PREMIERE Queen Elisabeth Music Competition: The Korean musical mystery

Over the last decade, South Korea has been featuring more and more prominently in the world of western classical music. This growth is most clearly seen in international music competitions. At the Queen Elisabeth Competition, for example, Koreans have made up a quarter of participants in the first round for the past three years. In 2010, five out of twelve finalists were Korean and in 2011, for the first time in the history of this competition, a Korean, Hong Haeran, finished in first place.

In the last four years, Koreans have also won the Maria Callas Grand Prix, the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition, the Tchaikovsky competition, and many other prestigious competitions.

Why are young Koreans attracted by classical music, and where do they learn it? How have they become so good in such a short time?

The film explores the rise of Korean musicians in four stages: musical education in Seoul, from the early musical awakening to the perfect technical mastery of the instrument; apprenticeship in expression with the great Western masters at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich; the spirit of competition that is revealed backstage at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and finally, recognition by the professional international music community on the stage of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie.

With the participation of René Jacobs, Sunhae Im and Hong Hae-ran (winner of the competition in 2011).