By Kim Hyelin
Photos = Korean National Symphony Orchestra

The "2023 Blue House Concert" was held on Sept. 9 on the grass field of Cheong Wa Dae's heliport in Seoul's Jongno-gu District.

The complex was opened to the public last year after being used as the official presidential residence for 74 years.

The midday heat wave dissipated to make way for a cool fall breeze. As darkness descended on the foot of the mountain, many people gathered at Cheong Wa Dae with excited expressions.

Visitors with families, friends and colleagues of all ages were active with their cameras and smartphones at the photo zones prepared before the concert or soaked in the atmosphere at Cheong Wa Dae including seeing a panoramic view of the compound. 

Jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) and Korea National Opera, the concert featured 12 songs across genres centered on orchestral music.

The KNSO opened with "Polonaise" from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" led by Hong Seok-won, permanent conductor of the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra.

The soft sounds of grass insects complementing the music from the orchestra's instruments that filled the stage created a strong fall atmosphere.

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, who in 2017 was the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition of the U.S., played Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." As the music increased in both power and passion, the audience held their breath and immersed themselves in the ever-changing melody. 

Harmonist Park Jong-seong played the folk song "Saeya Saeya" (Bird, Bird). The combination of the clear and sad sound of his harmonica and the traditional tune maximized the latter's tragic emotion.

Pansori (traditional lyrical opera) singer Ko Young-yeol and traditional drummer Ko Seok-jin both highlighted the excitement and strength of gugak (traditional music) through the songs "Drum" and "Arirang."

Children showed how they enjoyed this performance by stomping their feet and clapping to the music. 

The K-pop girl duo MAMAMOO+ comprising Moonbyul and Solar sang their new song "Daengdaeng" with the orchestra's accompaniment and drew a heated reaction from the audience when singing their hit "Um Oh Ah Yeh."

The concert was pleasing to both the eyes and ears. The some 10 screens surrounding the stage showed media art matching the music throughout the show to add a visual element.

Dvorak's Slavonic Dance No. 8 was performed amid a surreal atmosphere as green lasers displayed patterns in tune with the music. 

The event concluded with a spectacular drone show accompanied by Ravel's "Bolero." The estimated 300 drones formed a variety of shapes in the sky toward the left side of the stage, drawing "oohs" and "ahhs" from the spectators.

Jeong Seong-gyu, who attended the performance with his youngest daughter, said, "I often go to performances by the Korean National Symphony Orchestra, but I especially enjoyed tonight's performance because collaborations of gugak and K-pop are rare."

Park Bo-geum, who came with her co-worker, said, "I liked the combination of the special vibe of the Cheong Wa Dae venue and elements of an outdoor concert on an autumn night," adding, "The performance of Korean-style melodies with the harmonica left a unique impression."

Hwang Yeon-gyeong said, "A foreign fan of classical music would probably find tonight's performance more interesting in that it combined classical music with Korea's unique melodies." She said she would recommend the concert to people from abroad interested in Korean culture.

Starting with this event, Cheong Wa Dae will host more outdoor concerts through November. The KNSO will perform new songs and traditional plays from Sept. 21 to Oct. 28 and the three-day K-Music Festival from Sept. 28 will showcase genres like K-pop and trot, or the oldest form of Korean pop that blends traditional folk songs with other genres, centered on gugak.

Pianist Yang Bang-ean from Oct. 7-8 will hold crossover performances of masterpieces of domestic orchestral music with that from other genres. A classical music performance to mark the 70th anniversary of the nation's alliance with the U.S. is also slated for early November.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr