Big Bang wins ’Worldwide Act’ awardKorean boy band Big Bang won the “Worldwide Act” award at the 18th annual MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This is the first time for a Korean artist to win a trophy at the EMAs. For the newly created award which selects the winner based on online votes through the EMA official website, contestants representing each global region compete with nominees from other areas. The global finalists included Big Bang (Asia Pacific) Lena (Europe) Britney Spears (North America) Restart (Latin America) and Abdelfattah Grini (Africa and the Middle East.) The members of the band expressed their hope that this presents an opportunity to introduce K-pop to an international audience.Nov 7, 2011
61st [Portrait] Hwang Byung-ki: keeper of timeThis is the fourth in a series of interviews with international pioneers among Korean artists that marks The Korea Times’ 61st anniversary, which fell on Nov. 1, and is sponsored by the Korea Press Foundation. ― ED. By Lee Hyo-won He asked for a cigarette break before proceeding with the interview. As Hwang Byung-ki mulled meditatively on a second stub by the open window, silence, along with the unusually oppressive autumn sunlight, filled the salon of his Bukahyeon-dong home. Dark shadows seeped underneath the “gayageum”; dozens of the 12-string zither were standing around the room like wooden furniture. There was nothing stilted about the empty minutes, however, for the 75-year-old is a most seasoned composer of time. Music, particularly “gugak” (Korean traditional music), is another means of measuring the hours: emotions are not expressed in harmonies but are shaped with varying rhythmic complexities and calculated patterns of time ― the muted pauses between notes, the hollowness piercing through a tone and the inconsistencies in even the smoothest timbre. A conNov 3, 2011
Mnet Asian awards heads to SingaporeBy Kwon Mee-yoo Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs) 2011, one of the largest music awards in Korea, heads to Singapore this year. Hosted by music cable channel Mnet, the 13th music awards will be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium on Nov. 29. Top singers TVXQ, B2ST, Big Bang, Super Junior and 2PM will vie for the best male group award, while Brown Eyed Girls, Girls’ Generation, Kara, 2NE1 and f(x) compete in the best female group section. Kim Hyun-joong, Park Jae-beom, Jang Woo-hyuk, HyunA and G.NA are nominated for the best dance performance by a solo singer. Kim Sung-soo, chief executive officer of CJ E&M, said at a press conference held Tuesday that the MAMA 2011 aims to be an international music festival. "K-pop is leading a new 'hallyu,' or Korean wave, and more broadcasters are hosting overseas concerts after last year's MAMAs in Macau," Kim said. "We hope to communicate seamlessly with Asia through music and create a large single music market. We aim to raise the MAMAs to 'the Grammys of the East.'" The awards began in 1999 under the name of Mnet Music Video Awards aNov 1, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
61st Rise of Korean female violinistsNew generation of musicians achieve unprecedented recording, competition feats By Do Je-hae Unlike the piano, which requires physical strength and big hands, the violin is an ideal instrument for women: And Korean women have excelled in the field. One of the most remarkable female violinists of all time, Chung Kyung-wha, was an early pioneer among Korean and Asian instrumentalists. In the late 1980s, TIME magazine selected her as one of the world's top five female violinists alongside Anne-Sophie Mutter (Germany), Viktoria Mullova (Russia), Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (U.S.) and Midori (Japan-U.S.). "She is able to draw from the lower three strings of the instrument a range of emotions which I have heard from no other," said Ray Minshull, former head of Decca's Classical Music Department from 1967 to 1994. "At a time when there were few female instrumentalists exclusively recording for major labels, Decca chose Chung in the 1970s. She has inspired many young Korean musicians, who followed in her footsteps to train at the Juilliard School and seek success in major U.SOct 31, 2011By Do Je-hae
Whitesnake’s Coverdale casts spell on KoreaBy Ines Min The crowd was packed in tight, with sweat dripping down their faces, fists pumping the air. Possibly the largest group of long-haired Korean males ever to gather in one setting, fans of Whitesnake were serious business. In the two hours David Coverdale and his posse of guitar shredders and drum deity conquered Ax-Mellon Hall in southern Seoul, Wednesday night, as more than 1,000 hard rock fans reveled in the moment many of them had been waiting for the better part of three decades: Whitesnake’s first concert in Korea. Fans ranged from veteran broadcaster Bae Chul-soo — spotted sitting in a cool second-floor back row seat — to local rockers Apollo 18 and even the occasional girlfriend brought along in the sea of leather jacket-wearing males. But the energy emitting from the mass was tangible in the intimate performance space, where the entire first floor was packed with a throbbing standing audience. From the moment Coverdale’s crown of lush blonde hair entered the lights, the rock n’ rollers visibly pushed forward, fists thrust into the air and ecOct 28, 2011
Girls’ Generation targets global fameBy Kwon Mee-yoo Girls’ Generation reveal their new song “The Boys” today, aiming to hit the world with a powerful, strong image. During an interview prior to their third studio album in Korea and the first-ever maxi single to hit the United States in November, the girls seemed excited to be returning to the local music scene. The nine girls dressed down for the press conference, wearing simple jeans and shirts. They could easily pass for average university students, chatting with one another in a rather free and open atmosphere. However, when the topic got around to music and performance, they made a complete about-face. Beyond girlish image “The Boys,” composed and arranged by Teddy Riley, the celebrated producer who worked with Michael Jackson, is quite different from their previous songs such as “Gee” and “Oh!” Their usual bubbly image is gone and the girls get bold and set out to lead the boys. The song is released in both Korean and English. “It is an energetic song, representing girl power — not only Girls’ Generation’s power, but women overall,” TOct 19, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Inaugural festival at IBK Chamber HallBy Do Je-hae The recent opening of the IBK Chamber Hall — a new concert venue designed solely for chamber music — is bringing the world’s top musicians in the field to Korea over the next two months. The latest addition to Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, is generating much excitement for Korean fans and artists who have longed for the ultimate live chamber music experience in the nation’s capital. “There are several small concert halls in Korea, but none have been specifically designed for chamber music,” said cellist Yang Sung-won in a promotional magazine published by Seoul Arts Center. “To develop a culture where chamber music is appreciated, we need not only a good repertoire and able artists, but also a suitable performing venue.” Violinist Clara Jumi Kang said that the lack of chamber music halls has been partly responsible for the underrepresentation of the genre by Korean performers. “The opening of the IBK Chamber Hall will hopefully enable local chamber music ensembles to reach remarkable achievements in the next 10 years,” KaOct 17, 2011By Do Je-hae
Pianist to put new spin on ChopinBy Lee Hyo-won Lee Hye-kyung, a renowned pianist and professor of Chung-Ang University, will give a concert at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, at Seoul Arts Center. The solo recital will feature the oeuvre of Chopin. Some critics say works by this “poet of the piano” are overplayed but Lee hopes to bring a new approach to his timeless compositions. “Chopin’s works are widely performed and I myself have showcased his music many times. But I’ve prepared the pieces in order to express new musical ideas that come with age,” said the 52-year-old, who is known for tackling a wide ranging repertoire from Romantic staples to contemporary works by Unsuk Chin. The upcoming concert will mark a return to something familiar but at the same time present new challenges for the pianist. The program features Sonata No. 2, Op. 35, Ballad No. 3, Op. 47 and 24 Preludes, Op. 28. “These three pieces all have different structures: the sonata is representative of the architectural form that is unique to Chopin, while the ballad is characterized by a picturesque expressiveness. As for the 24-part prelude IOct 14, 2011
Chick Corea’s tour wraps up in SeoulBy Kwon Mee-yoo The 16-time Grammy winning fusion jazz ensemble Return to Forever IV will visit Korea as a finale of its world tour. Founded by legendary keyboardist Chick Corea in 1972, the group will hold two concerts in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province and Seoul on Oct. 12 and 14 respectively. In the group’s first phase, Corea performed Latin-oriented music with bass guitarist Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim and Joe Farrell. Then they moved to electric jazz rock music with Corea, Clarke, drummer Lenny White, Bill Connors, Al DiMeola, Steve Gadd and Mingo Lewis. Their biggest hit “Romantic Warrior” was released during this period. Corea’s wife Gayle Moran Corea joined as a vocalist on the next album “Musicmagic” and the band staged a world tour in 1977, before disbanding. They reunited in 2008, releasing a remixed and digitally remastered anthology box set and toured the United States. Return to Forever IV is their fourth reunion. Earlier this year, the group kicked off a world tour titled “Return to Forever IV” and Seoul is the last stop. For this tour,Sep 30, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Weekender Saving Salon BadabieBy Kwon Mee-yoo Underground musicians and their fans have joined together to save Salon Badabie, a place that has spawned many indie bands. The “Badabie Never Die” project was planned by musicians to help the live venue undergoing financial difficulties and its owner who is suffering from illness. Salon Badabie was opened in December 2004 in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul by a poet pen-named Ujungdokbohaeng. He established Badabie to provide a venue for underground musicians who were pushed out by the commercialism of the Hongdae area, which was the home of the indie music in Korea. The place might look shabby with narrow staircases and a worn-out wooden stage. However, many indie musicians have made their debut there, and some of them have become popular. The strength of Badabie is that musicians can just ask to play there. The motto is “Anyone who wants to be onstage can be onstage” and Thursday is saved for no-name musicians. There is no screening and anyone who wants to perform at Badabie can do so without being auditioned. This is the reason the venue becameSep 22, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo