Although North and South Korea share a language and traditional culture, they still remain divided since 1945 and the two countries are technically at war until now. No communications between the two countries and people from both sides are not allowed to travel to either side unless both governments permit. Ironically, there was a classical movement by a U.S. Orchestral organization visiting North Korea which performed the traditional folk song “Arirang” shared by the two Koreas. In 2008, the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel visited Pyongyang, North Korea and “Arirang Fantasy” was performed. This piece was composed by the North Korean composer, Choi Sung-hwan. What makes this Arirang so special, is that it not only shares traditional music for both Koreas, but also the hidden power of bringing people together!
Performers:
Hyung Joon Won (violin)
Yeseo Shim (violin)
Jungmin Youn (piano)
Ellie Kim (violin)
Eunji Ryu (cello)
Lectures by Hyung Joon Won and Toshiyuki Shimada and a Q&A session to follow the performances.