Saturday Concert to close with “Fate” and “Missa solemnis” ahead of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death

[Financial News] With the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death in 2027 approaching, Seoul Arts Center’s “2026 Preview Beethoven,” which has been highlighting his body of work, will wrap up its journey for the year with performances in November and December.
Seoul Arts Center announced on the 11th that it will hold the “Seoul Arts Center Saturday Concert with IBK Industrial Bank of Korea – Preview Beethoven” at 5 p.m. on the 21st and December 19 in the Concert Hall. The series has presented Beethoven’s symphonies and concertos in sequence since February, and the two performances will bring its run of eight concerts to a close.
On the 21st, Yeoja Kyung, artistic director and principal conductor of the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, will conduct and provide commentary, joined by pianist Kim Jun-hyung and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO). They will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, which reflects the composer’s early style, and Symphony No. 5 in C minor, known as “Fate.” The program pairs the concerto’s free-spirited musical sensibility with the symphony’s dramatic development.
On December 19, the program will feature Beethoven’s late-period masterpiece “Missa solemnis” in D major. The work combines the traditional form of the Mass with the composer’s religious reflections and love of humanity. Jang Yun-sung will conduct and provide commentary, with soprano Park Jae-eun, mezzo-soprano Shin Seong-hee, tenor Kim Jeong-hun and bass Song Il-do appearing. The Noi Opera Chorus and Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra will also take part.
Meanwhile, next year, the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and KBS Symphony Orchestra, among others, will continue to present commemorative concerts. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will explore Beethoven’s body of work through symphonies and concertos, as well as the concert opera “Fidelio” and chamber music.
The KBS Symphony Orchestra will present “Masters Series with Beethoven” four times, in March, July, August and October. At the opening concert on March 19 at Seoul Arts Center, Myung-whun Chung will conduct and play piano in the Triple Concerto with violinist Kyung Wha Chung and cellist Jian Wang, and will also conduct Symphony No. 7.

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