Britain to get a taste of K-music

Sounds of Korea will be heard in London during “The K-Music Festival 2013” to be held from June 14-22.

The festival celebrating the 130th anniversary of Korea-U.K. diplomatic relations will be subtitled “War and Peace” in honor of the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire in the Korean War, a war in which the U.K. participated as part of the U.N. forces.

The festival will introduce a selection of Korea’s most talented artists, from the traditional to the contemporary, to help boost understanding of Korea and its culture, according to its organizer, the Korean Culture and Information Service. The U.K.’s largest music agency Serious is collaborating as a festival promoter.

“We expect the event will help promote the globalization of Korean music and enhance national prestige. We will consider whether to regularize such events depending on the result of the upcoming one,” said David Jones, head of Serious, at a press conference for the upcoming festival held Thursday at KT Olleh Square in downtown Seoul. He also expressed hope that the June event would introduce a greater variety of Korean music and pave the way for Korean music to make inroads into the European music market.

The festival kicks off with a performance of traditional Korean music by the National Orchestra of Korea at the Barbican Center in London, the largest arts center in Europe with 2,000 seats, on June 14.

This will be followed by Korean modern rock concerts by a number of indie bands. Uhuhboo project, an avant-pop duo, will perform with a local British band at the Scala Theater on June 16. Performing at the same venue on June 20 are Lee Seung-yeol Band and Jang Ki-ha and the Faces. This is the first time for Korean indie bands to perform at a venue made famous by The Beatles and other well-known singers.

The festival also features a fusion music performance by Geomungo Factory on June 19 at the 900-seat Cadogan Hall.

The grand finale will come in the form of traditional Korean music, including pansori, or traditional Korean narrative singing accompanied by a drum, performed by master pansori singer and Korea’s intangible cultural property title holder An Sook-sun on June 21 at the Cadogan Hall.

“We are honored to join this festival as a representative of Korean rock bands and to have a concert in England, the birthplace of rock,” said Jang Ki-ha, leader of Jang Ki-ha and the Faces, at the press conference.

Asked whether English translations of the Korean lyrics would be available, Jang said confidently, “No foreign musicians provide translations in Korean when they perform in Korea. Likewise, we are not going to provide translations.”

Noticeable in their absence from the music festival lineup are K-pop idol groups. Jeon Hye-jung from the Korean Cultural Center in London, which is supervising the event in the city, explained that there were budget constraints to inviting idol groups.

“It does not mean that interest in K-pop has faded out. But even the U.K. newspaper The Guardian has noted that in Britain the attention on K-pop has turned to Korean indie music. So there is a high expectation for this event,” said Jeon.

Last year, the Korean Culture and Information Service and the Korean Cultural Center U.K. held a broader Korean cultural festival “All Eyes on Korea” from June to September 2012 around the time of the London Olympics. The festival featured some 20 events, including performances by well-known classical musicians soprano Sumi Jo and violinist Sarah Jang, exhibitions, movie screenings, poetry readings and fashion shows.

By Suh Hye-rim (sheren6735@heraldcorp.com)

For the full schedule and tickets, visit ondon.korean-culture.org.