New Korean song cycle satirizes toll of marriage, parenting today

Base baritone Han Hye-yeol, left, and soprano Lee Sang-eun rehearse for "Uphill All the Way" in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of OPUS

In 1840, German composer Robert Schumann created a cycle of 16 short songs depicting the emotional journey of a poet who experiences love, joy, heartbreak and bitterness.

This month, two Korean musicians are presenting a modern-day counterpart: a new song cycle satirizing the struggles of staying together for couples and raising children in Korea’s harsh social and economic climate. A song cycle is a series of thematically connected songs meant to be performed in sequence.

Titled “Uphill All the Way,” this cycle features 16 songs performed by a baritone, a soprano and a pianist. Some of the lyrics express the everyday struggles faced by modern couples in a satirical way.

"Having kids feels like lifelong chains,

With prices soaring, who really gains?

Med-school prep at just age 7 —

Our poor little one, born into second-class pain."

The project is part of Ryu Jea-joon’s ongoing effort to make classical music, often seen as inaccessible or esoteric, more relatable and engaging for modern audiences.

“Brilliant vocalists who studied abroad at prestigious institutions return to Korea and perform 'Winterreise' by Franz Schubert and 'Dichterliebe' by Schumann, but the audience often dozes off," Ryu, who composed the song cycle, told The Korea Times.

Watching this, he felt there was a need to tell stories rooted in their own lives.

“So I borrowed the structure of pansori, the traditional Korean narrative music where the singer and drummer exchange back and forth,” he explained.

Before "Uphill All the Way," Ryu explored satire in his 2021 work "Apartment," a commentary on Korea’s obsession with real estate.

The lyrics were written by Bong Joon-soo, a professor of English literature at Seoul National University and older brother of "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho.

“People aren’t having kids — they’re not even dating or getting married anymore,” Bong said. “All three topics are difficult, but I thought they were worth exploring. I looked up statistics and read academic papers, but nothing really captured the reality. So I decided to present it raw and honestly.”

The performance will take place from July 11 to 13 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Jayu Theater.