In this blog post, I’ll share my experience of attending the concert featuring Geum Nan-sae and the Eurasian Philharmonic, discuss the appeal of the concert, and explore ways to make classical music more accessible to the general public.
I’ve always enjoyed watching dramas and movies centered on music, such as ‘Beethoven Virus’ and ‘Harmony’. While watching these works, I’d often find myself thinking, “I want to truly enjoy music myself.” However, whenever I actually tried to get into it, it felt too difficult, and as an engineering student with a tight exam schedule, my interest would inevitably fade away quickly. The biggest reason I decided to go to a concert was the recent episode of ‘A Man’s Qualifications’—the “Harmony” special—which was both entertaining and moving. In this eight-part series, 32 celebrities and ordinary people formed a choir, and after about three months of practice, they achieved great results at a national choral competition. While the results were meaningful, what left the deepest impression was the joy they showed in making music, their passion for it, and their love for music throughout the rehearsal process. How many times have I actually attended a concert purely to enjoy the music, rather than as a chore? I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I went to a concert simply because there was music I really wanted to hear, or just to enjoy the music itself. So, who are all these concerts really for? Surely, they’re for everyone interested in music. As these thoughts crossed my mind, I decided I had to go to a concert myself and experience it firsthand. Of course, the concert I attended this time was, to some extent, part of an assignment. However, unlike my previous concert reviews—which mainly focused on writing about my impressions of the music—this time I didn’t take notes on my feelings while listening. Instead, I decided to capture not only my impressions of the music but also the atmosphere around me, the feelings I got from the people there, and the thoughts that came to mind during the experience, just as they were.
After deciding to go to a concert, I was first faced with the dilemma of which performance to choose. There were over hundreds of concerts listed online alone, and choosing just one was by no means easy. So, I made it my top priority to find a performance that even a first-time concertgoer could enjoy without feeling overwhelmed. When someone who isn’t very familiar with music attends a concert, they usually rely on the program booklet for information about the pieces. While looking into options, I came across information about the Youth Commentary Concert, a series that conductor Geum Nan-sae has been hosting for a long time. I learned that this concert series makes the music easier to understand by providing explanations of the pieces and introductions to the instruments before the performance begins. Unfortunately, the concert had already ended, so I couldn’t attend the youth commentary concert. Instead, hoping that any other performance by Conductor Geum Nan-sae would offer explanations to aid the audience’s understanding while also featuring a high-quality performance, I chose the “Concert Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Korea-Russia Diplomatic Relations with Geum Nan-sae and the Eurasian Philharmonic.”
On my way to the concert hall, I was a bit worried that I might doze off during the performance, but I set out with a slightly excited heart, looking forward to seeing Conductor Geum Nan-sae in person. The concert was held at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, and this was my second visit to the Seoul Arts Center in the four years I’ve lived in Seoul. As I entered the Seoul Arts Center, music was flowing from somewhere. When I went to see where the music was coming from, I found the musical fountain in operation. The way the fountain and the lights blended beautifully in time with the music gave the impression that the fountain and lights were instruments playing a piece of music. It was so well-orchestrated and beautiful that I felt it was a performance in its own right. Since I arrived at the venue about 40 minutes early, I was able to spend the remaining time leisurely enjoying the musical fountain.
Upon entering the concert hall where the performance was to take place, I was immediately struck by the facilities and its sheer scale. The auditorium consisted of three tiers, and countless seats filled the venue. It was larger and more majestic than any concert hall I had ever visited before. Since the VIP seats were prohibitively expensive for someone like me who rarely attends concerts, I chose the most affordable seats on the right side of the third tier. What particularly impressed me was that there were even seats arranged behind the stage. I thought listening to the music from a seat facing the conductor would offer a different experience than from the regular audience seats. Just as I was thinking that I’d definitely like to sit there and enjoy a performance if I ever had the chance, the concert began.
One disappointment was that the concert started a bit late. Since the performance was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m., I had entered the venue and taken my seat around 7:50 p.m. However, even at 8:00 p.m., not all audience members had entered, and the orchestra’s entrance was also somewhat delayed, causing the start of the performance to be pushed back a bit. Furthermore, my expectation that everyone would be seated and quietly waiting for the performance to begin by 8:00 p.m. did not pan out. Another disappointment was the fact that many people still seem unaware of the basic etiquette for attending a concert. Although it is generally considered proper etiquette to applaud only after a piece has ended, there were often people clapping between movements. Glancing around during the performance, I saw not only people dozing off but also others who had leaned back in their seats and fallen asleep. Witnessing this, I felt disappointed, thinking that while interest in classical music has grown compared to the past, it’s still difficult to say that basic concert etiquette has fully taken root.
The concert was scheduled to feature a total of three pieces, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, but four pieces were performed in total, including the final encore. As I had heard, conductor Geum Nan-sae provided a brief explanation of each piece before the performance and introduced the characteristics of each instrument by playing their individual sounds. Her conducting was very dynamic and full of energy. It gave the impression that she wasn’t merely conducting, but had surrendered herself to the music, becoming one with it as if she were dancing. The pieces ranged in length from 10 minutes to 35 minutes, and the most memorable of them was Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64.” Although it was a work of about 30 minutes consisting of four movements, the overall piece featured repetitive, lyrical, and familiar melodies, making it relatively easy to enjoy. The first movement began with the clarinet, creating a somewhat heavy and dark atmosphere, while the second movement continued with a soft and calm mood. In the third movement, a brilliant and beautiful melody unfolded, further heightening the atmosphere, and I felt as though the piece’s central theme was being revealed. The final movement concluded solemnly and majestically, as if bringing closure to the heightened emotions built up in the preceding movements. I was able to experience firsthand—even if only to a small extent—the idea, which I’d heard somewhere before, that a symphony is not simply a series of movements strung together, but a story that unfolds toward a single theme. Of course, I wasn’t able to fully understand and follow the story, and just as I’d feared, I did find myself dozing off at times during the performance. Nevertheless, what I could clearly sense was that the experience of hearing a live performance at a concert allows you to see, hear, and feel so much more than listening to recorded music, and that the emotional impact lasts far longer.
However, it seemed that the general public’s interest in concerts was still not very high, and the audience appeared to be somewhat limited. In particular, for engineering students like me, the reality is that attending a concert is often simply to fulfill an assignment for a general education course. Why is that? Of course, some people may have no interest in music itself, and even those who do may not have the time to attend a concert due to their busy schedules. But I believe the biggest reason is a vague fear stemming from not knowing what to look for or how to listen at a concert. So, as an engineering student who doesn’t know much about music but has attended several concerts myself, I wanted to share—through my own experience—the value of concerts and how to enjoy them with those who feel daunted or resistant to attending.
I, too, didn’t enjoy concerts from the very beginning. Whenever I went to a concert, I was often overcome by a vague sense of reluctance, along with boredom and discomfort. However, through this experience, I was able to gain some understanding of why people still invest their time and money in attending concerts, even in an era where music is readily available through various audio devices, computers, and smartphones. It is precisely because of the emotional impact, the exclusivity, and the visual enjoyment. I believe these elements represent a special value that can only be experienced at a live concert. First is the emotional impact. No matter how high-performance an audio device may be, it’s difficult for it to fully replace the actual sound that fills the entire concert hall and the atmosphere of the venue. Therefore, attending a concert can be far more moving than listening to a recording. Next is rarity. While recorded music always sounds the same, a live performance—even of the same piece—is different every time, depending on the orchestra’s composition, the musicians’ condition, and the conductor’s interpretation. Consequently, attending a concert offers a unique experience that can only be felt on that particular day, providing a correspondingly richer emotional impact. I believe this is similar to the difference between watching a performance on TV or video and actually going to the concert hall to experience it in person. Finally, there is the visual enjoyment. While some might say that music is sufficient when heard with the ears alone, adding the pleasure of seeing it with your eyes allows you to experience so much more. At a concert, you can appreciate not only the music but also the atmosphere and architecture of the venue, the performers’ stage presence, and even the conductor’s dynamic movements. When these elements come together, the audience naturally becomes immersed in the atmosphere of the venue and is able to enjoy the music on a deeper level. For these reasons, concerts are well worth attending, and even if they seem somewhat unfamiliar or difficult at first, I believe that after experiencing them a few times, you will naturally come to appreciate their charm.
Finally, I reflected on why classical music—which is primarily performed at concerts—feels so distant, and how it might be made more accessible to people. First, I believe the main reason is that there are relatively fewer opportunities to encounter it compared to popular culture. Pop music is not only easily accessible through various media but can also be listened to conveniently at any time. In contrast, there are relatively few opportunities to encounter classical music naturally in daily life. Therefore, if even amateur musicians were to hold frequent performances to increase opportunities to connect with the public, classical music could become much more accessible to people. Furthermore, I believe that if this music were used more often as background music in movies, TV dramas, and commercials, it would serve as an opportunity to make it more familiar to the general public. The second reason is that people tend to view classical music as overly difficult. I, too, thought that way at first. When I went to a concert, I would first read the program booklet to find out what pieces were being performed, and if I needed additional explanation, I would look them up online or in books after the performance. Of course, it’s true that classical music requires a certain amount of background knowledge compared to popular music. However, I believe the bigger problem is that people regard classical music as an exclusively specialized field and refuse to even try to take an interest in it.
A concert is by no means a place that’s exclusively for experts, difficult, or boring. I can say this with confidence because even I—having attended only a few concerts so far—have found my initial resistance to them fading significantly. Just as they say that the first step is always the hardest, attending a concert for the first time can feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable. However, once you experience the charm and joy of a concert, you’ll find yourself naturally returning to the concert hall before you know it. Through this experience, I, too, have come to realize anew that music is not simply something heard with the ears, but an art form felt with your whole body—breathing in unison with the space, the atmosphere, and the people around you. If I have the opportunity in the future, I hope to attend various concerts to experience new music and performances, and to find fresh sources of inspiration within them. I also hope that classical music will become more accessible—not a culture reserved for a select few, but one that anyone can enjoy without feeling intimidated.
