Holiday performances combine history, patriotism : Liberation Day events celebrate 72 years since independence
The “Arirang” that the Seoul Philharmonic will perform tonight in Gwanghwamun Square is a rearranged version by composer Texu Kim. Under SPO’s associate conductor Choi Soo-yeoul’s baton, the orchestra will also perform Bruch’s “Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, 3rd movement,” Isang Yun’s “Reak fur großes Orchester,” Mascagni’s “Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana,” and Brahms’ “Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, 4th movement.”
They will also perform a samulnori, which is a traditional Korean percussion performance, titled “Madang,” composed by Kang Jun-il for orchestra. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in Gwanghwamun Square and seats will be available for 10,000 people. Prior to the concert, there will be a choir performance at 7 p.m., presented by the 416 Family Chorus and the Seoul Metropolitan Junior Chorus.
Titled “Arirang Concertante,” this arrangement is the same version Lee performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2015. The program also includes some of Lee’s popular film score compositions. The concert starts at 2 p.m. and is free to the public.
For more patriotic fare, a musical currently being staged tells the story of the resistance and the daily struggles of those who suffered during the Japanese colonization of Korea.
Also titled “Arirang,” the musical begins every weekday at 8 p.m., and at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the weekends at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center, southern Seoul. It is directed by notable Korean playwright Ko Seon-woong and the cast includes Ahn Jae-wook, Yoon Gong-joo and Kim Seong-nyeo.
For a historical performance that brings back to life the event of 72 years ago, the Seodaemun Prison History Hall located in central Seoul is the best spot.
The location itself is especially significant on Liberation Day as it used to be a prison for Korean activists during the Japanese colonial period.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Sangmyung University history professor Ju Jin-oh and poet Kim Eung-gyo will stage a performance about the resistance and life under the Japanese rule. The performance will also have music presented by conductor Kim Hyun-soo and the Zion Orchestra.
BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [sharon@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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