Film Music Concert Delivers Near-Cinematic Experience

KU hosted the 58th Crimson Master’s Concert

On June 23, 7:30 pm, Korea University hosted the 58th Crimson Master’s Concert at its Inchon Memorial Hall.

The university hosts the Crimson Master’s Concert three or four times annually to express its gratitude to sponsors. University faculty members are also invited to the concert and given the opportunity to enjoy high-end art culture.

The musicians invited included the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), led by permanent conductor Sanghyeon Park, who has established his reputation as a front-runner in the field of private orchestras, and saxophonist Andre Hwang. Soprano Song-mi Han, and tenor Yong-ho Choi, who appeared on the famous TV show Phantom Singer 1, and baritone Jeonghun Woo were also invited, and their presence drew public attention.

Big Applause and Cheer That Never Paused

The 1st session was opened by the MPO playing the main theme songs from the movies ‘Exodus’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ under the guidance of conductor Park. The orchestra presented a fascinating performance under the gentle but charismatic conducting style of Park.
Starting with such a marvelous performance by the MPO, the concert expanded. Soprano Song-mi Han and tenor Yong-ho Choi sang ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and continued with ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from the original soundtrack of the movie ‘My Fair Lady,’ inspiring nostalgia from the audience. Afterwards, tenor Choi and baritone Jeonghun Woo sang together the main theme song of the musical movie ‘New York, New York’, maintaining the sweet and cheerful atmosphere. At the end of the 1st session, saxophonist Andre Hwang played ‘I Will Always Love You’ from the original soundtrack of ‘The Bodyguard’ in a very emotional and touching manner, enhancing the ambience inside the hall further.

Amid Elated Ambience, Concert Climaxed

After an intermission lasting approximately 15 minutes, the 2nd session, following a similar structure to the 1st session, began with music played by the MPO. The 2nd session began with specially arranged songs, mainly from the movie ‘Bohemian Rapsody.’ The orchestra also played ‘Love Theme’ from the movie ‘Cinema Paradiso.’ Playing these songs separated by almost a century, the orchestra received cheers from the different age groups making up the audience. The three vocalists achieved an excellent performance with ‘My Heart Will Go on’ from the movie ‘Titanic’ and ‘Il Mondo’ from the movie ‘About Time,’ which took the entire concert to its climax. The last song chosen by the orchestra and artists, ‘Nella Fantasia’ from the movie ‘The Mission’, was truly-popular. The orchestra and vocalists accomplished a perfect harmony while performing the song. Everyone in the hall focused fully on the performance, incapable of being distracted by anything else. After the final song, a thunderous applause seemed not to know how to stop before conductor Park started speaking to the audience.

Wave of Post-Concert Emotions

With such a big applause and cheer that never paused from the very beginning of the concert to the very end, the Crimson Master’s Concert ended with the MPO playing and three vocalists singing ‘O Sole Mio’ as an encore in sweet chords. The touched audience in the hall had fully immersed themselves in the concert experience, and even afterwards some remained to feel the lingering impression. One of the audience members said, “I really liked it because the concert had one of my favorite movie OSTs. It was sort of more romantic in the pouring rain.”