My Impression of Korea - Korea.net

PEOPLE
Yonhap
The Korea Herald
Diva for Homeland on
New Album
BY KOH YOUNG-AAH
KOREA HERALD STAFF WRITER
Jo’s latest album “Missing You”
‘Arirang’ Played by N.K. Pianist
at U.S. State Department
BY LEE JI-YOON
STAFF WRITER
North Korean pianist Kim Chul-woong performs at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C.
On Oct. 6, “Arirang,” the beloved
Korean folk song, was played
in the Benjamin Franklin Room
at the U.S. State Department in
Washington. The audience was overwhelmed
not only by the sad melody
of the song, but also by the pianist
Kim Chul-woong, a North Korean who
defected and now lives in Seoul.
The 34-year-old pianist has become
the first North Korean defector
to have a recital at the center of U.S.
diplomacy.
“‘Arirang’ is a song that any South
and North Korean person can recognize
immediately,” he explained why
he chose the song to arrange for the
concert.
“I hope my efforts can be helpful
for people to pay more attention to
human rights issues in North Korea,”
said Kim who was on concert tour
across the United States.
Another striking moment occurred
when the pianist played “A Song of
Joy,” a popular North Korean song,
which expresses the delights of independence
after the Japanese colonial
rule. The Korean media compared the
moment to when the New York
Philharmonic played the American
national anthem in Pyongyang in
February.
On the day Kim gave a rendition of
all four music pieces, the audience applauded
him after every performance.
He was educated at the Pyongyang
Music and Dance Institute and graduated
from the Tchaikovsky National
Musical Academy of Russia. From
1999, he played for the Pyongyang
National Orchestra.
He crossed the border to go to
China in 2001 and arrived in Seoul in
2003. ■
Traveling can be exciting, but it
also has a way of making the
traveler feel lonely.
World-renowned soprano Jo Sumi
is no exception. Jo says she has felt
solitary throughout her career, due to
traveling and spending a lot of time
alone studying and practicing.
With 25-years of world-traveling
experience, Jo has released a new album
in October titled “Missing You,”
centered around this theme.
The crossover album contains 16
representative love songs from various
countries, including the all-time-favorite
Korean nursery song “Ummaya
Nunaya (Mother, Sister).”
“I chose to include ‘Ummaya
Nunaya’ in the album along with numerous
foreign songs, to say that the
place that I want to come back to, after
all the long journeys, is Korea,
where I can see my mother,” said Jo
from Italy in a phone interview with
The Korea Herald.
The soprano is noted for her excellence
in classical repertoires, including
operas. In May, Jo received a Puccini
Award granted to figures who have
contributed significantly to the promotion
of the great Italian composer.
She has been steadily releasing
crossover albums as well.
While most people expect her to be
conservative just because she is a classical
musician, Jo said she is actually
very open-minded regarding different
cultures, religions, and points of views
because she went to study in Italy at a
young age.
“As an artist I desire to make music
of different colors once in a while,
which is like taking a vacation for
me,” Jo said. “As long as the audience
can feel relaxed listening to my music,
I’m happy.”
All the songs on the album were
recorded in their original languages,
meaning Jo sang in 11 different languages.
Although Jo is known for her
talent in learning and speaking foreign
languages, she said it was a big
challenge and was quite stressful.
“It required a lot of courage for me
to sing in languages I have never been
acquainted with, like Swedish and
Hebrew,” said Jo.
Yet Jo stuck to it because she felt it
was a good opportunity for her to get
to know different countries, their cultures
and historical backgrounds.
Marking 22 years as a classical
music performer, Jo thinks it is fate
that has brought her thus far.
“I think it’s fate. As I get older, I feel
like I’m destined to do this,” said Jo.
Even though confidence on stage
only arises from sufficient rehearsing,
the soprano said she thinks it is in her
nature to become excited on stage.
“Although I’m usually not a very
outgoing person, I really love the spotlight
that I get on stage. It almost
makes me feel like a queen,” she said.
Jo said she plans to release more
crossover albums in the near future
while continuing her tour.
“I just want to present some healthy
and joyful music that can appeal not
only to the domestic audience, but also
to foreign audiences,” Jo said.
Jo starts her Asian tour within few
months. She is set to return home for a
concert in December. ■
38 KOREA NOVEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008 KOREA 39