K-Pop Resounds at Beijing OlympicsBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Over the weekend, Koreans may have noticed something a little bit too familiar in the moment following the announcement of the nation's first 2008 Olympic gold medals: Korean pop songs by Lee Hyo-ri and Girls' Generation echoed through stadiums in Beijing. Gold medallists, in addition to claiming the top prize, are granted rights to the ``stadium jukebox'' ― have their song of choice resound in the hall before the award ceremony. Swimmer Park Tae-hwan called for Girls' Generation's ``Girls' Generation'' and judoka Choi Min-ho requested Lee Hyo-ri's hit number ``10 Minutes.'' After securing his country's first Olympic swimming gold Sunday in the men's 400-meter freestyle round, the 19-year-old ``marine boy'' requested the debut piece by Girls' Generation. ``Park Tae-hwan and Girls' Generation once met at a charity event hosted by (Korean music channel) M.net,'' said the girl band's management SM Entertainment. ``Members of Girls' Generation were watching the swimming competition on TV and were surprised and amazed to hear their song. They werAug 11, 2008
Concerts to Rock Independence DayBy Han Sang-hee Saff Reporter Korea's 63rd Liberation Day falls on Aug. 15, and music fans can celebrate the memorable holiday with various concerts. Foremost is Seo Tai-ji, Korea's most popular rock singer, who returns after more than two years to hold his concert ETP FEST (Eerie Taiji People Festival). The two-day concert will be held Aug.14 and 15. Seo started out his music career as the main vocalist of hit group ``Seo Tai-ji and Boys'' in 1992. The phenomenal group disbanded in 1996 and members went their separate ways, with Seo going solo as a rock singer. The 36-year-old singer made headlines with his comeback early this month. Dubbed ``Culture President,'' the singer proved that he still had what it takes by selling more than 100,000 copies of his new single ``SeoTaiji 8th Atomos Part Moai'' on the first day of its release. Various rock artists from around the world are joining the concert. They include Japanese bands such as Dragon Ash, Maximum the Hormone, Monkey Majik and Yamaarashi and American bands Death Cab for Cutie, The Used and top heavy metal perAug 10, 2008
Seoul Philharmonic to Commemorate Liberation DayBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will give two concerts this week. Following the fifth serial concert featuring classical masterpieces Tuesday, maestro Chung Myung-whun will lead the ensemble for a festive event Thursday commemorating the eve of Korea's Liberation Day (Aug. 15), which this year falls on a Friday. The ``Masterpiece Series'' on Tuesday will be the fifth in a seven-part concert introducing the staple masterworks of classical music literature. The program presents Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 and Dvorak's ``New World'' Symphony No. 9. German violinist Frank Peter Zimmerman will take the stage for the Beethoven piece, known as the ``emperor'' of violin concertos. Due to its massive length (42 minutes) and scale, the concerto failed to be regularly staged until the breakthrough performance in 1844 with Mendelssohn at the baton and 12-year-old Joseph Joachim on the violin. Dvorak's ``From the New World'' appeared on the Seoul concert stage numerous times this year, including the New York Philharmonic's histoAug 10, 2008
Album Reviews``Mamma Mia!'' Movie Soundtrack (Universal) The hit musical ``Mamma Mia!'' is hitting the big screen in Korea later this year. Fans who can't wait to see the film can settle for listening to the official soundtrack. Hollywood stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth do their best to sing Abba's best-loved songs like ``The Winner Takes it All,'' ``S.O.S.'' and ``I Have a Dream.'' Even though they're not professional singers, the actors and actresses do justice to the Swedish pop group's famous tracks. After listening to such fun dance numbers ``Voulez-Vous,'' ``Dancing Queen,'' ``Money, Money Money'' and ``Mamma Mia,'' you'll definitely get an urge to hit the noraebang to sing your heart out. - Cathy Rose A. Garcia Aug 5, 2008
Group Nell to Perform in Summer Sonic OsakaBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean rock band Nell will perform Sunday at Summer Sonic Rock Festival in Osaka, Yonhap News reported Tuesday. Nell is the only Korean group invited to one of Japan's biggest rock festivals, which will be held simultaneously in Tokyo and Osaka over the weekend. Nell will perform on ``Park Stage," one of the smaller stages in Osaka, along with big names like Coldplay, Alicia Keys, The Sex Pistols, The Prodigy, The Verve, Death Cab for Cutie, Panic at the Disco and Fatboy Slim. The group comprises vocalist Kim Jong-wan, lead guitarist Lee Jae-kyung, bassist Lee Jung-hoon and drummer Jung Jae-won. The band was formed in 1999 and gained a following in Hongdae's indie rock scene. Korean pop icon Seo Tai-ji ``discovered" the band and signed them to his record label in 2002. Nell is known for its melancholic rock music inspired by British bands like Radiohead and Travis. The group released its fourth album ``Separation Anxiety" in March and held a successful concert ``Stay" at Olympic Park in southern Seoul July 19. A two-day pAug 5, 2008
Dianne Reeves Coming to KoreaBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Celebrated jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves will revisit Korea with two concerts Sept. 25-27. The American singer will showcase songs from her latest album ``When You Know'' for her first tour in four years. Considered one of the most important contemporary jazz artists alongside Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, the 51-year-old is much loved for her deep, versatile voice and impresses listeners with ear-pleasing melodies rather than tricky technique. The four-time Grammy winner is particularly known for collaborating with veteran producer Arif Mardin (who introduced to the world artists such as Norah Jones) on her 2003 album ``A Little Moonlight.'' Recently, she has appeared with the Wynton Marsalis-helmed Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and also ventured into the classical genre through performances with groups such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Reeves is also the first singer to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. For the upcoming tour, the diva will sing songs from her latest album ``When You Know,'' which featAug 3, 2008
Jazz Stars to Perform in Seoul in SeptemberBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter September will be a month to remember for jazz fans, as iconic performers George Benson, Al Jarreau and David Sanborn perform in Seoul. The Jazz Masters Series kicks off Sept. 2 with Benson and Jarreau's concert at Olympic Hall, Olympic Park, southern Seoul. On Sept. 3, Sanborn and S.M.V., a new group composed of bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten, take to the stage. Benson and Jarreau have performed together in concerts in recent years. In 2006, they released an album ``Givin' It Up" which featured collaborations with Paul McCartney, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock and Chris Botti. They won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, ``God Bless The Child," together with singer Jill Scott in 2007. 65-year-old Benson started his career as a jazz guitarist, playing with organist Jack McDuff. By the time he was 21, he had recorded his first album as a leader on ``The New Boss Guitar." Critics have praised Benson's strong vocals and silky guitar skills. He is also known for ``scat-lead," whereinJul 29, 2008
Album ReviewsThe Offspring ``Americana'' (SonyBMG) The Offspring's ``Americana'' album, released in 1998, has sold millions of copies around the world. The album is being re-released in Korea as part of music columnist-turned-entertainer Kim Gu-ra's picks for best albums by all-time favorite bands. Kim described ``Americana'' as a good balance of artistic, socially relevant yet commercially successful music. The Offspring stormed the music scene in the late 1990s with quirky, pop-punk tunes like ``Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),'' ``The Kids Aren't Alright'' and ``Why Don't You Get a Job.'' As a genre, pop-punk is not too exciting today, but listening to The Offspring's album will remind you of what was so good about the pop-punk scene back then. - Cathy Rose A. Garcia Jul 29, 2008
Pianist Lees Pursuit of SoundBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Pianist Lee Hyekyung has been teaching at Chung-Ang University for 24 years, but her pursuit of music ― and exploring its fathomless nature ― continue, steadily and with unwavering devotion. While educated in Germany, the 49-year-old's philosophical approach toward music can be described by the Korean philosophical concept ``deukeum'' ― or musical enlightenment, where the grandeur of the universe can be conceived in a single note. Lee has a wide-ranging repertoire, from staples of classical music to modern pieces by Unsuk Chin. Yet, over time she realized how quality prevails over quantity, and is taking a break from learning new pieces. Instead, she revisits the same piece time after time to make it her own. The process of ``organizing'' her repertoire is made complete by immortalizing it through recording. Lee has four albums ― Frank and Rachmnaninov, Ravel, Mozart and Schumann ― under her belt. While Lee's playing is clearly a result of incredible rigor, as with top performers, you cannot hear the effort. Moreover, it seethes with naturaJul 28, 2008
Summer Breeze Festival CancelledBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Lackluster ticket sales forced the cancellation of the first-ever Summer Breeze Festival, scheduled for Aug. 7-8 at the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium. Yonhap News quoted concert promoter B4H Entertainment as saying it decided to cancel the Summer Breeze Festival due to low ticket sales. ``We were aware of the risks in preparing for the first festival, and we tried our best to present a much better performance but we have come to a deadlock. Only about 500 tickets were sold as of July 24,'' B4H Entertainment said, on its Web site. Among the acts billed for the Summer Breeze were Prodigy, One Republic, Panic at the Disco, Lost Prophets, Stacie Orrico, Jaime Scott, Rize and Simple Plan. The entertainment company said that they tried to scale down the festival size and negotiated with the artists to try to keep the festival alive, but this was still not enough. ``We sincerely apologize for this. The cost of the tickets will be refunded including the service charge,'' the company said. Sales of tickets for Summer Breeze FestivalJul 28, 2008