[Press Release] K-drama Goes Classical

Published on 2021/06/27

Out on 9 July: Shades of Love, a selection of reimagined k-drama themes features new arrangements of songs from hit shows including  "Crash Landing on You", "Mr. Sunshine" and "Reply 1988" performed by stars of the classical world.

Korean culture's surge in popularity is a global phenomenon. The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, covers everything from film to fashion, boy bands to ballet. Mirroring the success of k-pop, k-drama has now become a huge craze. Thrillers, rom-coms and period dramas - these addictive TV series are attracting worldwide audiences via subtitled versions on streaming services.

Key to all Korea's hit shows are their carefully crafted soundtracks, and these are the inspiration behind Shades of Love, an album of original orchestral arrangements of some of k-drama's best-known music. Set for release on Deutsche Grammophon on 9 July 2021, it will be available for digital download and on Pure Audio Blu-ray in the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos®.

The co-creators of Shades of Love are two European musicians closely linked to the Korean music scene - Swiss flautist Philipp Jundt and German composer Marco Hertenstein. Having come up with this cross-cultural project, all they had to do was narrow down the almost infinite options. Hertenstein has written stunning orchestral versions of 15 tracks from series such as "Crash Landing on You", "The Moon Embracing the Sun", "Mr. Sunshine" and "Reply 1988", as well as composing two brand-new Korean-inspired pieces: Shades of Love - Red and Shades of Love - Blue.

The music is performed by the Zürcher Kammerorchester conducted by David Philip Hefti, with solos from Philipp Jundt, Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway (flute), Daniel Hope (violin), Albrecht Mayer (oboe), Richard Yongjae O'Neill (viola) and Sebastian Knauer (piano).

Three tracks from Shades of Love will be released as singles: "The Song For My Brother" ("Crash Landing on You"), 4 June; ""Mr. Sunshine" - Main Theme" ("Mr. Sunshine"), 25 June; and "Don't Worry, Dear" ("Reply 1988"), 9 July.