A symphonic spirit

A conductor's task is one of the most complex in the musical world. Before a conductor picks up the baton, he or she must be familiar enough with every aspect of the composition to guide an entire orchestra through to its completion. But according to South Korean conductor Myung-Whun Chung, it is even more complicated than that.

"Conductors are like detectives, always trying to find out as much about the composer as possible in order to get at the spirit that comes through the music, which in the end is the most elusive and important aspect of the music. Our work is to try to bring back to life works that were written hundreds of years ago. Every clue is of great importance," he tells The Prague Post.

Chung is visiting Prague for two performances with the Czech Philharmonic, of Brahms and Tchaikovsky. But there is more to his visit than professional engagements. Chung's trip to Prague - his first - is in many ways a reckoning for the 58-year-old conductor, who says one Czech conductor, Dvořák, has been an inspiration since his early days as a music student. When not rehearsing and performing with the Czech Philharmonic, Chung plans to study Dvořák's manuscripts.

"Dvořák was as much a farmer as a composer, and that explains everything about him. With all composers, but especially Dvořák, it is a great help to get as close to where they come from as possible, to know what air they breathed, what food they ate and so forth, and that's what I'll be doing in Prague," he says.

Chung's two performances in Prague will feature Brahms' Fourth Symphony, the conductor's last, and Tchaikovsky's Concert for Piano and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 35. Chung says he has a special relationship with Brahms' symphony that only came about recently, although he has known the piece for decades.

"It was only five or six years ago that I realized I was ready to conduct this piece from a human point of view because I was 52 - the same age as Brahms when he wrote it," he says.

The Fourth Symphony varies in mood, from the passionate first movement to the elegiac second, the joyful third movement, and the famous chaconne of the fourth movement. Since it was the composer's final symphony before his death of cancer at the age of 63 in 1897, 12 years after completing the symphony, there is a tendency to search for biographical allusions in the music. Chung says that this is warranted.

"This symphony is an overview and recapitulation of Brahms' life, and there is an element in the music that is only possible to create after the passing of a certain number of years. If you haven't lived a certain amount of time, you can imagine it, but you can't exactly feel it," he says.

Chung's career spans nearly four decades. The winner of the 1973 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, Chung went on to study music in New York City, at Mannes College of Music and Juilliard. Since then, he has conducted the most respected orchestras in the most prestigious concert halls in the world, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to the Paris Opera. Along the way he has been awarded South Korea's most prestigious cultural award, has served as South Korea's honorary cultural ambassador and was named UNESCO's "Man of the Year" in 1995. His relationship with Teatro alla Scala Orchestra in Milan, lasted 20 years and came to an end in late 2009.

Chung has made a name for himself onstage and in the studio, recording several award-winning albums of composers from Dvořák to Verdi with soloists including Ceclilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel. But the composer says recording is a task he does not enjoy, as the studio atmosphere and the requisite number of repetitions required to complete an album takes much of the soul from the music.

"Recording is like making a movie: Certain things should come out better than life in terms of the technical aspects. Almost any orchestra can make a technically proficient recording. When you're trying to bring a written score to life, everything depends on the moment, and to try to recreate it many times the same way is difficult. For better or for worse, I like to just play the pieces through," he says.

Chung says his visit to Prague is an honor and the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. Through his studies of Dvořák's manuscripts the conductor hopes to gain a local, personal perspective on the great composer's music.

"I hope I'll also learn about the Czech Philharmonic's view of Brahms' Fourth Symphony. Having lived with this music for so much of my life, I think we will share something special," he says.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com