Guest conductor Holly Hyun Choe wants to get to know Spokane and deliver Rachmaninoff
Not every musician learns a great deal about a city before their initial visit. However, Holly Hyun Choe, who will conduct the Spokane Symphony on Saturday and Sunday at the Fox, has not only done her Spokane homework but looks forward to performing and visiting the Lilac City.
“It’s always a fascinating experience coming to a new city, learning about its rich culture and history,” Choe said while calling from Berlin. “I love the meaning of Spokane, ‘Children of the Sun’ or ‘Sun People.’ What a beautiful name for a city, a charming, thoughtful characteristic of many Native American names.”
The South Korean native, who grew up in Los Angeles, knows her U.S. cities and has an even greater grasp of music. Choe will conduct Sergei Rachmanioff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Fox.
“This piano concerto is always so much fun to conduct, because 99% of the audience loves this piece so much, no matter where you perform it,” Choe said. “There’s always a great energy coming from the audience with this piece.
“I’m also looking so much forward to making music with the soloist, (pianist) Charlie Albright. We realized that we have several things in common: our love for Rachmaninoff, of course, but also the Korean-American background and attending the same school in Boston – the New England Conservatory.”
Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 will also be performed.
“In my opinion, all four of Brahms’ symphonies are so special and wonderful,” Choe said. “I absolutely love all of them. They all have extreme emotions, a wide range of emotions, chorales and singing qualities to his melodies, and a deep reflection of his personal inner-being.
“He was a master in weaving in the old and the new, using a traditional framework and form of the old (Classical period), but with an exploration of new harmonies (Romantic period) and tonal colors. I love that we can relate to him as a human being in his music. One can feel in their skin and bones, his heartache and turmoil, but also his serenity, acceptance and pure joy.”
Choe is particularly excited about conducting the U.S. debut of Britta Byström’s “A Drama in the Air.”
“I’m so happy to bring this piece for the first time to the States,” Choe said. “Britta Byström is someone who writes with so much creativity and attention to detail. Her music often has an element of a journey.
“In this case, the inspiration of the piece was based on a short story by Jules Verne called, ‘A Drama in the Air,’ which is about a dramatic hot air balloon ride between a stranger, who wishes to go up higher and higher even at the cost of their lives, versus the driver/narrator who tries to convince him to land back down to the ground. We can hear this in her music with passages that make an acceleration. It represents the stranger and the slower passages represent the driver. The journey which we don’t know the ending to, leaves room for personal interpretation, which is reflected in her music.”
Choe appreciates the invitation to conduct by Spokane Symphony conductor James Lowe.
“I am genuinely honored that the music director, James Lowe, has invited me to conduct his beloved orchestra,” Choe said. “I met James when I was a student at the Zurich University of the Arts under Professor Johannes Schlaefli, who I believe he also studied with at some point. James would come in to guest teach our Zurich conducting class.
“James was a fantastic teacher and coach. We all loved working with him.”
Expect a return visit from Choe when the mercury rises.
“I’d love to see the lilac spring time in Spokane,” Choe said. “Or maybe even go watch the Hoopfest in the summer.”
When Choe isn’t conducting, she admits that K-pop is on her iPod on occasion.
“K-pop has been spreading like a wildfire across the globe, and I’m still flabbergasted when I run into non-Koreans who adore, sometimes even worship, K-pop music,” Choe said. “I listen to K-pop in mild doses, especially when I need a boost of energy, when I’m working out, or cooking or baking. It is admirable with its ability to connect and appeal to millions of people.
“I try to analyze what makes it so popular and addictive, although it isn’t something new. They are very much influenced by American pop music and culture, but somehow they’ve stolen it, in the positive sense, and made it better, like film composers John Williams and Hans Zimmer. It is an example of what Pablo Picasso said, ‘good artists borrow, great artists steal.’ ”