'Korean audiences impacted my music'

Brian Crain, a California-born new age composer, will perform his latest “healing concert” on Thursday in Seoul. / Courtesy of SPA Entertainment

By Park Jin-hai

Brian Crain, a California-born new age composer whose romantic pieces have earned him the nickname of “the poet of the piano” from Korean audiences, is visiting Seoul to perform his latest “healing concert” scheduled for Thursday.

Best known for “Butterfly Waltz,” “Northern Lights” and “A walk in the Forest” in Korea because they were used as background music for dramas and commercials, the popularity of Crain’s music is global ― his comforting and sweet music has been downloaded more than 2 million downloads at iTunes and over 5 million views on the video service YouTube.

Crain said most of his popularity throughout Asia in fact stems from Korea, which is the second biggest market for him after the United States.

Almost every year since 2001, he has made visits to Seoul to perform in front of audiences who express affection for his music. As one of the most beloved new-age musicians in the world, he was appointed as the Honorary Cultural Ambassador of Yeongwol County in Gangwon Province in 2013.

Following the Sewol ferry incident, which killed 304 people in 2014, Crain gave a free concert at a cathedral. He also dedicated his music “Andante Affettuoso” to Lee Tae-suk, a Korean priest also known as “the Schweitzer of Sudan.”

Inspired mostly by nature, Crain said he wants to be remembered as a composer who did something special with melodies and that his music would pass from generation to generation.

Crain's goal is to try something new and create something that nobody else says has heard of before ― a different feeling.

"I'm not a contemporary version of George Winston or Yiruma, because they are doing what they do and I want to do my own thing. I play a little bit sweeter and they do a little softer. I just want to be my style and people like it. I think I've got both. I'm lucky," Crain said in an interview with The Korea Times.

His “Healing Concert with Brian Crain” will take place at Gangnam-gu Community Center, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost 10,000 won for all seats. For more information, call 02-597-9870.

Q: Among the new-age musicians, you are one of the most loved ones in Korea. Why do think that you gained so much popularity here?

A:

All my songs are built around nature. I think Korean people really identify with the love of nature. So much of Korea is city life and working. Everybody works so hard and they don’t have the opportunity to spend time in the mountains and experience nature. So they get a little of that feeling from my music.

Back in 2005, I would sit down on the piano and play “Butterfly Waltz,” four or five people would say they love it. Last year, when I asked if somebody knew the song, they said everybody knows it. It’s pretty amazing, because it is used so much and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I’m thankful that Korean audiences have been very supportive of my career and made a big impact on my music all over the world. They are really the start of what I’ve started doing.

Q: What has been the biggest change now from the heyday of the new-age music of the 1980s?

When the 1980s new-age music first came out, it was a religious movement. It became very popular and then it lost popularity very quickly.

But the record stores still had new-age section. Then along came George Winston and David Lanz and a number of piano players who aren’t new-age and don’t subscribe to new-age movement but since they had that category, they would put their music in that category.

Basically now anything that is soft piano music is labeled new-age, while, in fact it is new classical or new instrumental music. It moved more toward piano-based and real instruments as opposed to synthesizers.

My first few albums were piano with background synthesizer. Then I started to write two symphonies with the Czech Philharmonic and then started to write more for real instruments. So I did piano and cello, piano and violin and piano and accordion. I really transitioned from soft and smooth to a more classical form. It’s kind of combination between the old Brian and a more classical Brian.

Q: What kind of message do you want to deliver through your music?

I’m trying to give them a

sense of peace and that connection to nature. Hopefully, I will inspire people to protect nature.

Today in Gangnam District, there is no park. I’d love for the city of Seoul to put a park in there where kids can play when an old building comes down as opposed to another high-rise building.

Something like Central Park. If you look at a picture of Manhattan, Central Park is half of it. In fact, that is the most expensive real estate in the world. It is right that there is Central Park and it’s still kept as a natural place and that makes a big difference to the people of New York.

Q: Do you like the label new-age musician?

I prefer new classical ― it’s kind of new romantic classical. I’m regarded as a melodist. My strength is romantic melodies. I try to connect with my audience as much as possible. One of my newest songs that became very popular is “Love Story.” It’s very simple and very sweet, but you can’t help but feel romantic when you listen to it. That is kind of my desire.