Art and Culture

And now it's time for our arts and culture segment with Michelle Kim. Today she has previews of two musicals and a new album.

Advertisement

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what will you start off with[Reporter : ] Well, I'll start with the musicals. The first musical mixes two classic Korean folktales into one and the other musical is a modern, Korean spin on "Hamlet". I have previews of both shows. Take a look.

Two classic Korean folktales merge into one for the musical "Indangsu Love Song", which is playing in Seoul through next month.
The musical is a combination of the Chunhyang and Simcheong stories and the characters have the same names as the ones in the original folktales.
In the musical, Chunhyang, who lives with her blind father, meets a young man named Mong-ryong and the two fall in love.
But when Mong-ryong disappears suddenly, a rich and powerful man named Byunhakdo appears and demands that Chunhyang become his bride.
She is forced to accept his demand, but before giving in to his wishes, she is able to meet Mong-ryong one last time.
The musical fuses Western and traditional Korean music.

[Interview : Park Sae-bom, Writer] "For 10 years we looked for ways to combine the stories of Simcheong and Chunhyang and find the balance between traditional and contemporary elements, especially music".

That delicate balance comes through in "Indangsu Love Song", which continues until December 2nd at the Dongsoon Art Center.

Hamlet is reborn as a Korean factory worker in a new musical adaptation of Shakespeare's famous work.

[Interview : Ki Kuk-seo, Producer] "Shakespeare's Hamlet is a worried young man, just like any other from any time period. In this musical, Hamlet is a Korean worker dealing with problems in Korean society".

In the musical, Hamlet is a man struggling against life and death, good and evil, justice and injustice, as he embraces the worries of modern day society.
Tormented by the spirits of people who have been oppressed, Hamlet eventually re-lives a 2009 demonstration in the Yongsan district in which residents were protesting a redevelopment project and the police.

The musical will be showing at the Namsan Arts Center until November 25th.
Those sound like very unique performances.
It seems like a great idea to mix Chunhyang and Simcheong together to create a whole new story.

[Reporter : ] I thought so as well. That musical, by the way, is in its second run right now, but it's received a lot of praise from both critics and viewers in the past.
As for the Hamlet musical, it will be interesting to see the Shakespearean character as a modern Korean man.

Definitely. And now, what do you have for us next[Reporter : ] Switching gears to music, the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden just released a new album on Monday after their reunion three years ago. Here's a preview of the album.

After its well-publicized break up three years ago, Soundgarden is back with a new album, "King Animal", the band's sixth since its formation in 1984.
The band is perhaps best known for its early influence on the creation of grunge in the late 1980s.
It went on to win two Grammy Awards for best album and best song in 1995, but conflicts between the members led the band to break up in 1997.
Twelve years later, the band announced it had decided to regroup with bassist Ben Shephard, singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, and drummer Matt Cameron.
Bassist Ben Shephard said he was surprised at the band's reunion.

[Interview : Ben Shephard, Bassist] "I didn't think we'd get back together, I knew we'd do business together the rest of our lives but I didn't think we'd be a band".

Drummer Matt Cameron said reunion had been on his mind.

[Interview : Matt Cameron, Drummer] "I was hoping we'd get back together. I was pining for another Soundgarden record".

He also said the band's fan base has changed, with fans from their early days mixing with a younger crowd.

[Interview : Matt Cameron, Drummer] "We are getting like some younger fans out, you know, maybe they are kids or from our older fans or they're younger. You know, younger generation is learning about the band. I definitely like seeing that at our shows".

Soundgarden released the first single from the album, "Been Away Too Long", in late September.
"King Animal" was released on Monday.To be honest, I don't know the band, but the music has a familiar sound that I can't quite place.

[Reporter : ] Well, their song "Live to Rise" was actually a part of "The Avengers" soundtrack, which you and many of viewers may have seen.
If you've never heard the band, I would strongly encourage you all to pick it up, because the songs are great.

I definitely will. And now to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] Yes, that's right. Today's bulletin has concerts by Norah Jones, Elton John and the Brown Eyed Girls. Here are the details.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features 3 events

She's best known for the hit song "Don't Know Why" and now she's coming to Korea. Singer-songwriter Norah Jones will be in Seoul on November 17th to perform at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The concert is part of a world tour promoting her latest album, "Little Broken Heart", which includes the songs "Happy Pills" and "Say Goodbye".

Elton John will be making a stop in Korea on November 27th as part of a concert tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of his song "Rocket Man". He will be making stops in Australia, China and Hong Kong before making his way to Seoul and Busan.

Brown Eyed Girls will be performing two concerts in December, but you'll have to be of age to see them. Concert tickets are only available to people 19 years and up, which makes them the first girl group to be given the rating.
The concerts will take place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Central City's Millennium Hall.

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

NOV 13, 2012

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr