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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Celebration of World Music in Uzbekistan

“Sharq Taronalari” (Melodies of the East) is a large-scale international festival of traditional music organized by the government of Uzbekistan. At this year’s event, which included musical performers from 40 countries, Korea was represented by Vinalog and its unique brand of traditional music.

“Sharq Taronalari” is one of only a handful of international festivals in Asia that focuses on traditional and world music. In the past, prominent Korean figures, such as pansori virtuoso Ahn Sukseon, have participated in this festival. It was thus meaningful for Vinalog, a world music group from Korea that seeks to a cultural intersection through music, to perform at the seventh Sharq Taronalari festival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.



World Music Train
It was a long journey to Samarkand, the festival venue. After an eight-hour flight to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, we then had to board a train for a four-hour ride. We expected all this travel to be exhausting, but it actually gave us a wholly unexpected pleasure. In addition to our group, musicians from such countries as Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Malaysia were on the train as well.
After awhile, one of the Uzbekistan performers started to sing, in an enchanting voice, which soon led to musical accompaniment and dancing. Then, Mongolian and Malaysian musicians joined in, turning the train into an impromptu stage of world music. Singing and dancing continued for more than an hour as the train traversed the plains of Central Asia, and before long the train had arrived in Samarkand. There, we were greeted by a welcoming performance and served traditional bread by festival organizers, who might have anticipated we would be hungry, but probably had no idea of how enjoyable the train ride really was. Sharq Taronalrai features a variety of events, including an opening ceremony that was attended by the President of Uzbekistan, along with singing competitions, performances, academic programs related to traditional music, and a closing ceremony. Performers from various countries presented their traditional music at historical venues in Samarkand, such as a former university building. Most of the participant groups focused mainly on traditional music, rather than fusion-style variations. Since our group plays fusion-style music, which combines musical influences of the East and West, we were somewhat concerned about the reaction that the local audiences and festival organizers would have to our performance.
Soon enough it was our turn to take the stage. There seemed to be uncertainty among the audience who were hearing our unfamiliar Korean music for the first time, which included the electronic sounds of guitar, bass, and keyboard combined with the natural sounds of traditional Korean instruments (daegeum, sogeum, taepyeongso, and janggu), which accompanied a performance of the traditional Korean narrative song, Simcheongga, by our group’s guest vocalist. The audience, however, gave us an enthusiastic and appreciative response at the conclusion of our performance of unique music. The local event staff also asked the Korean performers for a Vinalog CD after the performance.
Outside the festival venue, the group was warmly greeted wherever we went. Was this because of the large population of ethnic Korean residents in Uzbekistan? An Uzbek we came upon in the street delightfully greeted us in fluent Korean. The volunteer staff who accompanied us showed keen interest in Korea, in particular regard to Korean TV dramas and pop music entertainers. They also told us there were many local people who had visited Korea to work or see their relatives. Korean residents in Uzbekistan, of course, came to our performance, mostly in family groups. They took photos with us and made us feel welcome. Seeing Korean compatriots in various places around the world always give a boost to our spirits.



Jam Session
There was more to the festival than the official programs. In fact, you could say that the real festival was after the stage performances. After the closing ceremony, the performers from various countries ate at the hotel and relaxed in the lobby. There, everyone joined in song and dance, along with playing their traditional music, perhaps because of lingering excitement from the performance or simply their love for musical entertainment. Mongolian performers sang to the music played by Indian musicians, and suddenly joint performances were being staged here and there among musicians from various countries. Park Hye-ryeon, the group’s guest singer, demonstrated Korean rhythms for the Indian musicians and gave an impromptu performance that everyone applauded. This kind of informal interaction, during which performers can make new friends and develop personal contacts, is just as important as the festival itself. After Vinalog’s performance, Israeli, Iranian, and Indian groups came by to meet the Korean performers. They praised the music of Vinalog for its unique style. They also had time to play their favorite works and chat with us. The jam session continued on late into the night, under the moonlight of the autumn skies of Samarkand, without regard to the intentions of the festival organizers.
Sharq Taronalari was an occasion for us to hear new music and see a new world. Above all, I hope there are more opportunities to make Korea’s traditional music, and the unique versions of groups like Vinalog, known to audiences around the world. In doing so, it will not be long before Korean style music, rather than being associated with
“mysterious sounds of the East,” will be embraced by the fans of mainstream and world music.

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