Seoul Philharmonic to Perform Asian Premiere of Rediscovered Work by Stravinsky

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) presented the program of its subscription concerts on January 20-21, featuring the recently rediscovered work by Igor Stravinsky(1882-1971).

The work, Funeral Song op.5, was composed in 1908, as a tribute to Stravinsky's teacher Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, shortly after Rimsky-Korsakov's death. The 12-minute work was performed only once, in January 1909, but was considered to have been destroyed during the Russian revolution in 1917. It was composed immediately before Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird, which brought the composer international recognition. Igor Stravinsky himself described Funeral Song op.5 as one of his early best works.

Its second performance was held on December 2 at the Mariinsky concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Its third performance in the world will be held in Seoul, South Korea, as the Asian premiere on January 20 and 21, 2017, under the baton of SPO's Conductor-in-Residence Markus Stenz on 20 and 21 January. After that, the work will travel the globe with upcoming performances with numerous performances by, among others, Berlin Philharmonic & Simon Rattle, Philharmonia Orchestra& Esa-Pekka Salonen and Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Charles Dutoit.

The rediscovery was announced to the musical world by Dr. Braginskaya in September 2015 in a paper presented at an International Musicological Society conference in St Petersburg.

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

MARKUS STENZ CYCLE I: ROMANTIC REVOLUTIONARIES ?
January 20 - 8PM, Friday / Lotte Concert Hall
MARKUS STENZ CYCLE I: ROMANTIC REVOLUTIONARIES ?
January 21 - 8PM, Saturday / Lotte Concert Hall

Markus Stenz, conductor
Dezso Ránki, piano

Stravinsky, Funeral Song Op.5(Asian Premiere)
Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124
Schumann, Symphony No. 2, Op. 61