[News Culture reporter Lee Junseop] The National Theater of Korea is bringing back an introductory gugak—Korean traditional music—program designed for teenagers. Rather than offering textbook-style explanations, the production aims to translate the emotional life of today’s young people into orchestral gugak, putting feeling and storytelling at the center of the stage.
The National Gugak Orchestra, the theater’s resident ensemble, will stage 'Soso Concert' at the Daloreum Theater from May 14 to 16. Performances are scheduled for weekday mornings and weekend afternoons to fit teenagers’ daily rhythms.
The program is built around an emotional arc. It begins with a burst of inexplicable laughter, moves into the pressure of exams and competition, then traces anxiety, anger, emptiness and recovery—ending on a note of encouragement. Instead of a series of unrelated pieces, the concert is structured to accumulate and release feeling as if telling a single story.
The evening opens with 'Eolssiguya Pungnyeoniguna,' a reworking of a familiar tune for gugak orchestra that eases the audience into the music. It is followed by 'Oops! Exam,' which captures pre-test tension and pressure, and the third movement of 'House of Emotions,' portraying the often directionless anxieties of adolescence. At its most charged, the program places 'Bureok (Anger),' a piece that forcefully exposes interpersonal clashes and inner ruptures.
After that, 'Festival' evokes escape from the everyday and a sense of liberation, while 'Yunseul' sketches the hollow left behind when emotions subside. The finale, 'We Are Unique,' closes with a message of self-affirmation. Co-performers Pansori Factory Badaksori will raise the stage’s emotional intensity with their distinctive narrative style.
Director Lee Gi-ppeum, head of the creative collective LAS, returns to lead the production. Drawing on a sensibility honed across genres, she focuses on weaving music and visuals into an organic whole. Conductor Jang Tae-pyeong leads the orchestra; known for moving fluidly between composition and conducting, he has broadened the gugak orchestra’s range. Video designer Go Dong-wook and set designer Song Ji-in join the team to deepen the audiovisual experience.
Since debuting in 2021, 'Soso Concert' has redefined how gugak is presented to young audiences. The first run combined large-scale sound and video and was praised as a concert-style production; later editions downscaled the venue to bring performers and listeners closer. Recently the series has emphasized narrative and is emerging as a distinct brand.
Founded in 1995, the National Gugak Orchestra has pursued contemporary creation rooted in traditional instruments. The ensemble has steadily modernized its distinctive timbre, and this latest program is another effort to broaden its connection with younger listeners.
News Culture reporter Lee Junseop rhees@nc.press
