Europe’s feted Korean composer getting Asian premiere

‘Universal appeal of individuality, Korean-ness secret to success’

By Lee Hyo-won

The husband is always the last to know, and it took Korea more than three decades to invite one of its own artists who has been making waves in the European music scene.

Younghi Pagh Paan will see the Asian premiere of her winning composition “Ta-Ryoung VI” at the Great Mountains Music Festival and School (GMMFS) in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon Province, Thursday.

“It is an honor to shed light on the work of Younghi Pagh Pa-an, who is considered one of the most esteemed contemporary composers alongside Isang Yun in Germany and other parts of Europe but is not well known in Korea,” said Chung Myung-wha, co-director of the music festival.

GMMFS kicked off Sunday under the theme of “Illumination” and continues until Aug. 13.

Pagh attended Seoul National University before winning a scholarship to study in Germany. She adopted the pen name “Pa an” meaning “thinking composer” in 1977, just before winning a breakthrough first prize at the Boswil International Composition Competition. The Swiss event is considered a rite of passage for contemporary artists and before long she became reputed for merging Korean themes with German avant-garde techniques.

The Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province native said she was ecstatic to be staging her work in her homeland for virtually the first time.

“I come to Korea almost every year but mostly for small-scale seminars and lectures at the Korea National University of Arts or showcases with the Korean Society of Women Composers,” Pagh told the press in Seoul, Monday.

About the belated homecoming, the cheery-voiced 66-year-old smiled, saying “flowers bloom when the time comes.”

The Friday performance of “Man-nam,” which won her the 1978 Boswil prize, is all the more meaningful since it marks its spiritual return to Daegwallyeong — the piece was inspired by a poem that Joseon writer Sin Saimdang wrote while crossing the mountain range.

Pagh’s pieces may be classified as contemporary classical music but she employs Western instruments to create Korean sounds.

In “Ta-Ryoung VI,” for example, she pushes the boundaries of the cello to evoke the exhilarating rhythms of the double-sided “jang-gu” drum through pizzicato. The piece is a development of “Ta-Ryoung II,” which premiered in Paris in 1988 and was subsequently staged in Germany featuring a young Maestro Chung Myung-whun. The new version is for a smaller chamber ensemble featuring the piccolo, alto flute, bass flute, clarinet, percussion instruments (ranging from drums to seashells) and three strings.

“It’s not about taking from (Korean) traditions but adopting them to interpret them in my own way and creating something new,” she said. “We (Koreans) have traditions too and I wanted to merge them into my own music and blow new life into it.”

She insists on using Korean names for her songs — not so much for patriotic reasons but in terms of artistic expression. “Each language has its own emotion, spirit and meaning.”

The very Korean quality of her work, furthermore, is what appeals to non-Koreans, she said, emphasizing the importance of realizing the universality of individuality.

“I grew up during the Korean War (1950-53),” she said, recalling how her first “music lessons” can be attributed to homeless “haegeum” (two-stringed fiddle) players performing on the streets. After playing the piano for the first time at age 10, the young Pagh was famous for toting around a paper keyboard. The artist said her music is not so much about fulfilling her own ego as much as it is about it becoming the voice of a society she belongs in.

What concerns Pagh, however, is the lack of emphasis on arts education in Korean society today. In addition to writing music, the composer has been a dedicated pedagogue and in 1994 became vice-president of the University of Arts Bremen. She was the first ever female — let alone Asian — to reach such high ranks in a teutophone country.

“In Korea applied music is usually limited to radio, movies and commercial scores. But in Germany, applied music entails making songs to inspire creativity in toddlers or for teaching children how to compose or partake in orchestral or operatic projects. In Korea, however, kids are so busy (going off to English academies) that it seems virtually meaningless and impossible to have them sit down for a music lesson,” said Pagh. Now retired, she lives in Italy because “it feels closest to home.”

She also noted how many young Korean students she met in Europe never learned about famous literary figures in Korean school. “This is something we all need to be concerned about and we need to put our heads together to find the right approach,” she said, adding that she is willing to resettle in Korea should there be a way to implement positive changes.

Pagh’s “Ta-Ryoung VI” will make its Asian premiere at the GMMFS on Thursday while “Man-nam” will be showcased on Friday. Visit www.gmmfs.org for more information about the festival. Visit www.pagh-paan.com to learn more about Pagh.