The annual Great Mountains Music Festival and School has been a great getaway for people seeking to escape from the heat-wave-struck city in the summer.

Held in the cool, mountainous Gangwon Province, the music festival and master classes have also been an event where musicians from around the world communicate with classical music lovers in a setting that induces openness and concentration.

This year, the GMMFS will get even cooler, introducing works of Nordic composers and musicians as well as commissioned works for the festival and operatic highlights from July 14-Aug. 6 in Pyeongchang, Cheolwon, Wonju and other parts of Gangwon under the theme “Northern Lights.”

Noted musicians from around the world including pianists Paik Hae-sun, Robert McDonald and Kevin Kenner; violinists Chung Kyung-wha, Kim Nam-yun, Koichiro Harada, Christel Lee and Clara-Jumi Kang; cellists Chung Myung-wha, David Geringas, Gary Hoffman and Jian Wang; violists Roberto Diaz and Hun-Wei Huang; bassist Michinori Bunya; as well as ensembles such as Fantasia Quintet; Novus String Quartet and St. Michel Strings will perform at the remote mountainside resort. They will play works by Grieg, Britten, Mozart, Schumann, Paganini, Dvorak, Verdi, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Faure as well as yet-unfamiliar northern European composers including Einojuhani Rautavaara, Dag Wiren and and Jn Leifs.

“What creates the ‘Nordic feel’ of the music is the fact that our perception of time and space is somehow different from how people perceive them in Central Europe or other, more densely populated places in the world. The proximity of nature, that people are surrounded by space, as well as the fact that lives in the North have not been so busy, have formed the mental landscape of our people. This in turn manifests itself in the works of the Nordic artists,” said Sasha Mkil, music director at St. Michel Strings, one of the participants of the event.

“They happily disregarded the traditional forms and rules. I hope you will enjoy our offering of fresh Nordic spring water during this festival, at the hottest time of the year,” he added.

“An ultra-modern 640-seat auditorium and a tent theater with seating for 1,300 have been built expressly for the festival to meet a growing demand. In addition, the music school provides learning experiences to bright young musicians as well as further opportunities for music lovers to enjoy additional classical performances and master classes,” said Chung Myung-wha and Chung Kyung-wha, artistic directors of the festival, in a statement.

For more information, visit www.gmmfs.com.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)