Bernstein commemorates Korean War victims, survivors in piano performance
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- Retired American pianist Seymour Bernstein on Monday commemorated the deaths of his fellow soldiers from the 1950-53 Korean War and the survivors, once again staging a concert in South Korea where he had played as a military pianist more than six decades ago.
The funeral march-like first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and a contrastingly vivacious tune by Brahms were played by the 89-year-old Bernstein during a banquet held on the last night of his weeklong visit here.
Bernstein dedicated his performance to his Korean War comrades who died fighting for a foreign country or survived the bloody ordeal. What the survivors of the terrible Korean War should do is hail life in every possible way, he said before starting his piano performance.
At the age of 23, Bernstein joined the Korean War in 1951 as a foot soldier before finishing a one-and-a-half year military service as a pianist. His service featured some 100 musical performances for local and United Nations troops in Seoul, Daegu and Busan.
U.S. Ambassador to Seoul, Mark Lippert, local veterans and government officials also attended the commemoration program hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs.
"I hope that this visit has shown how invaluable your sacrifices were," Veterans Minister Park Sung-choon said. "Our government and the people will never forget your sacrifice and contributions."
During the six-day visit, the veterans and their families took part in the ceremony marking the June 25 outbreak of the Korean War, toured a war museum and visited the truce village of Panmunjom. The pianist, some 70 other veterans and families are to return home on Tuesday.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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