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“Handel or Bach, That Is the Question” – HELLO Classic: Handel vs. Bach

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that Classic Busan will once again stage HELLO Classic: Handel vs. Bach, which received great acclaim from nearly 1,000 audience members during its trial performance at the Busan Concert Hall last May. The encore performances will take place this November at the same venue.

The HELLO Classic series, presented by Busan Concert Hall, is an educational concert series that reinterprets classical music with commentary. This particular performance focuses on the two Baroque masters, Handel and Bach, delivering their music in an accessible and engaging way.

Performance Overview

• ●Title: HELLO Classic: Handel vs. Bach

• ●Date & Venue: November 18 (Tue) 2025, 11:00 & 14:00; November 19 (Wed) 11:00 & 14:00; November 20 (Thu) 11:00 (five performances total) / Busan Concert Hall

• ●Ticket Price: KRW 30,000 (all seats)

• ●Production: Conducted by Kwon Min-seok / Directed by Eom Suk-jung

• ●Cast: Soprano Lee Hae-won / Organist Kim Hye-hyang / Harpsichordist Lee Seung-min

• ●Performance: Classic Busan Orchestra & Choir

• ●Organizer: Classic Busan

This production will be presented in a new format. While it will follow the typical structure of a commentary concert, the final round will be determined by audience response, creating a performance shaped not only by the musicians but also by the audience’s choices and reactions.

The concert adopts a “round format,” similar to a sports tournament, with each round highlighting different themes and encouraging active audience participation.

Audiences will enjoy Baroque masterpieces across four themes:

• ●Instrumental Music: including Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue, performed on the organ, and Handel’s Water Music, evoking images of Busan’s sea and harbor.

• ●Sacred Music: comparing Bach’s cantata Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring with Handel’s Hallelujah from Messiah.

• ●Vocal Music: soprano renditions of well-known favorites such as Ave Maria and Lascia ch’io pianga.

• ●Keyboard Music: a rare opportunity to compare two iconic Baroque keyboard instruments—the harpsichord and pipe organ—side by side, featuring Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 and Handel’s Organ Concerto No. 6. Commentary will guide the audience in appreciating the musical styles and the spirit of the era.

The performance will be conducted by Kwon Min-seok, a conductor at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, directed by Eom Suk-jung, who previously participated in the opening festival production of Fidelio. It will also feature soprano Lee Hae-won, known for her YouTube channel Song Stories with Soprano Lee Hae-won, with the Classic Busan Orchestra & Choir providing the ensemble.

The first performance (November 18 at 11:00) will be open to the general public. Tickets go on sale from 2:00 p.m. on September 24 via the Busan Concert Hall website, NOL Interpark, Yes24, and Ticketlink.

The remaining four performances (afternoon of November 18 through November 20) are designated for middle and high school group audiences. Applications can be made through the Classic Busan Performance Planning Team at 051-640-8825 or by email at kroperauk@korea.kr.

Park Min-jeong, Director of Classic Busan, stated:
“HELLO Classic is a new type of concert with commentary, designed to make classical music approachable to everyone. Structured like a tournament game, it offers an engaging experience that allows the audience to discover not only the charm of classical music but also their own preferences. We hope many will attend and enjoy this special opportunity.”