The National Theater of Korea is aiming to introduce Korean traditional music to younger audiences with a new performance.
The National Orchestra of Korea will present Soso Concert at the Daloreum Theater from May 14 to 16, scheduling weekday-morning and weekend-afternoon performances to align with young audiences' routines.
Rather than a conventional repertoire, the program traces an emotional arc: it opens with lightness and humor, moves into tension, rivalry, anxiety and frustration, and then shifts toward emptiness, recovery and affirmation.
The opening piece, “Eolssiguya Pungnyeoniguna,” reimagines a familiar melody in a gugak orchestral arrangement to ensure accessibility. Later works, such as “Exam Panic” and the third movement of “House of Emotions,” portray psychological states common to adolescence.
At its most intense moments, “Outburst (怒)” heightens conflict and emotional tension. The program then offers release with “Festival” and captures the quiet that follows emotional discharge in “Yunseul.”
The concert closes with “We Are Unique,” a piece that affirms individual identity.
Guest performers from Pansori Factory Badaksori contribute narrative vocal elements that deepen the performance’s storytelling.
Lee Gippeum directs the production, with Jang Taepyeong conducting. Visual and stage design elements further integrate the music and narrative.
Since its 2021 debut, Soso Concert has evolved into a youth-focused gugak program, shifting toward a more narrative-driven and accessible format.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
