'Contemporary classical music' must connect with the society we live in today while performing the great legacies of the past,' said Kang Kyung-won, the 67-year-old artistic director of the Hic et Nunc! Music Festival, in a recent written interview. He added, 'This year’s program centers on the fusion of classical and modern music across various genres.'
The festival, named after the Latin phrase meaning 'here and now,' embraces the present by incorporating elements of AI, literature, and visual arts. Scheduled from August 25 to September 3, this year’s event will feature 44 artists presenting 10 performances and programs.
Kang explained that the main works share a common theme of exploring the deep inner self and senses of humanity through time and memory. 'These pieces start from trivial and fragmented memories and ultimately lead to profound questions about human existence,' he said.
A highlight of the festival is the performance of 'Kafka-Fragmente,' celebrating the 100th anniversary of modern music master György Kurtág. This work translates fragments of Kafka’s diaries and letters into short, condensed music that captures complex human emotions.
World-renowned tenor Ian Bostridge will perform Mahler’s song cycle, confronting themes of love, loss, life, death, and wandering. Another performance recreates a salon concert from Marcel Proust’s 'In Search of Lost Time,' delving into human introspection through memory and time.
Kang grouped these performances under the keyword 'the outsider.' 'The characters in these works all seem to be eternal outsiders, having lost their sense of self or love, and wandering in search of meaning. I hope the audience can discover their own interpretation of 'here and now' within this rich and diverse spectrum,' he said.
This year’s festival also addresses the topic of AI. Kang noted that AI has the potential to change not only the creation of classical music but also the very way we listen to it.
He recalled the 'Flow Symphony,' which Sejong Soloists premiered two years ago at the Arts Center, commissioned from Professor Tod Machover of MIT Media Lab. This piece allows listeners to customize their experience by adjusting elements like the sound of flowing water, the ratio of string instruments, and the length of the piece using AI technology.
A remark from Machover stuck with Kang: 'Future generations might ask, 'Did people really listen to the same piece of music repeatedly in that era?''
Kang initially found it hard to imagine changing the way Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 is listened to. However, he reflected, 'The way we listen to and experience music could change significantly in the future.'
The experimentation continues. Sejong Soloists are preparing for the world premiere of 'Seoul City Symphony' next year in collaboration with MIT Media Lab and KAIST’s Urban AI Research Institute. This project will transform citizens’ participation, interviews, sounds, movements, and big data from Seoul into musical material, painting a portrait of the city.
Kang stated, 'Without new technologies like AI, it would have been difficult to create works in this manner.'
However, he emphasized that the future does not envision AI as the main agent in music. 'AI can be an important tool that uncovers sounds and patterns we have yet to discover, connects vast amounts of data in new ways, and expands the possibilities for audience participation in music,' he said.
Yet, the core of music remains unchanged. 'In classical music, these technologies ultimately aim to awaken human emotions and create beauty, don’t you think? Personally, I believe that at the center of music, there will always be humanity and human attributes,' he concluded.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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