Heart + Seoul – Gerard Moon
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It is a joy and an honor to share Heart + Seoul—a program devoted to the emotional depth and quiet beauty of Korean art song.
No matter where we live—whether in a different city or a different country—the longing for the place we come from, the land where we grew up, is something we all carry. That sense of home, of memory, of identity, lives deep in the heart. Korean art songs speak to that feeling. They express longing and love through the language of nature, using metaphors that are poetic, tender, and uniquely Korean.
This concert offers a journey through four themes—spring, mountains, love, and longing—each one a window into the soul of a people and the voice of a culture. Though these songs are modern in origin, the evolution of their musical textures over time gives us a glimpse into the changing emotional landscapes of Korea itself. From lyrical early works to bolder, more contemporary expressions, this program invites listeners to experience not only beauty, but transformation.
Heart + Seoul is not just a celebration of Korean music—it’s a reflection on what it means to remember, to yearn, and to belong. Wherever you come from, we hope you’ll find something familiar, something tender, something true in these songs.
Prelude: A joyful welcome to the concert
As one of Korea’s most beloved and iconic art songs, “Mountain Village” opens the concert with an uplifting spirit. Its bright, rhythmic energy sets a joyful tone—welcoming the audience and stirring a sense of excitement for the journey ahead.
Stage One: The spring that a flower once dreamed of...
“Balsam Flower” is referred as the first Korean Modern art song. This period marked a turning point in Korean music history with the birth of gagok—modern Korean art songs. Traditionally rooted in Korean vocal styles and accompanied by native instruments like the gayageum or daegeum, these songs began to blend with Western musical elements. Most notably, the piano—a Western instrument—was introduced as an accompaniment, creating a unique fusion that represented both cultural evolution and the modern spirit of a colonized people searching for identity.
In the early 1900s, during the harrowing years of Japanese colonial rule, Korean composers and poets transformed the idea of spring into a powerful metaphor for resilience, hope, and the yearning for freedom, expressing their sorrow and resistance through music. The word “spring” itself became a layered symbol. It spoke not only of seasonal renewal but also of arousal—a spiritual and national awakening. In “Spring Maiden” and “When the Spring Comes”, spring came to signify hope, liberation, longing, and the first steps toward a brighter future.
Stage Two: Bittersweet symphony of life
Composer Hoon Byun shocked audiences with his bold and unconventional compositional techniques, and two of his most iconic works— “Pollack” and “Rat”—stand as powerful examples. After receiving harsh criticism for "Pollack", he left the music scene and took a job at a foreign embassy. It was during this time, shaped by his unique experiences in that new environment, that he later composed "Rat", a piece reflecting the observations and insights he gathered there.
Intermission and Stage Three: The Mountain... longing in the landscape
Following the Korean War in the 1950s, the peninsula was divided into North and South, leaving countless people separated from their families, homes, and ancestral lands. In the wake of this deep rupture, many Korean poets and composers began to use mountains—ever-present in Korea’s landscape—as a metaphor for home. Surrounded by both mountains and sea, Koreans would often look to the ridgelines on the horizon and think of the places and people they could no longer return to.
Songs like “Singosan Ballad” (a folk tune from Hamkyong Province), “Mountain Sunset”, and “Mountain” reflect this aching sense of nostalgia. They are not merely about nature—they are about belonging, memory, and the quiet grief of a home left behind.
Stage Four: Love... and the scent of longing
Contemporary Korean art songs carry the quiet echoes of the nation’s past, but their gaze is turned inward—toward personal stories, memories, and the emotional landscapes of everyday life. These pieces reflect the voices of a modern generation that holds history in its heart, yet contemplates its own life journey with honesty and tenderness.
From the innocence of childhood in “Island Baby,” to the delicate ache of “First Love,” the quiet anticipation of “Meeting,” and the introspective calm of “Leaning on Time,” these songs speak of longing—for the past, for connection, and for one’s truest self. They are musical diaries, capturing fleeting emotions, cherished memories, and the quiet resolve to love both the present moment and the path ahead.
Postlude: The Invisible Thread of Life
The concert closes with “The Invisible Thread,” a poignant reminder that all these stories—of longing, love, memory, and hope—are gently bound together by unseen threads. Though shaped by different times and emotions, each song is part of a greater whole: the human journey. In the end, everything is connected, and that connection itself is life.
