German Musicians Pay Tribute to Korean Sculptor Moon Shin Through Orchestral Works

In autumn 2021, a tribute concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of sculptor Moon Shin (1923-1995) was held at Seongsan Art Hall in Changwon. Pianist Paik Kun-woo, who had deep ties with Moon, performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24—a favorite composer of the late sculptor. The concert featured two special pieces: Andreas Kersting's orchestral work "Eleonthit" and Boris Yoffe's "The Oneness and Loneliness of the Moon." Both works were composed by German musicians inspired by and paying homage to the Korean sculptor.

The story dates back to 2006. During Germany's hosting of the FIFA World Cup, various cultural events took place. Baden-Baden selected Moon Shin as a representative artist from the previous host country, staging "Moon Shin in Baden-Baden" alongside exhibitions of Picasso and Chagall. The exhibition, a collaboration between Baden-Baden, Masan City, and the Moon Shin Art Museum, displayed the sculptor's masterpieces throughout the city's art museum and outdoor parks.

Some works were installed in front of the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra's rehearsal hall, where musicians encountered them daily. Concertmaster Ideue, a Tokyo University of the Arts graduate like Moon, took particular interest. At his suggestion, an impromptu memorial concert was organized. The program included Ravel's "Pavane" honoring Moon's 16 years in France, Yun Isang's "Piri," and the Korean art song "Gagopa," which Moon reportedly loved to sing.

The concert evolved into the "Moon Shin Art Visual Music Festival" the following year. The Baden-Baden Philharmonic, a prestigious 170-year-old orchestra where Brahms, Berlioz, Offenbach, Richard Strauss, and Mascagni once performed, sought new artistic directions. The festival premiered Kersting's tribute to Moon alongside Schumann's "Manfred Overture" and Brahms' Symphony No. 2.

Baden-Baden bears deep connections to Schumann, and Brahms' former residence remains preserved there. Kersting transformed Moon's sculptures into music, capturing the flexibility, elegance, and tension that resolve into harmony—qualities aligned with his own compositional philosophy. The festival also spawned "Ensemble Baden-Baden" and "Ensemble Symmetry," a multinational group of young musicians. "Symmetry"—denoting balance and proportion—represents a core concept in Moon's art.

In 2008, Ensemble Symmetry premiered "Symmetry of Art" in Korea, composed by 20th-century master Wolfgang Marschner (1926-2020) for Moon. Marschner used waterphones and other unconventional instruments to recreate the rainbow-like reflections on Moon's metallic sculptural surfaces. He told the eight ensemble members they were like Moon's sculptures themselves and should take pride in their performance.

Why did musicians embrace Moon's work so passionately? They recognized the beauty of consideration and harmony in his sculptures as synonymous with musical harmony. His message of coexistence and unity transcended art forms, nationalities, and eras.

Moon spent his childhood in Masan, worked extensively in Paris, then returned home. The internationally acclaimed sculptor established a museum amid the landscapes that inspired him, opening it in 1994 and donating it to the city in 2003. Standing on the museum's hill, one recalls Yoffe's "The Oneness and Loneliness of the Moon"—a title connecting "Moon" in the sculptor's English name with lunar imagery, expressing the artist's solitude and struggle.

Twenty years ago, Baden-Baden's musicians discovered the aesthetics of consideration in sculptures from across the globe. A conductor, adjusting imbalanced sounds during rehearsal, gazed at Moon's "Unity (和)" and found inspiration. The form appeared as two musical notes, teaching that true harmony requires mutual restraint. Moon's vision of "和" (harmony) was realized in that moment.

*The author, Kim Bo-ra, is director of the Seongbuk Museum of Art and chair of the Seoul Museum Council.*