. Cho Seong-jinAs the newest classical music icon in Korea, Cho Seong-jin has forever cem

A self-admitted die-hard K-pop fan, Zhang Yu Ting of China was already wandering around the five-story complex of SMTOWN@coexartium just minutes after its doors opened Wednesday morning. Sitting at the “LIVErary Cafe,” Zhang kept close guard of one particular white cafe table, constantly caressing and photographing the tabletop religiously with her phone. Upon closer look, one can see the table was autographed by mega K-pop idol duo TVXQ.  SMTOWN@coexartium in Gangnam, Seoul. (Julie Jackson/The

The European Union is to evacuate the families of staff members as well as some non-essential employees from Burundi after a wave of political violence in the central African nation, officials said Friday."We have decided to evacuate temporarily the families and part of the non-essential staff but the (EU) delegation will continue functioning normally," an EU official told AFP on condition of anonymity."The decision has been taken on the basis of a new risk assessment of the situation in Burundi

Norwegian police are laying down their arms.  After carrying guns for about a year, police in the Nordic country will go back to patrolling the streets unarmed next week, the National Police Directorate said Friday. Norwegian police were armed as a temporary measure after the country's security service raised the terror alert level. It has since been downgraded and the police directorate said "there are no grounds to continue the temporary armament.'' It said police will go back to keeping firea

South Korea-Japan relations have suffered a serious setback from revisionist acts by some Japanese politicians, the South Korean government said in an official document Friday.In its 2015 Diplomatic White Paper, the Foreign Ministry described the problem as a "big obstacle" to improving the ties between Seoul and Tokyo."While Japan was engaged in brisk diplomatic activities (in 2014), advocating active pacifism, it caused conflicts with neighboring countries due to a revisionist move by some pol

German police said Friday they had found the bodies of "probably seven" babies in an apartment after being alerted by a woman in the southern state of Bavaria."Officers found several bodies of infants. The police and prosecutor...believe that there are probably seven dead," police said in a statement.Police added that they have as yet been unable to question the previous resident of the apartment in the town of Wallenfels, a 45-year-old woman.Forensic investigators are currently examining the co

Police raided the office of a Protestant church group and homes of two pastors affiliated with it on Friday as part of an investigation into suspicions that they contacted a North Korean spy to help a defector return to the communist state, the group said.Rev. Choi Jae-bong and Kim Sung-yoon are key members of the Seoul-based Protestant ministers' group suspected of working on defector Kim Lyun-hee's repatriation to the North. The defector has been claiming that she came to the South against her

When it comes to curbing climate change, Norwegian scientist Jorgen Randers is a disbeliever. “I’m a pessimist because I do not think humanity will go the extra lengths to stop the earth from degenerating,” the coauthor of influential book “The Limits to Growth” (1972) told The Korea Herald on Thursday. “But I’m working hard and hoping that it will. Humanity is capable of preventing such scenarios. The question is whether they will decide to do so.”The 70-year-old professor at the BI Norwegian B

Critically acclaimed Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang wants her presence to become more known to Korean audiences with her latest album, “Heartstrings.”  A big-time classical music icon across Asia and parts of Europe, Yang is considered one of the classical guitar world’s leading musicians, having been acclaimed as among the “most extraordinary instrumentalists in the world” and the “most impressive advocate for her instrument.” Yet, in Korea, the 38-year-old guitarist has yet to establi

A scene from Kang Sue-jin’s final ballet production, “Onegin.” (Credia)As the tragedy-plagued Tatiana, local prima donna Kang Sue-jin has cemented her rightful ranking as one of the country’s most coveted ballerina figures with her final dance production, “Onegin.”Kang performed three shows at the Seoul Arts Center over the weekend along with the Stuttgart Ballet, capping off a perfect ending to her illustrious, three-decade ballet career. Bidding farewell to the local audience, Sunday’s perform

Inarguably one of Korea’s most adorned artistic treasures, ballerina Kang Sue-jin will soon hang up her ballet slippers after her final production of “Onegin” with the Stuttgart Ballet.“This will be my last performance in Korea,” said Kang, 48, in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday.“Following the shows in Korea, I will take the stage again next year to perform ‘Onegin’ once more in Stuttgart and then I will retire,” she added.   Stuttgart Ballet artistic director Reid Anderson (from left t

It has been seven years since local piano phenom Lim Dong-hyek has released an album. Dubbed one of today’s most acclaimed Chopin interpreters, the 31-year-old pianist has eagerly returned to his Chopin roots in unveiling his new album, which was released Monday, dedicated to the 19th-century virtuoso’s later, more somber works.“With this music, I hope that people will listen and actually be saddened,” said Lim during a press conference at the Stradeum concert hall in Seoul on Tuesday. “If your

Chinese piano prodigy Yundi Li’s recent Seoul performance has been making headlines -- not for an outstanding performance, but because of his tempo blunders and seemingly shameless attitude afterward. The 33-year-old pianist returned to Korea to play alongside the renowned Sydney Orchestra, which performed two shows on Oct. 30 and 31 at the Seoul Arts Center -- with Li performing as a soloist with the orchestra Friday and violinist Vadim Repin performing Saturday. Despite being referred to as a

A Spanish court on Friday convicted a couple of drugging and suffocating their 12-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, in a case that has drawn the attention of Beijing.Rosario Porto, a former lawyer, and her ex-husband, journalist Alfonso Basterra, had been accused of periodically drugging their daughter Asunta Yong Fang Basterra Porto with the sedative Orfidal for three months and finally asphyxiating her in September 2013.The child's body was found in a wood near northwestern city of Santiago d

A popular folk singer was arrested in southern India on Friday for allegedly writing and singing a song that criticised the local government over state-owned liquor shops, his lawyer said.Kovan, known in Tamil Nadu for his songs against alcoholism, was arrested overnight at his residence after police found a video of the song allegedly condemning the state's popular leader, Jayalalithaa Jayaram."Kovan was arrested around 2:30 am (2100 GMT) because he sang a song and it was uploaded on social med