United Nations Day Concert 24 October 2007

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAMME

Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Srgjan Kerim President of the sixty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly Kim Hyun Chong Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Oh Se-hoon Mayor of Seoul Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will introduce the programme and the speakers

PERFORMANCE Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

Chung Myung-Whun, Music Director

Shin Youngok Soprano Chung Yikun Tenor

U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL -- MESSAGE FOR THE PROGRAMME OF THE UNITED NATIONS DAY CONCERT 24 October 2007

The world is changing in the United Nations’ favour -- as more people and Governments understand that multilateralism is the only path in our interdependent and globalizing world. Global problems demand global solutions, and going it alone is not a viable option. Whether we are speaking of peace and security, development, or human rights, demands on the UN are growing every day.

That is why celebrating United Nations Day is so important. It is an occasion to remember why our Organization was founded, and to reaffirm the goals we are striving for. It offers an opportunity to help build a better understanding of the United Nations -- what it is, what it does, and what it can do. I thank the Government and Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Chung Myung-whun for helping to bring us together for this musical celebration. I wish all those attending a splendid evening.

Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General

Dear Friends,

As we all know, music is a universal language. Transcending race, religion and national borders, music can bring diverse peoples together in harmony. Indeed, music is the perfect medium to remind us of the principles and values of the United Nations.

Accordingly, the United Nations holds an annual concert to commemorate its founding and to celebrate its unity. It is a great honour for the Republic of Korea and the city of Seoul that the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the United Nations will be graced by the music of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the world-renowned Myung-Whun Chung.

The dynamism and passion of the Seoul Philharmonic are a fitting match to the energy and commitment to action of the United Nations in this first year with a new Secretary-General. At the same time, the beauty and elegance of its performance today will pay tribute to the dignity of the principles of the United Nations, and to its ongoing efforts to achieve peace and prosperity for all.

Ambassador Kim Hyun Chong Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations

Greetings

I would like to congratulate you on the occasion of the 62nd United Nations Day. Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to those of you who have been working constantly with tireless devotion and passion for world peace and harmony.

The United Nations is the single most prominent global institution that is solely committed to global peace and security. It has made significant achievements in making the world a better place for humanity. We honour the principles and values expressed in the Charter, and the City of Seoul will do its part to protect and to serve the interests of the disabled, the weak and the underprivileged so that all people in this world can lead a pleasant life in a favourable environment.

It is indeed my greatest honour that Seoul has a part to play in this year’s celebration. I proudly present to you the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the world-renowned Maestro Chung Myung-Whun. I hope you will enjoy their performance. Thank you.

Oh Se-hoon Mayor of Seoul Greetings

It is a privilege to present a United Nations Day Concert in the presence of so many distinguished guests from around the world.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary- General of the United Nations, as well as to Mrs. Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek and all officials of the UN, for providing us with this invaluable opportunity.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has made tireless efforts to reinvent itself throughout its nearly 60-year history. Through our performances, we strive to unite all people through the universal language of music.

We still remember when the world-renowned Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic gave a small concert in a war-ravaged Seoul, and how the performance touched the hearts of many Koreans.

In that same spirit, we are now ready to share our gift of music with all of you.

I would like to thank all those who have helped us organize tonight's concert, specifically the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Hana Financial Group. I hope that this performance by Maestro Chung Myung-Whun and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will fill your hearts with joy and warmth.

Sincerely,

Lee Pal-Seung Chief Executive Officer Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), founded in 1948, is the oldest classical orchestra in the Republic of Korea.

With the singular goal of becoming a world-class orchestra, SPO was recently re-launched as an incorporated foundation, replacing almost half its members and appointing Lee Pal-Seung as the first Chief Executive Officer. Under the musical direction of Maestro Chung Myung-Whun, SPO has made great strides in the development of Korean classical music, performing a broad repertoire, ranging from baroque to contemporary, at more than 100 concerts a year. SPO’s commitment to its goal is also reflected in the appointment of the first composer-in-residence, Maestra Chin Unsuk, a Korean-born composer whose works are commissioned and performed by major orchestras and new music groups around the world.

Past seasons featured such world-class conductors as Charles Dutoit, James Judd, Mikko Frank, Andrey Boreyko, Rossen Milanov, Xian Zhang, and Pinchas Zukerman, as well as the distinguished soloists Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Illya Gringolts (violin), Viviane Hagner (violin), Hae-sun Kang (violin), Jian Wang (cello), Martin Fröst (clarinet), Häkan Hardenberger (trumpet), Gary Graffman (piano), Alexander Melnikov (piano), Nicholas Angelich (piano) and Colin Currie (percussion).

In addition to regular subscription concerts, the orchestra’s widely acclaimed community outreach concerts have been a key to the steady growth of classical music audiences in Korea.

Under the dynamic musical leadership of Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is quickly becoming a world-class orchestra representing the Republic of Korea abroad. Music Director Chung Myung-Whun

Chung Myung-Whun began his musical career as a pianist and won second prize at the Tchaikovsky piano competition in Moscow in 1974. He became Carlo Maria Giulini's assistant at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1979, and two years later was named the Associate Conductor. He has conducted virtually all the prominent European and American orchestras and made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1986 with Simon Boccanegra.

From 1989 to 1994, Chung Myung-Whun served as the Music Director of the Paris Opera. In 1991, the Association of French Theatres and Music Critics named him Artist of the year; the following year, he received the Légion d’Honneur for his contribution to the Paris Opera.

In addition to being awarded numerous music prizes, Chung Myung-Whun has also been honoured with the Republic of Korea’s most distinguished cultural award, Kumkwan, for his contribution to Korean musical life.

Chung Myung-Whun became the Music Director of the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997, the Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in 2000, and Special Artistic Advisor to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2001. Since 2006, he has been the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Soprano Shin Youngok

Shin Youngok has appeared regularly at the Metropolitan Opera since 1991 in a variety of roles including Gilda in Rigoletto, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Elvira in I Puritani, Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, and the Nightingale in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. She has also appeared in Bianca e Fernando, Lakmé, Lucia, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte and other operas, performing leading roles in various venues and festivals.

Ms. Shin sang in the Met’s New Year's Eve Millennium Gala, the 2001 Gala honouring Giuseppe Verdi and the World Trade Center Relief Benefit. Also at the Met, she has sung with some of the world’s leading conductors and singers, including James Levine, James Conlon, Esa Pekka Salonen, Nello Santi, Edoardo Müller, the Three Tenors (Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras), Leo Nucci, Samuel Ramey and Marilyn Horne.

Ms. Shin has released solo CDs of opera (Bianca e Fernando, 1991), bel canto arias (Vocalise, 1995), sacred music (Ave Maria, 1996; Sacred Songs, 2000), art song (A Dream, 1997), popular material (My Romance, 1998; My Songs, 2003), Christmas songs (White Christmas, 2001), and love songs (Chansons d'Amour, 2004, Love Duets, 2006).

A native of Seoul, Ms. Shin is the recipient of a number of vocal competition prizes. She holds BM and MM degrees from the Juilliard School of Music. Tenor Chung Yikun

Tenor Chung Yikun Carlos graduated from Seoul National University and pursued his studies at the Verdi Conservatory of Milan. He has received a number of singing competition awards in the Republic of Korea and abroad, including at the international contests in Toulouse, Genoa, Monte Carlo, Bilbao and Madrid. His key stage creations have included the parts of Tebaldo in I Capuletti e i Montecchi, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfredo in La Traviata, the Duke in Rigoletto, Macduff in Macbeth, Ismael in Nabucco, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Don José in Carmen. He has made guest appearances in Trieste and Cagliari in Italy; Avignon and Toulon in France; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Kassel, Germany; Vienna and Graz in Austria; Lucerne, Switzerland; and in other countries.

Mr. Chung was named Young Tenor of the Year in 2001 by the prestigious Opernwelt magazine of Germany. P R O G R A M M E

G. VERDI Overture from La Forza del Destino

G. PUCCINI “O mio babbino caro,” from Gianni Schicchi Shin Youngok (Soprano)

G. VERDI “Celeste Aida,” from Aida Chung Yikun (Tenor)

G. VERDI “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici,” from La Traviata Shin Youngok (Soprano) & Chung Yikun (Tenor)

J. BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73

I. Allegro non troppo

II. Adagio non troppo

III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino)

IV. Allegro con spirito

P R O G R A M M E N O T E S

G. VERDI Overture from La Forza del Destino Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Forza del Destino depicts a tragic tale of love, hate, revenge and fate. It was commissioned by the Imperial Theatre of St. Petersburg and premiered in 1862. Later revisions led to a new production at La Scala in 1869. The popular overture is comprised of various themes from the opera, beginning with the foreboding brass opening, which foreshadows a tragic ending. Subsequent themes often contain a dark underlying motif that casts a shadow over the destiny of the characters involved.

G. PUCCINI “O mio babbino caro,” from Gianni Schicchi Giacomo Puccini’s comic opera Gianni Schicchi is based on a story referred to in Dante’s Divine Comedy. It is the third of Il trittico, Puccini’s triptych of one-act operas. “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh My Dear Papa”) is a famous aria sung by Gianni Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta, wherein she makes a plea to her father on behalf of her love interest.

Oh my dear papa I would go to Ponte Vecchio I love him, he is so handsome and throw myself in the Arno! I want to go to Porta Rossa I fret and suffer torments! to buy the ring! Oh God, I would rather die! Yes, yes, I mean it Papa, have pity, have pity! And if my love were in vain Papa, have pity, have pity!

G. VERDI “Celeste Aida,” from Aida Verdi’s opera Aida was a grand success when it opened in 1871, and it continues to be performed regularly around the world. It is a tragic love story between the Egyptian military commander Radames and Aida, an Ethiopian princess who is brought into slavery in Egypt. “Celeste Aida” (“Heavenly Aida”) is sung by Radames in Act 1 Scene 1, expressing his undisclosed affection towards his beloved slave, Aida.

If only I were that warrior! Heavenly Aida, divine form, If only my dream might come true! Mystical garland of light and flowers, An army of brave men with me as their You are queen of my thoughts, leader You are the splendor of my life. And victory and the applause of all Memphis! I want to give you back your beautiful sky, And to you, my sweet Aida, The sweet breezes of your native land, To return crowned with laurels, To place a royal garland on your hair, To tell you: for you I have fought, To raise you a throne next to the sun. For you I have conquered!

G. VERDI “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici,” from La Traviata La Traviata (“The Fallen Women”) is one of Verdi’s most popular operas in the Republic of Korea, with numerous performances held every year. It is based on the autobiographical novel La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas, published in 1848, which tells the tragic tale of a beloved courtesan who dies of tuberculosis. “Libiamo ne' lieti calici” (“The Drinking Song”) is a duet between Alfredo and Violetta.

(Alfredo) (Violetta) Let’s drink, With you all Let’s drink from this chalice of joy I’ll learn to share my house of leisure That beauty so enhances Life is folly, and only pleasure counts Let’s drink from the sweet Let’s enjoy ourselves, for love burns fast May the fleeting instant A flower that blooms and dies Be given over to voluptuousness It was never meant to last Let’s drink to that sweet ecstasy So reveal and rejoice That love arouses Bids an alluring voice! The power of the piercing eyes Straight for heart is aimed (Violetta) Life means celebration Let’s drink to love, and our drinking (Alfredo) If you have known love Will render our kisses more ardent (Violetta) Don’t tell me I never have (Alfredo) That seems to be my fate

J. BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73 While it took over twenty years for Johannes Brahms to complete his first symphony, the other three symphonies were composed in a short period of time, and each has an entirely different character. Symphony No. 2 is idyllic and jovial and is often compared to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. It is in a classical four-movement symphonic form, with two lively outer movements bracketing a slow second movement followed by a scherzo.

SEOUL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

President & CEO Lee Pal Seung Music Director Chung Myung-Whun Composer-in-Residence Chin Unsuk

Members Concertmaster Kim Dennis, Svetlin Roussev Associate Concertmaster Bahk Je-Hi 1st Violin Kim Jeong-Min (Principal), Marko Komonko (Associate Principal), Woo Hye-Kyung, Ko Hyun-Soo, Kim In-Hak, Kim Min-Yong, Kim Yeong-Soon, Joo Yeon-Ju, Wojciech Dziembowski, Kim Hye-Yeon, Eugene Yang, Du Roo-Mee, Kim Min-Jung, Yoo Mi-Na 2nd Violin Lim Ka-Jin (Principal), Kim Hyo-Kyung (Associate Principal), Kim Mi-Kyung, Jin Young-Kyu, Chang Eun-Young, Kim Dong-Joo, Kim Myung-Ju, Kim Young-Hoon, Kwak Saung-Ran, Chung Eun-Mee, Lee Joo-Eun, Kim Mi-Youn, Lee Kyung-Ah, Kim Yong-Hwa Viola Hung-Wei Huang (Principal), Kim Dong-Il, Hwang Jin, Park Su-Jeong, Kim Hyo-Jung, Lee Sun-Joo, Kim Dong-Hye, Lim Yo-Sub, Kim Nam-Joong, Lee Hyung-Eun, Kim Sun-Young, Anton Kan, Jin Min-Ho Cello Kim Ho-Jung (Associate Principal), Seo Kwang-Wook, Park Mu-Il, Cha Eun-Mi, Choi Woon-Sun, Kim Wan-Jung, Kang Chan-Uk, Park Eun-Ju, Kim Min-Kyung, Lee Hye-Jae, Shin Ae-Kyung Double Bass Ahn Dong-Hyuck (Principal), Lee Young-Soo (Associate Principal), Son Myung-Jin, Kim Sang-Mi, Kim Hoo-Young, Soung Young-Seog, Chang Hyo-Kyoung, Chang Seung-Ho, Kim Jin-Chul

Flute Park Jee-Eun (Principal), Jang Seon-Ah Oboe Lee Mi-Sung (Associate Principal), Ryu Gyung-Gyun, Kim Soo-Keum Clarinet Jerry Jae-Il Chae (Principal), Lee Chang-Hee, Chung Eun-Won Bassoon Kwak Jung-Sun (Associate Principal), Jang Myoung-Gyu, Jeong Soo-Eun Horn Michal Emanovsky (Associate Principal), Kim Hong-Bak (Associate Principal), Hector Rodriguez(Associate Principal), Lee Kwang-Ku, Cho Lee-Jin, Koh Eun-Jin

Trumpet Jeffrey David Holbrook (Associate Principal), Lim Yung-Il (Associate Principal), Lee Ji-Hwa, Lee Young- Hwan

Trombone Jason Matthew Crimi (Associate Principal), Chang Hyun-Bae, Lee Kyu-Yong, Christopher Kim Tuba Gi Seung-Yeol Timpani Adrien Perruchon (Principal), Chung Hyung-Jin Percussion Edward Choi (Principal), Kim Mun-Hong, Kim Mi-Yeon Harp Park Eun-Jeong Staff Managing Director Jeon Byoung-Yoon Artistic Administration Oh Pyeong-Kwon (Director) Administration Park Hyun-Jin (Orchestra Personnel Manager) Hong Joon-Sik (Director) Lee Min-Hee (Artistic Administration) Park Chan-Yeon (Administration Associate Director) Kim Niki (Artistic Administration) Lee Cheol-Hee (Budget and Accounting Senior Manager) Education & Culture Projects Baik Bok-Ki (Finance and Accounting) Oh Pyeong-Kwon (Director) Kim Min-Jee (Administration) Kim Jong-Hyun (Outdoor Concerts and Culture Projects) Librarian Lee Ju-Yeon (Outreach Concerts, Education and Lee Suk (Senior Librarian) Touring) Kim Bo-Ram

Marketing & PR Stage Manager Kim Yang-Soo Lee Kyung-Ku (Director) Yang Chang-Seop (Marketing Manager) Senior Advisor, Artistic Planning Michael Fine Paik Soo-Hyun (Public Relations and Patron Assistant to the Music Director Park Hyo-Soon Programme) Woo Jae-Eun (Publications) Baik Ji-Hye (Tickets and Membership) Acknowledgement

The United Nations Day Concert 2007 has been made possible by the generosity of the City of Seoul, the Hana Financial Group and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.