Bostonian Lab 1

Program note 'Bostonian Lab1' for Geomungo ensemble is inspired by Isang Yun's contribution to Western music history as a composer, had rooted in Korean music and heartstring. Although Yun, a friend of John Cage, is one the important composers in western music history, it is rare to find his performance in USA. However, as Boston has been an important city for contemporary music composers, His music was performed and a part of composers in Boston, and has been renowned for his compositional techniques, which shows the reconciliation of eastern and western with Hauttptone means the main tone associated with glissandi, pizzicato, and rich ornaments. Following his heritage, the piece is a part of the practice as the succession of Yun's music, and the result of the sound world of the piece is further different than his. The instrument, Geomungo, is one of the Korean traditional string instruments would be the unique, expressive sound of the instrument has possibilities to create diverse timbre and notations. A mixture of tradition and modern sonic would be expected in this piece. As the title is 'Bostonian Lab1', the tuning system of Geomungo is different than the traditional way. Using a special bow for 'Geo mun go' to create a beyond sonic effect is a rare case. Also, to study extended techniques from the instrument, there is a lot of flexibility of experimental techniques are explored instead of being traditional.

Photo Credit: Kim Young Jo