Would you like to travel to South Korea?
Vigüela would have gone to perform there for their first time… For now, it will have to be through the wire.
In the meantime, let me tell you a Korean tale ?
H
ello, how are you? I hope well!
This year Vigüela, like most of us, has lost the chance to do many wonderful things, like playing for the first time in Greece and to debut in South Korea. But, they will share a very special moment with the oustanding Jeonju International Sori Festival. Enter our Facebook that day September 16th at about 12 noon (CET) to see us! There will be 9 artists from different countries.
And the promised tale? Yes, yes, under the video ? and, before, a little bit of context:
The name of the festival comes from the tradition of Pansori. What is Pansori? You might know already. Very brieftly, it is a collection of epic stories that are sung by one singer and accompanied only by subtle percussion. The percussionist pulls and responds in a very punctual manner. As you will see in the video below, the person singing also performs the song as an actor or actress. He or she carries a fan in the right hand and a handkerchief in the left, used to represent the objects that are been talked about.
A small set of Pansori has been preserved, and there are five of them that are almost always sung. But keep in mind that each Pansori can last up to 5 hours! 5️⃣ It is a very difficult art and there are artists who specialize in only one of the Pansori.
Click on the image to see the video!
A part of Pansori Chunhyangga, by Kim Myeongsin & Jeong Sanghee
The promised Korean tale:
And what does this Pansori in the video talk about? Ohhh, it’s a love story ? between the daughter of a retired courtesan, Ch’unhyang, and Yi, the son of an aristocrat with a position as a magistrate in the city. But, oh, their love is impossible because they are from different classes. So they marry in secret ?.
But soon the boy’s father is sent to the capital to work and the boy has to accompany him. The new magistrate who comes to replace Yi’s father, has a craving with the girl. And, as she rejects him, he imprisons her. The magistrate says that if she does not agree to his desires, he will kill her ?.
But, in the meantime, Yi has been hired as ? a secret inspector to investigate the complaints about the evil magistrate. He arrives in town in disguise and no one recognizes him. He goes to the jail and she doesn’t recognize him. So Yi lets the girl know who is he. She is already desperate and says that he will not be able to save her: tomorrow is the day of the execution. But that night there is a party and Yi comes. There at the party he is requested to compose and recite a poem, and he does. The poem tells the crimes of the magistrate to the attendants of the party. He is then arrested and Ch’unhyang is released. Yi and Ch’unhyang will get married, this time publicly. ? Long live life and long live love!
Remember: on September 16th, visit the Facebook page of the festival or of Vigüela at around 12 noon (Central European Time) to attend the online gala concert with 9 artists from different countries! Before that, feel free to watch also this recent video by Vigüela in an intimate moment:
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I loved writing it for you.