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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Melody of Arirang Reverberates among<br> the Relics of Inca Civilization

Kinetic Korean Music Group Yen plays an electronic version of Korea’s traditional music that incorporates various art genres in an effort to appeal to younger-generation audiences. The group staged lively performances in Peru and Bolivia, where Korea is little known among the general public (May 4-16).



Yen staged five performances under a theme of “Do You Know Arirang?” which featured a unique brand of Korean music that combined traditional and modern styles, along with a video with highlights of Korea’s cultural trends. This concert tour of South America marked the Yen group’s first performance abroad, although it had previously earned high acclaim in Korea, including receipt of the Grand Prize at the Creative Korean Traditional Music Competition in 2005, and recognition from the Arts Council Korea as the youngest group of the performing arts sector to garner such extensive support in 2008. Moreover, with the people of Peru and Bolivia having only limited awareness of Korea, the group members came to realize they were serving as representatives of Korea, which provided them with added inspiration and encouragement.

Introduction to Peru
Kinetic Korean Music Group Yen plays a kind of fusion style of Korean traditional music, which features aspects of the urban city and contemporary sentiments. Yen portrays the life of a young artist living in Seoul in a musical drama entitled “Art Yen, the City,” which is adapted from “A Day of Gubo Novelist 2008.” It also stages performances at major clubs in downtown Seoul. To make a connection with the younger generation audiences in Peru, Yen arranged for its three concerts, in Lima and Arequipa, to be presented at university venues, which would be easily accessible for students.
Under themes of “Korea and Yen,” “Learn Traditional Korean Music,” and “Young Traditional,” Yen played 11 pieces of traditional sanjo ensemble music, including the group’s trademark works “Tribute to Seoul” and “Icy Rainbow,” along with the Peruvian folk song “El Condor Pasa.” The first concert in Peru was held at an outdoor theater of the Engineering College Library of the National University of Santiago del Estero in Arequipa. The host extended full support for the Yen performance, which included the provision of acoustical equipment and construction of an elevated stage. Despite the high temperatures, about 700 students attended the 90-minute concert, while repeatedly shouting chuimsae (words of encouragement) and joining in the singing of Arirang, creating a festive atmosphere befitting a university campus. The second concert was staged at William Morris Theater, Catholic University of St. Mary, where the enthusiastic audience gave the group a standing ovation for its entertaining performance. For our final performance in Lima, the group much appreciated the thoughtful assistance of the Korean Embassy in Peru. Of note, the concert attracted a large number of students from the University of Lima and Peruvian officials since it was presented at the Central Auditorium of the University of Lima, during the second round FTA talks between Korea and Peru, which was being held at the university. After the concert, a Korean student who was attending the University of Lima under an exchange program posted a note on Yen’s Cyworld, its social networking website, which read: “I felt so touched when the Peruvian audience joined together in the singing of Arirang. The sentiments of the young Korean artists appealed to the people of this distant land. To Yen’s question of ‘Do You Know Arirang?’ this was the response of the Peruvian people.”



Korean Flag Raised in Bolivia
In Bolivia, Yen was perhaps the first performing arts group to introduce Korean music to local audiences, which left the performers with a lasting impression. The performance was held amidst a festive atmosphere during a time when the capital city of La Paz commemorated the bicentennial of Bolivia’s independence. A first concert was held at the Modesta Sangjanes Theater of the Cultural Bureau Building of the City of La Paz.
The theater, with about 260 seats, was filled with ethnic Koreans residing in Bolivia as well as local residents who took advantage of this rare opportunity to enjoy live Korean music. A photo exhibition on Korean culture was also on display. After the concert, Korean Ambassador to Bolivia Kim Hong Rak remarked: “The Korean Embassy in Lima was re-opened in October 2008, a decade after the Asian financial crisis. This concert was especially significant for being the first cultural event since the re-opening of our embassy. I found the concert very impressive as it presented a diverse repertoire that well appealed to the sentiments of young people, rather than a more formal performance.”
The second venue was the Prado Square in La Paz, where an array of events to celebrate the nation’s independence was being held. Various performing events, including a traditional Bolivian presentation, along with rock and folk music performances, were held at the square, which reminded us of Korea’s Hi Seoul! Festival. The Bolivian audience, though unfamiliar with Korean music, seemed delighted with our group’s performance. Their enthusiastic response to Yen, a group from a faraway country, left everyone in the group with an unforgettable memory in their hearts.

ed Journey
Yen’s South American tour will continue to live on in Korea. Everything about the tour, from the preparations in Korea, to the performances in Peru and Bolivia, and our sightseeing of local attractions, like Machu Picchu, have been videotaped for the making of a ary film. This is a means for Yen to share the group’s experiences and memories of our tour of these South American countries, a kind of once in a lifetime opportunity for the most of us. Upon the completion of the ary film, along with its screening, Yen will present a concert of its latest musical works at Munhwa Ilbo Hall, under a title of “Yen’s Latin American Music Note.” In this way, perhaps more Koreans will take an interest in Peru and Bolivia, which might, over time, contribute to closer relations between Korea and these countries.

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