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| This year's "Hanyang and Seoul" performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Sejong M Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts |
By Anna J. Park
As the year-end is nearing, people begin spending more time reflecting upon the past year and anticipating the coming year. At this contemplative time of the year, the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra ― the very first traditional Korean music orchestra founded in 1965 ― has been presenting an annual performance titled "Hanyang and Seoul" since 2014 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
For nearly 630 years since the late 14th century, Seoul has been the capital city of Korea; it was called Hanyang during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. Though its name has changed over time, what hasn't changed is that Seoul is still in the heart of the Korean people's livelihoods, economy and culture, and the city has been the backdrop of everyday lives of citizens for centuries.
Under the central theme of "Hanyang and Seoul," the annual gugak performance has enjoyed enthusiastic responses from audiences for the last six years, as it has provided solace and comfort for those living in the city through the rhythms and melodies of gugak music, transcending time and space.
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| Official poster image of the annual year-end performance. / Sejong Center for the Performing Arts |
This year's installment is scheduled to be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Sejong M Theater, located inside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. This year's event particularly draws attention, as Lee Kyoung-jae, the artistic director of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, will be stage director for this traditional Korean music performance. In addition to the addition of a stage director with opera expertise, the performance will be brimming with elements of other genres, such as media arts, sand art and musicals, creating unique and energetic scenes for the audience.
Five original music pieces will be presented during the show, each representing the vibrant energy of the ages-old city and the people living in it. The first piece is inspired by traditional royal parade music, used when the king and queen head back to the royal palace. The following piece is a concerto music with the traditional orchestra and a solo of the taepyeongso ― a Korean double-reed wind instrument ― wishing for peace and prospect for everyone. The third music piece is on the sheng, a traditional Asian instrument made with reed pipes, will bring audiences back in time to the past with the song's mystic sound.
The last two pieces are more modern, expressing Seoul citizens' daily lives in common places, like the subway or the street. The five music pieces, all well blended with elements of traditional Korean music, media art, singing and acting, will entertain the audiences while offering them a chance to ponder on the meaning of the time and space of their existence.
Park Ho-seong, the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, said he hopes the audience as well as Seoul citizens could get an opportunity to prepare for the end of this year and the beginning of next year.
"The performance will provide food for thought for Seoul citizens living in the present. I hope every Seoulite could wrap up this year with dreams and hopes through this performance," Park said.
Prices vary from approximately 20,000 won to 30,000 won, and students get extra discounts. Those who have just taken their college scholastic examinations earlier this month could get a 40 percent discount. Ticket reservations can be made at ticket.interpark.com, ticketlink.co.kr or other ticket sites, or call the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at 02-399-1000.
