Summer concert

The weather is getting so hot these days after the raining days of last week. It may rain next week or the week after. After that, the true "hot" and "wet" summer arrives Korea.

So what can you do in this summer? Other than traveling or sports, why not go for a night concert or performance? They have cool air-con and exciting shows!

I attended a concert which was hosted by the Korea Foundation and organized by the Korea Foundation Cultural Center.

Date: 29th June 2009 (Monday)

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Seoul Namsan Gugakdang (Namsangol Hanok Village)

The Korea Foundation

Concert for Foreigners 2009

Theme: Into the New Tradition

Gayageum Quartet Yeoul 여울 & Group Whool 훌

This was the first time I visited Seoul Namsan Gugakdang - the National Music Auditorium. It has the special design of the Korean traditional house. I was amazed to be here for free!

Ok... let me tell you how I managed to attend this concert for free.

It is a program held every summer since 2003 to provide foreigners residing in Korea with the opprtunity to experience the diversity of Korean culture. It is presented by the Korea Foundation.

Because of this site, I came to know about this type of concert, which I missed for the past 3 years!
I reserved 3 tickets in advance as required in early June.

The program was as follow:

By Yeoul

1. Dreaming
2. Trout
3. 7th Train 08:30
4. Happy birthday
5. Forgotten Autumn
6. Fly me to the moon
7. Boating Song 뱃노래
8. Stairway to Heaven

Intermission

By wHOOL

1. Spirit of the Continent
2. Energy from the Sun and the Moon
3. Start
4. Boat ride 선유 (뱃노리)
5. Sujechun 수제천

by Yeoul + wHOOL

1. Blues wHOOL
2. Miryang Arirang

The whole concert was 2 hours long - fully calm and harmony for the first session, later exciting and passionate for the second session and the last truly combination of Korean traditional music and modern music.

This concert gives me a new insight of the modernized traditional musical instruments. Traditional is not really traditional at all, but it is a tool for both the old and the new to express their love and passion for music. The new can be linked with the old, also the old with the new. The Koreans are very creative that they modified the gayageum. Also, the wHOOL group combined the modern music instruments with the old.

I will introduce the two groups in the next post. Let's enjoy the photos of the concert!

Yeoul (4 members but I only managed to take 3 of them here)

wHOOL group (blur)

With a video here too: