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PEOPLE
Moon Young Doo
Credia
Japanese Artist Focuses
on Beauty of Korean
Traditional Culture
BY PARK MIN-YOUNG
STAFF WRITER
Watanabe Tsuneko
Jang Han-na
Shows
New Side of
Vivaldi
BY KOH YOUNG-AAH
KOREA HERALD STAFF WRITER
Not many people know much
about their own traditional culture,
and fewer have in-depth
knowledge about it. That is why it is
shocking and even grateful when a
foreigner is so into your culture.
Watanabe Tsuneko, a Japanese
artist, has more interest in Korean traditional
culture than most Koreans.
She studied the culture for years and
recently published the book “Enduring
Traditional Art and Crafts of Japan
and Korea.”
Her 240-page book is filled with
photos and explanations about the
two cultures. The first half contains
Korean culture in step with the
changes of the seasons. The other half
is on Japanese culture, talking about
Hakata dolls, kabuki and Japanese traditional
plays.
It was in the late 1980s when
Watanabe first set her foot on Korean
soil with her husband. She was fascinated
by Korea’s cultural assets in
Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and
Insa-dong, Seoul.
Watanabe was also relieved to see
that tradition still remained here —
“Enduring Traditional Art and Crafts of Japan and
Korea,” by Watanabe Tsuneko
even though it was tucked away in
deep corners. She decided to write
about Korean culture.
During the last two years, Watanabe
visited Korea often to study and collect
items to include in the book. Korean
staff helped with the collection.
“I am very happy to have made
this book through the cooperation between
two countries,” she said. “The
work done by the Korean staff was introduced
in one of Japan’s major magazines
and gained a great reputation.”
From traditional food and clothing
to musical instruments and
“Hahoetal,” Korean mask, her collection
holds practically every cultural
asset in Korea.
She added explanations on the history
and origin of each item to help
Japanese readers better understand.
“Japanese readers are shocked to
realize that Korean metal craft started
in 7 B.C. and that Hahoetal was first
made in the 12th century — during the
Goryeo dynasty,” Watanabe says.
The book contains huge photos and
specific details about each cultural asset,
including human beings themselves.
Watanabe says that she covered
both cultures in the book to help both
Koreans and Japanese better understand
each others’ culture.
“I found out that the cornerstone
of Japanese traditional culture was influenced
by Korea,” says Watanabe.
“The Japanese should be thankful for
this. Korean traditional culture has left
a deep echo in the hearts of the
Japanese.” ■
Most of us know the Italian
composer Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741) from his “Four
Seasons.” Even those with only a passing
knowledge of classical music enjoy
its melodic, hummable score.
On the other hand, few know
about Vivaldi’s other works. With her
new album, “Vivaldi Cello Concerto,”
however, Korean cellist Chang Han-na
is set to bring to light this side of
Vivaldi — which is still largely unexplored,
even by the majority of classical
music insiders.
In June, Chang shrugged off a finger
injury amid a sweltering London
summer to record seven of Vivaldi’s
cello concertos.
“I wanted to go back to the beginning
of classical music, which was
Baroque music, and chose Vivaldi, who
was the first to convert the cello from
an accompaniment instrument to a solo
instrument,” said Chang at a press
conference held October in Seoul.
Compared to Bach’s serious and
rigorous music, Vivaldi’s works are
rhythmic and colorful. Chang said that
while Vivaldi’s nearly 30 cello concertos
were known to sound similar to
one another, they can be differentiated
by the performer’s interpretation.
“I think depending on the performer’s
interpretation, a certain tune
can enrapture the audience or make
them fall asleep,” said Chang.
Chang recalled the recording
process as being far from easy. Because
of the scarcity of existing records, it
took Chang and the organizers more
than eight months just to find the
scores. The concertos were not published
while Vivaldi was alive and have
survived only in manuscript form.
Performing the music was another
challenge. Not only were the musicians
unfamiliar with the concertos,
but the many high-pitched passages
made playing it a technical challenge.
It is the first time Chang, one of the
best classical musicians to hail from
Korea, has recorded Baroque. Chang,
who won the 5th Rostropovich
International Cello Competition at age
11, is better known for performing
work by composers like Prokofiev and
Shostakovich.
Chang, 26, is currently on leave from
Harvard University where she is majoring
in philosophy, but she said at the
press conference that she would also like
to study conducting in New York.
Conducting, according to the cellist,
helped her gain a better understanding
of the timbres of different instruments,
and the harmony they create. ■
40 KOREA DECEMBER 2008
DECEMBER 2008 KOREA 41