What with the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchan and their combined ice Hockey team, the Koreans are very much in the news. In Italy, too, Koreans (or at least South Koreans) have received a special focus. They were present in Viareggio’s Carnival where I met them during one of the float parades.
I officiated at a Korean wedding for Lisa Redgrave of ‘Hitched in Italy’ at
Korea was also present at last Saturday’s ‘Baluardo’ concert with their chorus master Elio Antichi.
Founded in 1989, ‘Il Baluardo’ has participated in over five hundred concerts. They have performed in the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and Spain and have established ties with other Italian and foreign choirs. In 2016 ‘Il Baluardo’ even performed at Fornoli:
‘Il Baluardo’ repertoire consists of traditional Tuscan folk-songs which they perform in a cappella style. They also sing folk-songs from other regions of Italy and several European countries. In addition ‘Il Baluardo’ performs items like French renaissance chansons and contemporary pieces.
The concert took place in the austere beauty of San Salvatore, a church dating back to 1009 and situated in Lucca’s square of the same name, (known to locals as ‘piazza della pupporona’ – square of the big boobed lady – after the well-endowed statue there).
The concert’s first half featured the choir in a characteristic repertoire which included a moving evening hymn to our Apuan Mountains. They also sang ‘Jeongseon Arirang’, a 600-year-old folk-song sung as the unofficial national anthem for both Koreas in the Olympic Games.
Here is a performance of ‘arirang’ by the members of Seo-Do Traditional Songs Institute with the Korean National Classical Orchestra.
These are the words of that song:
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo…
You are going over Arirang hill.
My love, you are leaving me;
Your feet will be sore even before you go.
Just as there are many stars in the clear sky,
There are also many dreams in our heart.
There, over there, that mountain is Baekdu Mountain,
Where, even in the middle of winter days, flowers bloom.
The second half featured the delightful trio of Lee Eunji (violin), Lee Kungmin (viola) and Yulee Kang (vocals). These three Korean girls have just completed musical masters at Lucca and, judging by their performance, will have a very successful career in the music world. As a ‘thank you for the Baluardo’s performance of ‘Arirang’ Yulee Kang replied with a terrific rendering of ‘O Sole mio’ bringing the house down.
It was a very convivial concert and fully proved the power of music in bringing different cultures together. As I have argued in my post at
https://longoio3.com/2018/02/06/music-an-international-language/
music may turn out to be more effective in this matter than any number of international conferences…
For more information on ‘Il Baluardo’ and forthcoming concerts see http://www.coroilbaluardo.it/calendario.php
Ps Il Baluardo’ is always on the look-out for new recruits. If you are looking for a choir which includes a very wide repertoire comprising classical, folk and pop then this is the place for you!
PPS ‘Il Baluardo’ means bulwark and refers to Lucca’s walls in which lovely city the choir is based. At least we have a well-defined origin for that word!
(L’après concert in Lucca)