Traditional gugak musicians perform outdoors at the Sujeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace on April 2. Visitors who are there to enjoy the spring blossoms will also be able to enjoy live traditional music at the palace.
The spring breeze is bringing traditional music to the ears of tourists and visitors strolling around the grounds of Seoul's ancient royal palaces, where spring flowers have fully bloomed.
Visitors to Seoul's palaces will not only be able to enjoy the spring, but will now also be able to enjoy other traditional charms, including gugak music, as the Royal Palace Concert series begins this April at Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces.
At Gyeongbokgung Palace, concerts will be held at the Sujeongjeon Hall, set up and used as a royal research institute during the reign of King Sejong in the early 15th century. It was burnt during the Imjin invasions of the late 16th century, but was later rebuilt during the reign of King Gojong in the late 19th century.
Visitors can enjoy an outdoor concert every afternoon between 2:30 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. between April and June, and from September to October, except on Tuesdays when the palace is closed. This April, a variety of performances will be on offer, from traditional dances and folk music through to modern variations of traditional gugak music, all under a theme of "bright, shiny spring days."
At Gyeongbokgung Palace, outdoor concerts are held every afternoon from April to June and from September to October, except on Tuesdays.
Special stages have been prepared for night visitors, as well. The palace will be open to the public between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. from April 30 to June 2, from July 16 to August 19 and from September 24 to October 28. During the evening opening hours, a fresh combination of Western classical music and traditional Korean gugak will be performed.
Music will also embellish the nights at Changgyeonggung Palace.
Evening concerts at that palace's Tongmyeongjeon Hall, once the kings' bedroom, will entertain visitors with gugak chamber music and modern variations on traditional Korean music. Shows will be every evening from 8 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. Evening opening hours at the palace are the same as at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
More details are available at the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation website, below.
http://www.chf.or.kr/
By Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation
icchang@korea.kr
