CNN features Hyundai memorial concert

CNN's Showtime aired a behind-the-scenes look June 27 at "Echoes That Endure," a memorial concert commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of Chung Ju-yung, founder of Hyundai Motor Group. Staged in February at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul's Seocho District, the performance was the first Korean cultural event to be featured on the program, which explores the stories and preparation behind notable events around the world.

The concert attracted international attention for bringing together four of South Korea's most acclaimed pianists, Kim Sun-wook, Sunwoo Yekwon, Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yunchan, in a rare joint performance. CNN followed the project from its planning stages through the final performance, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the meticulous preparation that made the production possible. The program showed the concert piano being crafted at the Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, Queens, New York, and highlighted master piano technician Lee Jong-yeol as he meticulously voiced and regulated the four concert grand pianos to achieve a seamless, unified sound. CNN described the performance as "a musical portrait of Chung Ju-yung, who rose from a poor farming family to help rebuild South Korea after the war."

"It feels as though I'm dreaming that the four of us can share the same stage at the same time," Kim Sun-wook said. Sunwoo Yekwon said performing together was "both a joy and an honor."

Hyundai Motor Group said the project stemmed from Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun's long-held vision after he was inspired by one of Kim Sun-wook's four-piano performances in 2009. The company began developing the project in 2024. It said the process of bringing together four world-class pianists with distinct musical identities to create a single harmonious performance reflects the values of challenge, pioneering spirit and collaboration that defined founder Chung Ju-yung's legacy.


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com