The National Theater of Korea’s National Gugak Orchestra returns with its signature brunch concert series, “Concert at Noon,” continuing a tradition that has been in place since 2009. The long-running program has established itself as a flagship offering, designed to bring traditional Korean music into everyday life through accessible daytime performances.
Around 60 musicians take the stage, delivering the rich, layered resonance unique to gugak orchestration. Narration by veteran announcer Lee Geum-hee guides the audience through the program, enhancing understanding while maintaining a smooth narrative flow. The setting, complemented by light refreshments and views of Namsan, further shapes the experience into a refined cultural interlude.
The program unfolds along a temporal structure. The opening segment, “Beginning of Noon,” features “Hwaru Dongpung” by composer Hong Min-woong. This is followed by “Noon Concerto,” highlighting the haegeum concerto “Hyang” by composer Park Beom-hoon. Soloist Ahn Soo-ryeon, concertmaster of the orchestra, leads the performance, drawing out the instrument’s expressive depth.
In “Noon Request,” the orchestra presents a reinterpretation of Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind,” translating a familiar pop classic into the sonic language of traditional Korean instruments. The “Noon Star” segment features vocalist Lee Ki-chan, whose collaboration with the orchestra creates a distinct crossover stage. The program concludes with “Annyeong” by composer Kang Han-moe, tying together diverse genres into a cohesive musical narrative.
Conductor Park Do-hyun brings a foundation in traditional music alongside extensive experience in opera, Western orchestras, and choral works, positioning him as a figure capable of bridging genres. Currently serving as associate conductor of the Seoul Metropolitan Gugak Orchestra, he continues to expand the contemporary scope of gugak.
Narrator Lee Geum-hee contributes decades of broadcasting experience, including over 30 years engaging with gugak programming, offering commentary that is both accessible and insightful. Meanwhile, Ahn Soo-ryeon has built a career expanding the haegeum repertoire across domestic and international stages.
“Concert at Noon” positions gugak within a more approachable framework, combining music, narration, and spatial experience. The result is a recontextualized listening environment that underscores the evolving possibilities of traditional Korean music.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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