When the classical music of the cello meets the ancient-toned strings of the Gayageum, they blend together beautifully and create unique melodies. Introducing musicians Yoon Dayoung and Sol Daniel Kim.
We had the pleasure of interviewing exclusively for Kotalia, under the patronage of the Korean Cultural Institute, the fantastic musical duo CelloGayageum. In the afternoon, a few hours after the concert, we sat on the stage of the Vittoria theater in Trastevere in Rome, and the artists kindly answered our questions, also revealing aspects of their personal lives that explain their love for Rome.
CelloGayageum was born from the collaboration of the Austrian-born cellist of Korean origins Sol Daniel Kim and the Korean player of Gayageum Dayoung Yoon. After the establishment of the duo in Berlin in 2016 they attracted the attention of many professionals and were invited to various European music festivals. Since 2017 they have been in fervent activity in South Korea and around the world.
Curiosity
The Gayageum is a traditional Korean stringed instrument similar to the zither, created in the Gaya Kingdom about 1500 years ago. The original version features 12 strings, while the modernization of the melodies led to the creation of a 25 string version, where expert musicians let themselves be carried away by individuality and artistic sensitivity by tensing and plucking the strings of the instrument, letting the tonality of the gayageum lead more and more to unique sounds and melodies.
They reveal to us in the interview that they take inspiration from their travels, from natural elements and the sound of the wind for example. During the concert the pieces they were about to perform were briefly described and I was personally struck by an anecdote they revealed to us: one day the young musicians were visiting the museum of modern art in Seoul, observing an installation of metal waste from the Hyunday car company and therefore something that for everyone is inanimate and almost unwanted, upon returning home they created the melody of their piece which is entitled Star. They imagined the process of the birth of a new star in space, small particles exploding and then coming together to form something new, just as the museum's opera artist gave new life to fragments of scrap metal, the composers recreated a one-of-a-kind melody.
With the song The sound of the Sea they asked us in the audience if we wanted to listen to the performance with our eyes closed and imagine being on a boat at the mercy of the waves… truly an opportunity to travel with the imagination, I had my nine year old daughter next to me who enthusiastically appreciated their advice.
The song Hanyang it is a cheerful piece composed imagining being in the streets and markets of ancient Joseon, the rhythmic playing of the Gayageum and the cello really give the idea of being immersed in a frenetic rush of a historical drama.
The members of the CelloGayageum duo are also a married couple in everyday life, and just think, their first date was in the city of Rome which they are particularly fond of and according to the musicians in the next album we will find a track entitled "Rome“.
We can only wait for them again in our capital to have the pleasure of listening live to the new music composed by the CelloGayageum duo.
We thank the kind availability ofKorean Cultural Institute who sponsored the event making our interview possible.
Vanessa Ranauro