If you had read the blurb on the Bloomsbury Theatre website you might have been expecting two seperate pieces to be on the programme at the NewRa Dance Company’s performance: a performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; and a performance of a Korean springtime ritual. Here’s the material from the Bloomsbury site, which was repeated … [Read More]
Category: Korean traditional music (page 14)
Photos of Danoje: springtime rites at the Bloomsbury
After my lacklustre snaps of Lee Soo Young at the Fairfield Hall on May 1st, I thought it was time I entered the 21st century, and persuaded Louise that we needed a pocket digital camera for my birthday. Last night was its first outing in the service of this site. In case anyone’s interested, they … [Read More]
Review: Oh! Youran – performance at V&A Korean day, 27 May
I’m sorry I didn’t manage to get to all of the performance of Oh! Youran. For me, Saturday afternoon is not the best time for a theatrical performance, but I guess given the generosity of the V&A in hosting this event in their lecture theatre, certain compromises have to be made in terms of logistics. … [Read More]
Review: Korean Breeze – Bloomsbury Theatre 24 May
An evening which displayed the rich variety of Korean traditional music. This was a big enterprise, with twelve distinguished musicians involved in the tour, organised by Justina Jang of the Korean Cultural Promotion Agency as part of Think Korea 2006. The musicians played earlier the same week in the Hollywell Music Room in Oxford and … [Read More]
Think Korea: Rites of Spring, at the Bloomsbury Theatre
A fusion of Western and Korean dance, and Western and Korean music in an imaginative reconstruction of the Korean Springtime rites of Danoje: The Rites of Spring 7:30 pm, 13-15 June 2006 The Bloomsbury Theatre |15 Gordon Street | London WC1H 0AH | www.thebloomsbury.com In 2005, Gangneung Danoje was registered by UNESCO as Masterpieces of … [Read More]
Think Korea: Dano — Korean Breeze
A programme of traditional Korean music as part of the Think Korea 2006 programme of events: Dano: Korean Breeze Mon 22, 7:30 pm, OXFORD, Holywell Music Room (01865 305 305), www.ticketsoxford.com Tue 23 7:30 pm, CAMBRIDGE, West Road Concert Hall (01223 357 851), www.westroad.org Wed 24 7:30 pm, LONDON, The Bloomsbury Theatre (0207 388 8822), … [Read More]
Review: RPO Korea Fantasy, 1 May 2006
This year we celebrate the 250th birthday of Mozart, the 100th of Shostakovich, and less known, the 100th of Ahn Eak-tae (right, picture from the Chosun Ilbo), Korea’s best-known 20th century composer in the Western classical tradition. Probably his most famous work is the Korea Fantasy, a 25-30 minute work for chorus and orchestra, from … [Read More]
Coming Soon
It’s going to take me a while to digest yesterday’s concert in the Fairfield Hall, but it’s going to get a thumbs up. In the meanwhile, I share with you a snapshot (apologies for the poor quality – it was taken, Korean-style, with a mobile phone) of Lee Soo-young, Kim Young-im and Joo Hyung-ki leading … [Read More]
Frustration at more examples of poor Korean organisation
Thanks to Hyun-ho Khang for letting me know about a Korean performance by the Royal Philharmonic at the Fairfield Halls on the Mayday bank holiday. And absolutely no marks to the organisers of Think Korea 2006 and the Fairfield Halls for not publishing the programme. The RPO’s website doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of the … [Read More]
Think Korea: Korean Song and Dance, at the Malden Centre
The third performance of this year’s official Think Korea 2006 programme: Korean Song and Dance Date: 7 pm, 29 April 2006 Venue: The Malden Centre | Blagdon Road | New Malden | Surrey KT3 4TA Programme PIANO: PARK Young Ah, Kang Hyo Jin CHANG Ilnam com A Tree-tombstone HWANG Seung Kyung Kim DongJin Wish to … [Read More]
A Scent of Eastern wind: music at St James’s Piccadilly
At very short notice I head of a Korean classical music fusion concert entitled “Scent of Eastern Wind” at St James’s Piccadilly on 6 April 2006. I approached the concert with some trepidation, being nervous about the blending of eastern and western instruments, particularly in playing western music. I was partly right. The least successful … [Read More]
Exploring Korean Music Old and New – Tradition and creativity
SOAS, 24 February 2006 Many thanks to Dr Keith Howard of SOAS for putting together a fascinating half-day colloquium on Korean music. Presentations were as follows: Simon Mills’s (SOAS) subject was the rhythmic drum patterns (Changdan) used in shamanistic ritual on the East coast of Korea. He focused on the startling digressions (Tokkaebbi changdan) which … [Read More]