Live music warms



Winter has finally made its move. Streets are now filled with people hurrying to reach their destinations while keeping their coats closed to protect themselves from bitter blowing winds.

Some may say that during the wintertime it is better to stay at home, and even advise you to tuck yourself into bed until the cold goes away. The stay-at-home idea is certain to sound boring to our active weekenders who always seek adventure and fun. But outdoor activities may not be so easy even for them in this cold weather.

So what is the solution for our dear readers who want to amuse themselves but at the same time, wish to feel warm at home? Well in that case, try "House Concert," a place where you can appreciate live, passionate music while feeling perfectly at home.

Unlike expensive concerts and performances played in a very formal setting, this homely place will offer you an exquisite and rare experience.

On the second Thursday of each month, starting at 7 p.m., "The Sound of Cheong-gu" performance takes place at Gareheon, the first and only venue for house concerts playing traditional Korean music. Located five minutes away from Cheong-gu Subway Station (Subway No. 5 and 6), the venue is the house of Park Jeong-wook, maestro of "seodosori," a North Korean traditional music.

You will be disappointed at the building`s exterior (which was originally a factory for manufacturing clothes), but don`t worry. Soon after you reach Gareheon or Park`s Korea Music Archive Museum placed on the fifth floor of the yellowish building, you may feel the warmth - a feeling familiar to when you visit your grandparents` old traditional Korean house during Chuseok or Lunar New Year`s Day - from the house.

On the doorstep, Park, the host of the house concert, welcomes his guests and leads them to the dining room where they can taste Korean traditional food for free. Prepared by Park`s mother, the dinner is where you can easily mingle with other guests from different regions and countries.

The house concert lets you experience the whole process of getting to know about traditional Korean culture in one evening.

Before the performance starts, the host invites you to tea time and then asks you to experience Korean traditional calligraphy.

After the pre-concert events are done, the main seodosori performance accompanied by instruments begins at 8:30 p.m.

On the stage, less than 10 centimeters away from the audience, Park recollects the past when he met his teacher, then the 70-year-old Kim Jeong-yun who fled the communist country during the Korean War.

Park, hailing from South Gyeongsang Province, is an initiator on seodosori passed on from Kim, one of the last generations of Pyongyang "gisaeng," or female entertainers.

"Kim taught me five disciplines of gisaeng which she cultivated her whole life: singing, dancing, composing poetry, drawing and playing musical instruments. Until she died of cancer, the teacher taught me lying down in her bed, telling me how to dance," said Park in front of approximately 100 guests.

Park then proudly introduced his collection that he inherited from Kim, to his visitors who want to see, hear and touch old Korea. Before she died, he continues, "my teacher gave all her instruments to me. And I promised to preserve not only her instruments, but also her culture." Perhaps in the memory of what he had experienced with Kim, Park then sings pieces of seodosori, a North Korean intangible cultural asset, for audiences. Later, he shares his music with the audience by letting them sing after him.

The audience goes wild while singing "Arirang," added with humorous lyrics. (Lyrics about a wife putting "yogang" or Korean traditional commode on her father-in-law`s dining table.) "I really enjoyed myself. Free food, nice people and wonderful music! Especially, the music was just great! I thought that the musicians were virtuoso and they played with passion and diverse instruments," said David Schultz, a 26-year-old English instructor after the concert.

Lee Chong-nam, a music instructor for children, also expressed how passionate the concert was.

"It (the house concert) was so special. I felt amazing passion while they played music. They have shown us how wonderful it is to share music together at one place," she said. "I would like to bring other foreign friends or musicians I know here. The house is full of music and passion." The house concert at Gareheon is basically for free. But you probably want to donate some money before leaving the house as a way to show a little bit of your appreciation for Park`s hospitality and his wonderful performance.

To get there, take the subway to Cheong-gu station on Line No. 5 and 6. For reservations, call (02) 2232-5749.

Another in-house concert to visit Park`s House Concert: At his home located in Samcheong-dong filled with luxurious villas and traditional houses, Park Chang-soo, composer and pianist, organizes a concert every other Friday. Musical genre varies in this house including classical music, Korean traditional music or gukak, and pop music of many kinds. Tickets are 20,000 won each. For more information visit www.cyworld/hconcert



/ by Cho Chung-un christory@heraldm.com /