Eaktai Ahn: the Korean musician who founded the Balearic Symphony Orchestra in Mallorca

Mallorca has historically been a meeting place for cultures and people from all corners of the world. But few would have imagined that the founder of the Balearic Symphony Orchestra was a Korean musician who, after a life full of travel and historical events, ended up leaving a profound cultural mark on the island.

 

Who was Eaktai Ahn

This iconic figure, a composer and conductor, was born in 1906 in Pyongyang, now the capital of North Korea, and led a remarkable life.

After studying music in Japan, the USA, Hungary and Austria—even with Richard Strauss in Vienna—he conducted top-tier orchestras in major capitals around the world: Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Paris, Philadelphia, Barcelona… He was also a composer, and his works include the Korean national anthem “Aegukga” and the symphony “Korean Fantasy”.

 

From Korea to Europe

Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was occupied by Japan, and Master Ahn was regarded by the Japanese as an instigator of the resistance, one of the reasons why he lived in exile from his country for many years.

After living in a variety of places, he settled in Barcelona in the 1940s, where he met the Spanish woman Dolores Talavera, whom he married in 1946.

 

Arrival in Mallorca

The couple moved from Barcelona to Mallorca, and what many of us were probably unaware of is that Maestro Eaktai Ahn founded the ‘Balearic Symphony Orchestra’ in 1947. He remained its conductor until 1959. Following a sudden illness, he passed away on the island in 1965.

 

Eaktai Ahn’s legacy in Palma

As well as leaving us the symphony orchestra, Maestro Eaktai Ahn is today regarded as a leading figure, highly revered in his country of origin. In recognition of his achievements, the Korean government funded a memorial on the Paseo del Borne in Palma, as well as the restoration of the house near Marivent where he lived on the island. Palma City Council named a street in C’an Pastilla after him: “Carrer Eaktai Ahn”.

 

The link below will take you to a video where his grandson talks about this great musician:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP04xvlrTNM&list=PLiRMLOLnGVVKWkhbbW5jly4RPsbnR1ugy

Mallorca is known for having been a melting pot of very diverse cultures; this blend of history, tradition and creativity remains alive today in many corners of the island and in its local products.

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