By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the Oscar-winning stars of the indie film ``Once,'' will be coming to Seoul for the third time in April.
Hansard, Irglova and the rest of The Swell Season will be performing April 7, Olympic Indoor Hall, Olympic Park, southern Seoul.
The Swell Season is a favorite among many Korean fans, who embraced their low-budget film and made it a hit in Korea. In ``Once,'' Hansard and Irglova played musicians who fall in love, and their on-screen chemistry carried on off-screen.
A big part of the film's success was attributed to the music, mostly composed and written by Hansard. Hansard and Irglova's lovely duet ``Falling Slowly'' won the Academy Award for Best Song in 2008.
The Swell Season finally released its long-awaited album ``Strict Joy,'' last fall. Hansard and Irglova had broken off their romantic relationship, but their musical partnership still continued.
The album title was taken from ``Strict Care, Strict Joy," a poem by Irish writer James Stephens that Hansard had read.
```Strict Joy' ― the idea is that if you really work, and you really get to it and you work with your art and you really dig and you really find the essence of your sadness and the essence of your troubles, often, joy can come of it. The idea is that if you take strict care, the poem is actually called `Strict Care, Strict Joy' ― if you take real care over your work, all that can truly be born of it is good,'' he had said in a previous interview.
The release of ``Strict Joy'' came three years after the acclaimed ``Once'' soundtrack, but The Swell Season did not think about the pressure to equal or surpass its previous efforts. Hansard said they just focused on ``making the music as good as it can be.''
The Swell Season has performed in Korea twice in the last two years, and the Korean fans have made a lasting impression.
``It has been a very exciting time for us there. You've always given us a great time at the shows, your passion and enthusiasm has lifted our spirits and made us play better than we thought,'' Hansard said.
Other members of The Swell Season are violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire, bassist Joseph Doyle, guitarist Robert Bochnik and drummer David Hingerty. Vocalist Mark Geary will open for The Swell Season.
Tickets range from 77,000 to 99,000 won. Visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555. For English-language information and reservations, call (02)563-0595 or email
.