Saharial reports from Sunday’s live Kpop concert It’s not often that London is graced with the presence of Korean Hip-hop, but the Kpop Team announced proudly a month or so ago that they had arranged for Dok2 to have a concert in London, not just to showcase a talented act, but to hopefully pave the … [Read More]
Category: Live music reviews (page 7)
Concert notes: Scattered Rhythms
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from the Jazz / Gugak collaboration involving Australian jazz drummer Simon Barker on 11 April 2011, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a long drum solo. Companions was probably the virtuoso highlight of the evening, a drum solo in which Simon Barker managed to convey the sounds of … [Read More]
Concert notes: Jeajoon Ryu’s Sinfonia da Requiem
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra orchestra and 90-strong Chorus together with soprano soloist Inhye Kim convened in the Cadogan Hall on 12 April to perform Jeajoon Ryu’s Sinfonia da Requiem (2007). It was composed to honour Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung, who passed away 10 years ago in 2001, and also dedicated to Korea’s past generations, who … [Read More]
“In my dreams, I’m Alice in Wonderland”: a day in Unsuk Chin’s fantasy landscapes
On 9 April the Barbican in collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama staged a whole day of concerts, recitals and talks focusing on the Korean-born composer Unsuk Chin. The day featured at least four UK premieres, two orchestras, a choir, and the largest stage the Barbican has ever had to build – … [Read More]
Gig review: Nah Youn Sun and Ulf Wakenius at Pizza Express Soho
March 1st this year at Pizza Express Soho was Nah Youn Sun’s first headline gig in Central London. Her actual London debut was in the Vortex in Hackney in May 2009, and in March 2010 she supported the Swedish band Tonbrucket in a much bigger venue, the Queen Elizabeth Hall. LKL wondered whether Nah’s style … [Read More]
Concert notes: Tori Ensemble at the KCC
It was encouraging to see the KCC’s first concert of the year very well attended. It was also very nice to have plenty of comfy seats laid out in the multi-purposes hall. The KCC hopes to bring you a wide range of music on a more regular basis than the past, and the Tori ensemble … [Read More]
Geomungo + echoplex = amazing sounds
Ever witnessed a geomungo played with an echoplex? In the hands (and feet) of Heo Yoon-jeong at the KCC tonight, it was rather good. # Photo credit [Read More]
Concert notes: Baramgot at the South Bank
When Baramgot visited London two years ago they played to a sparsely populated mediaeval church in the middle of the Barbican complex. This year, the performance was in the more comfortable environment of the Purcell Room, and the audience was much bigger. What we gained in comfort was somewhat lost in atmosphere – the echoing … [Read More]
Winterplay launches UK album with civilised gigs
Last weekend saw Winterplay’s UK debut and launch of their first western album on Universal. Three gigs in two remarkably different settings. Their first performance was in the Cultural Centre on Friday 10 September. Demonstrating the remarkable flexibility of the space, the area next to the reception desk had been converted into a stage, with … [Read More]
Another Sun: It’s educational, but it’s not for foreigners
I was chatting to my companion during the interval of Another Sun, the big-budget Korean musical, at Sadlers Wells last night. “It’s educational,” she said, “but I don’t think it’s for foreigners.” I pressed her on the educational point. The plot of the musical is said to be based on the Korean foundation myth about … [Read More]
Concert notes: Uangel at the KCC
When I heard that Uangel (http://uangelvoice.com), a Korean popera group, was going to be performing at the Korean Cultural Centre I jumped at the chance to go. Recently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and on a humanitarian tour of hospitals, this last minute addition to their tour was a real treat. The hall at the … [Read More]
Invisible Bonds opens with varied performance at KCC
The annual performance at the Korean Cultural Centre by the UK Korean Artists Association is becoming something of an institution. This year it is accompanied for the first time by a one-week exhibition of works by some of their visual artists. It has always been a popular event, but this year with both visual and … [Read More]
Concert review: The Rock and Jazz sides of Younee
LKL reports from Younee’s two recent London gigs: The Rock Side of Younee a the 100 Club, 7 April; and Younee with Alex Hutton at the Steinway Piano Festival at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, 17 April 2010. Younee is in London to show off the many sides to her musicianship. As a classically … [Read More]
Concert Review: Nah Youn Sun, Ulf Wakenius with Dan Berglund’s Tonbrucket, at the QEH
Forty years ago, fellow Swede Bo Hansson released his album of music inspired by Lord of the Rings, and it was that style of composition that was brought to mind by the performance by Dan Berglund’s Tonbrucket at the QEH on Monday, though Berglund’s music has broader horizons and a more sombre colour palette. With … [Read More]
Gong Myoung in Chichester — Korean Musicians Win English Hearts
Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mr Kim, reviews Gong Myoung at the Chichester Festival Theatre, 12 October 2009 He enters the stage wearing an oversized orange hat and sunglasses, carrying a toolbox and a walking stick. From the toolbox he takes out a saw and a drill, saws off the end of the walking stick, … [Read More]
Concert Review: Unsuk Chin at the BBC Proms — A new work enters the Cello repertoire
Last Thursday (13 August) saw the world premiere of the cello concerto by Unsuk Chin, a BBC commission. Chin, who was born in Korea in 1961, has been composer-in-residence for both the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. She is a careful worker: the new work was originally scheduled for the 2007 Prom … [Read More]