PITTA Kang Hyung-ho Symphonic Rock Concert Completed… See You Again in March and April

PITTA Kang Hyung-ho successfully completed a symphonic rock style concert.

PITTA Kang Hyung-ho held the ‘PITTA Kang Hyung-ho Concert: UNIVERSE’ with an orchestra at the Goyang Aram Nuri Aram Theater for two days on the 4th and 5th.

‘Universe’ is the first single and first self-composed song released by Kang Hyung-ho, who was actively working as a member of Forestella, under the name of rocker PITTA. Kang Hyung-ho has been building his discography as PITTA by releasing three albums and singles so far. Together with pianist Oh Eun-cheol, who was the music director of this performance, he created a theater-style performance with all of the artist‘s musical capabilities for the second time, following the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater in 2024.

First, the opening stage, which started with ‘The Rains of Castamere’, which was included in the ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 OST, and PITTA’s original songs ‘Smog’, ‘Dandelion’, is a storytelling about swimming in the deep darkness of the universe and encountering an ecstatic heavenly world, and it melted the concept of this performance through perfect harmony between music and stage direction.

‘Sunburn’ and ‘Apollon’ were reborn as dramatic arrangements that coexist with lyrical and soft yet rough textures. ‘United States of Eurasia‘, which started with Oh Eun-cheol‘s piano, continued with a clear rock sound, an orchestra performance, and Chopin’s ‘Nocturne’, a beautiful collaboration of rock and classical. ’Creep‘, which followed the song ’Icarus‘, which contains an endless challenge toward freedom and desire, was so beautiful that it felt like the circulation of the air changed the moment Kang Hyung-ho‘s voice was added to the deep and dense performance of the string quartet.

Following Metallica’s ’Nothing else matters‘ and the symphonic version of ’Take the time’, the PITTA band played a splendid performance of ‘Far beyond the sun’, starting the hot atmosphere. Kang Hyung-ho, who appeared wearing a shiny outfit and carrying a guitar, began to turn up the band‘s sound with ‘Toxicity’. After the surprise unveiling at the 2024 Busan International Rock Festival, ‘Paradox’ was performed for the first time at a concert, and from ‘Hysteria’ to ‘Newness’, which started with a heavy bass that overwhelmed the audience, the audience all stood up and enjoyed the performance passionately. The performance reached its climax with the audience singing along to ‘Jilpungado’.

The performers who enjoyed the stage together prepared a gift for the audience. When it snowed heavily on the morning of the 5th, Oh Eun-cheol and the orchestra performed ‘Russian Dance’ from Tchaikovsky’s ballet suite ‘The Nutcracker’, and the PITTA band jammed with Queen‘s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, and Kang Hyung-ho’s ballad sensibility exploded in ‘To You’ that followed.

As the concert drew to a close, two songs were prepared, especially arranged with great care for this concert: ‘The Nation’ and ‘Forsaken’, which contained the declaration of PITTA‘s signature symphonic rock. Kang Hyung-ho, who created a magnificent sound with the band by adding timpani, strings, and horns, gave his all in the last song of the concert, ‘Better’, with a promise to present better music.

The encore began with ‘The Phantom of The Opera‘, a song that cannot be missed on the PITTA stage. Following ’Be Free‘, a song he wrote while contemplating what true freedom is, Kang Hyung-ho beautifully ended the concert with the last song, ’Universe‘, with a promise to unfold the musical DNA within PITTA and the universe of PITTA.

This performance, which not only brought out the perfect balance and dramatic dynamics expected when rock and orchestra meet, but also the best emotional synergy, was a stage where the chemistry that Kang Hyung-ho and Oh Eun-chul have built up through their collaboration shone through. Expectations are high for the future paths of these two artists, a pianist who loves rock and a rocker who dreams of symphonic rock.

Kang Hyung-ho said, “I was able to fully unfold my inner universe in this performance, where I poured all my musical desires into it. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who joined us, and I will make music that lives up to the name PITTA. I am trying to make music that is not too heavy and a little comfortable. I will come back with new music this year.” He added, “Thanks to you all, I am making a strong start in 2025. Thank you.”

‘PITTA’s New Year‘s Concert to Welcome the New Year with a Promise to Not Lose Our Original Intentions’, introduced as , will continue as PITTA’s brand performances that are held at the beginning of each year. This performance will be reconstructed as a band-style performance and return as an encore concert on March 29th and 30th in Seoul and April 12th and 13th in Busan.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com Reporter shine2562@donga.com