What would the folk song “Arirang” sound like when mixed with elements of jazz, classical music, movie soundtracks and musicals?

With the addition of a bit more color, traditional tunes have now been packed onto a newly-released album, “Arirang, The Name of Korean vol. 4.”


The “Arirang”-themed album, released on February 27, has a total of ten tracks and lasts about 45 minutes. The album features vocal and musical performances by 20 singers and performing artists.

The list of those who were part of the project covers the whole gamut of modern Korean music: singer Cho Yong-pil, acclaimed as the “King of K-pop” or the “Legend of K-pop,” four-member girl group SECRET, soprano Shin Young-ok, jazz vocalist Woong San, pianist Yang Bang-ean and pansori singer Kim Young-im. Pansori is a traditional Korean narrative musical style.

Some of the tracks flow with the stringed sounds of the 12-stringed gayageum. The traditional zither was played by four performers: music professor Yi Ji-young of Seoul National University, Kwak Tae-kyu and Min Eui-sik, both professors at the Korea National University of Arts, and actress and traditional performer Lee Honey. The sounds of another stringed instrument, the fiddle-like haegeum, and a traditional bamboo flute, the daegeum, can also be heard here, each played by Ccotbyel and Lee Yong-koo who is also a member of the National Orchestra of Korea.

Other musicians also joined forces on the album, including Chang Jae-hyo from the percussion ensemble Sonagi Project, Park Ae-ri and Nam Sang-il, both members of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, stage actor Nam Kyung-joo, popping dancer Hyun Joon and composer Lee Ji-soo.

SECRET reinterpreted the tunes with their bubbly voices coupled with sweet melodies on the fourth track, “Ari Arirang.” The “King of K-pop,” Cho Yong-pil, used his signature vocal tones and created his own version of “Arirang in Dream” with Lee Honey’s gayageum in the background.

The harmony generated by pansori singer Kim Young-im’s deep, mellow singing combined with the orchestra made for a new type of “Jeongseon Arirang,” as if the track just came out of a musical or a movie.

Jung Sung-ha, a “finger guitarist” who shows off his striking plucking skills on the six strings, and whose YouTube video clips have been viewed many times around the world, played a version of “Arirang” together with Kwak Tai-kyu, who played the double-reeded traditional piri.

Meanwhile, dancer Hyun Joon popped across the floor, from his limbs to his chest, to chang, a traditional narrative song style, sung by singer Park Ae-ri.


“This album proves that ‘Arirang’ is more than just a song that can only be played on traditional instruments, such as on the piri, or the janggu [traditional drums] or something. It can also be great to hear when it is mixed with Western musical elements, as well,” said pansori singer Kim Young-im. “The unexpected harmony that ‘Arirang’ creates when mixed with other musical genres helps the country of Korea itself to be better known around the world,” she hoped.

The album is the fourth of its kind. Its three other siblings were made public between 2010 and 2012. The album is part of a project conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation to help traditional music reach a wider world.


“Many musicians from a variety of musical genres, from classical music and jazz to movie soundtracks and stage music, coordinated with traditional performers for the production of this album,” said producer Park Seung-won. “We tried to keep alive the tradition itself, intrinsic to the song ‘Arirang,’ while at the same time adding some different color to it. Listeners will see what ‘Arirang’ sounds like when it embraces sentiments unique to Western music,” he added.



By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr