Welcoming blossoming spring, this performance will present folksongs, Sanjo, and traditional dance by four artists, including Gyeonggi folksong artist Lee Hee-moon, Haegeum player Kang Eun-il, Iron hyun geum player Yu Kyung-hwa, and Hanbok designer and dancer Lee Seo-yun, at Namsangol Hanok Village Traditional Garden in urban center, and it will be free of charge through advance reservations.
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▲ Iron Hyun Geum Player, Yu Kyung-hwa
The first protagonist of the <Young Korean Traditional Music City - Rock>, which was held from 12:20 pm on April 5, was Yu Kyung-hwa, a unique Iron hyun geum player. As an artist who has secured her own original domain through various musical attempts including Korean traditional music as well as world music and free music, Yu Kyung-hwa performed Sanjo by the late Kim Yeong-chul and her own song, 'The Bird of Oblivion', with electric Iron hyun geum.
The first performance, 'Iron hyun geum Sanjo (20 min)', composed by the late human cultural asset Kim Yeong-chul, who designed Iron hyun geum, was played in the order of Dasreum-Jinyang-Jungmori-Jungjungmori-Jajinmori-Hwimori. Among them, Dasreum and Hwimori were redesigned by the player with her own movements. The next performance, 'Bird of Oblivion (10 min)', was premiered at the 2004 Yu Kyung-hwa's Iron hyun geum solo concert and it has been later arranged in various versions. 'Bird of Oblivion' means an artist, such as a monk who continuously denies and erases himself and moves toward newness. This song features the use of effectors through electric Iron hyun geum.
Iron hyun geum (Iron String on Korean Harp) is a hybrid instrument designed by the late Kim Yeong-chul through absorbing the advantages of Geomungo and guitar by the late 1940s. It is made up of eight iron strings and played with the right hand holding a Sul-dae and the left hand holding a Nong-ok. There are two types of Iron hyun geum; an acoustic type with a soundbox, and an electric type with effectors.
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▲ Even in the rain, Korean traditional music lovers and foreign tourists listened carefully to the performance.
'Young Korean Traditional Music City - Rock' in April will be held on the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, every Thursday from 12:20 to 12:50 for 30 minutes. This free-of-charge concert will be limited to 100 people per performance for the purpose of creating a healthy viewing environment. Those who wish to watch performance are requested to make a reservation through the Namsangol Hanok Village website until the morning before the performance. On the day of the performance, the entrance is possible on a first-come-first-served basis only when cancellation occurs. The schedule for <Young Korean Traditional Music City - Rock> in May will be announced in the middle of April on the website.
Meanwhile, <Young Korean Traditional Music City - Rock> is a special performance designed as a connected program of <Young Traditional Music Audition 'Impresario'>, which is a newly started young Korean traditional music promotion project of Seoul Namsan Traditional Theater. This 4-week performance will be held from April 5th. It will be designed as a stage where the traditional Korean artists, who are the mentors of participants of 'Impresario' audition, share the smartness and excitement with citizens in the everyday life of the city with the concept of 'Joyful Korean Traditional Music City'. Following the performance in April, in May, new performing groups selected at the 'Impresario' audition will be presenting another 'Young Korean Traditional Music City - Rock' with the same concept.
