National Gugak Center to Host New Year’s Gugak Concert Featuring Four Resident Ensembles
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
The National Gugak Center will present a New Year’s Gugak concert on Jan. 22 at 7:30 PM in the Yeaakdang hall to wish for the development of traditional Korean music (gugak). All four resident ensembles will collaborate under the direction of Kim Chung-han, artistic director of the Center’s dance troupe. The program blends refined court music and court dances (gunggung eumak, gunggung muyeong) with lively folk performances, dance, and gugak orchestral pieces. Highlights include the opening piece “Ilman Nyeon-ui Gisang” combining hunryeongmu and geommu (types of traditional court dances), a grand court dance suite “Hyang-amurak” featuring abakmu, hyangbalmu and mugo, and instrumental works such as the elegant jeongak ensemble “Boheoja” and the energetic taepyeongsso concerto “Hojok Pungnyu.” A medley of regional folk songs (minyo) from Gyeonggi, Seodo and Namdo regions celebrates the new year’s joy, while a later piece “Pungjangmu” adapts the playful elements of a pungut (pan-gut, a shamanistic drum performance) into dance. The finale will feature famed Gyeonggi minyo singer Lee Chun-hee joining all performers for a chorus of “Arirang.” Tickets are available on the National Gugak Center website or by phone.
