It was a typical wet autumn evening in the Barbican, and inside St Giles’s church it was a little bit chilly. The audience was a touch thin on the ground – some of the regular followers of Korean cultural events will have been at the gala opening of the Korean film festival 5 minutes walk … [Read More]
Music (page 92)
Live Music Versus Audio Tourism
Keith Howard gives his inaugural lecture as Professor of Music at SOAS on Tuesday: Live Music Versus Audio Tourism: world music and the changing music industry Inaugural Lecture by Professor Keith Howard (SOAS) 11 November 2008, 5.30pm,Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS Chair: Professor Jonathan Stock, University of Sheffield Professor Paul Webley, Director and Principal of … [Read More]
Album review: Dong Bang Shin Ki (TVXQ) #4 — Mirotic
(SM Entertainment, September 2008) Review by Jo Wakely After one year and seven months TVXQ’s eagerly awaited 4th Korean album is finally here. The release date was put back by two days because of pre-sales in the region of 330,000. How SME failed to realise that there would be a rush on this long-awaited album … [Read More]
A Night with Baramgot
European Premiere Experience new waves of traditional Korean music A Night with Baramgot Date: Thursday 06 November 2008 Time: 7:30pm Venue: St Giles’ Cripplegate, Fore Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DA Tickets £8 / £5 (concessions) at the door Sponsored by Art Council of Korea Produced by Baramgot Managed by KCPA Won Il’s group Baramgot gives … [Read More]
Album review: Lee Soo Young #8 — Set It Down
(Manine Media, 2007) There’s something reassuring about a Lee Soo Young album. You try to explore different genres of music, some of which may be exciting and original, and others may be frankly rather tiresome. And then you come to Lee Soo Young and it’s like returning home. It’s a bit like comfort food. It … [Read More]
Some of my favourite gugak fusion videos
A lazy post with a link to a performance of a number entitled “Seoul in panic” by the gugak fusion band Sorea. Modern music performed on traditional instruments, with dancing both traditional and modern. It could be taken straight from a Korea, Sparkling promotional video. It works rather well: The b-boys are from Extreme Crew. … [Read More]
“Made in Korea” festival in Brussels
The “Made in Korea” festival in Brussels is a big-budget four month perspective of Korea’s arts. Centred around the Centre for Fine Arts, this is a unique opportunity to see some of Korea’s ancient treasures and also some more contemporary visual and performing arts. Definitely worth a trip to Brussels. First, a summary of some … [Read More]
Pansori and bibimbap – fusion in Korea’s cultural content
By Peter Corbishley Last Thursday and Friday 24-25th September an itinerant band of Pansori sellers displayed their wares at the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) and the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The main event was Yonsei University’s (Institute of Media Art) Jeong Taeg Lim and Jung A Huh’s talk on ‘The Aesthetic modernity … [Read More]
Can BoA eat up the U.S. of A.?
Despite the hallyu’s success in Asia, today’s Korean pop stars have yet to make it big in the States. Yes, we’ve seen a Korean or two in a Hollywood film or on Comedy Central, but concerts have been fairly localised, and the high-profile tour by Rain never got off the ground. And we’ve yet to … [Read More]
So Hot?
The official provider of broadband services to the LKL household has been looking East. As part of their Hot Girl Group series Virgin Media has noticed JYP’s teenage girl band Wonder Girls. Number 8 in a list containing 7 other girl groups whose average age is at least 5 years older than them, the performers … [Read More]
English church, Korean choir, great concert
What is aural image is conjured up when you hear of a Civic Chorale? Perhaps a worthy amateur choral society, used to performing madrigals with rather too many singers and too much vibrato, plodding through an annual Messiah at Easter time? Think again when it comes to the Suwon Civic Chorale. This forty-strong choir from … [Read More]
Suwon Civic Chorale in Kingston
Earlier this week the Suwon Civic Chorale were participating in the convention of the Association of British Choral Directors in Lincoln. Friday night saw a gala concert in the cathedral including other world-class choral groups such as the Orlando Consort. Tonight the Suwon choir come to All Saints Parish Church in Kingston market place, KT1 … [Read More]
Rollercoaster #5: Triangle
T-Entertainment, March 2006 Rollercoaster’s fifth album was released in 2006, after a gap of 2 years since the almost flawless fourth. Gone is the sense of rhythmic drive, of energy, of joie de vivre. Instead we have something a bit more laid back, less characterful. I had been warned that the fifth album was a … [Read More]
Alex: My Vintage Romance
Fluxus Music, June 2008 As a fan of Clazziquai, I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the first solo outing of one of its members, the male vocalist Alex. On the plus side, he has a mellow, well-controlled voice, very pleasant to listen to. And he has a reasonably distinguished line-up of guest stars. … [Read More]
A meeting with Sunflower – 해바라기
Anna Lindgren meets with one of the fathers of modern Korean folk music, with special assistance from Jeon Sung-min. A few years ago I came across a stunningly beautiful folk piece. It was called 내마음의 보석상자 and it had been recorded by 해바라기, Sunflower, in 1986. After getting my hands on a couple of Sunflower … [Read More]
An evening with the Korean Artists Association
Press Release The Korean Artists Association UK was formed by 7 Korean artists in 1997, at a time when the activities of Korean artists in the U.K. were not broadly recognized. Over the last 10 years the Association has organized a number of activities and has grown in membership. Korean artists living and working in … [Read More]