'Night' Shows Innovative Minimalism

Several films have put Hong Sang-soo on the cinematic map as a unique minimalist, and he upholds the reputation with his latest work ``Night and Day.'' He captures the quizzical human sentiment with subtlety and presents mundane scenes with crafty simplicity.

``Night and Day'' marks Hong's first project shot outside of Korea. It is set in Paris where Hong himself had resided temporarily. While the film is thoroughly Korean in nature, it has that dash of ``je ne sais quoi'' inherent to French films.

It recently premiered at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, earning positive reviews from international critics.\

Actor Kim Young-ho stars as Seung-nam, a painter in his early 40s who is about to get arrested for smoking marijuana. Scared, he flees to Paris, leaving behind his beloved wife (Hwang Su-jung). He finds lodging at a small bed and breakfast run by a Korean, and so begins his so-called fugitive life.

During the day he lounges around, wandering the streets and prowling parks, while at night he cries with his wife over the phone. He runs into a former girlfriend, but when she tries to seduce him, it doesn't ignite any interest for him. He's much too worried about his wife.

But as days go by, he begins to settle down, befriending other lodgers and exploring the city with ease. Here, Hong depicts not so much the touristy landmarks of Paris but rather the small wonders of living there: small galleries tucked away in obscure alleyways, cheap attics rented out by students, the cafe around the corner and water sweeping down the filth of the street.

Seung-nam becomes a sort of cartoon character, donning pretty much the same outfit and backpack, and always carrying around some sort of small plastic bag.

Nobody suspects Seung-nam, a ``free-spirited'' artist, and his ``spontaneous trip.'' He is even introduced to the small community of Korean artists around the 14th district. Among them is Yu-jeong (Park Eun-hye), a beautiful and talented young art student, to whom he grows increasingly attracted.

He finally does manage to win Yu-jeong's heart, and engages in a dreamy romance. But his unsuspecting, but increasingly anxious, wife brings him back to Korea and back to reality ― which isn't so bad either.

While men may find Seung-nam tolerable ― and can even sympathize with him ― women may despise him, as his mindless philandering leaves several women in despair. For example, his former girlfriend reveals that she had six abortions while they dated, but he fails to do anything about it. He wrongs her again when he doesn't have the guts to reject her advances directly ― he takes her to a hotel room and reads her a passage from the Bible.

Likewise, with Yu-jeong, he pursues her aggressively, but his so-called love for her is more like an adolescent infatuation. He's just simple-minded and indecisive, and above all faithful to his current situation ― and his fleeting feelings ― and submits to sexual cravings.

The movie is charmingly anticlimactic as it walks the blurred line between night and day, reality and dreams, tragedy and comedy, and love and lust. It captures the movie-like moments of our lives, making it a life-like movie.

Pianist Lim Dong-hyek Emerges From Slump With Bach

Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul

This is the second in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians. ― ED

Lim Dong-hyek seems to have it all ― international competition trophies and two award-winning records with EMI under his belt before turning 20. To top it off, the 23-year-old has the cult following of a rock star in Korea.

His online fan club membership exceeds 400,000 people and his sold-out recitals start emptying out before curtains close as fans make an early exit to line up outside for his autograph. It's an unprecedented popularity for a classical musician here.

But in a recent Korea Times interview in Seoul, he rejected the notion of stars in classical music as well as nicknames like ``prodigy'' the public gave him. ``I mean, come on, Mozart was a true prodigy,'' he said.His denial, however, was not marked by humility but rather an unrestrained outspokenness, which kept his manager uneasy throughout the interview.

Lim seemed to break just about every stereotype of a classical musician. He doesn't live and breathe music 24 hours a day. In fact, he said he prefers not to talk about music in private situations and finds computer games more stimulating than the piano.

``Games are so strongly addictive, but why isn't the piano like that?'' he said jokingly. But he thought for a moment and said, ``But then again, the piano is like a soft addiction,'' he said.And staying away from the stage, where one can truly indulge in the ``soft addiction,'' was surely painful. The past two years for Lim was a long period of ennui and confusion as an artistic slump hit. But it was while playing a computer game that he heard a CD ― Glen Gould's rendition of Bach's Goldberg Variations ― and snapped out of it.

Now he's back in Korea for a recital tour, currently making his way across 12 cities through March 7.

Back With Bach

Going back a bit, how did it all happen? Lim is a prime example of success stories that encourage aspiring classical musicians to flock overseas to master the art of classical music. He himself endorses foreign training. ``Classical music is after all a Western art. I think learning about the culture helps better understand it,'' he said.

Lim started the piano at a relatively late age of seven, but by 10 had moved to Moscow, where he gave recitals attended by Russian president Boris Yeltsin. He went on to study in Hanover and is now at the Juilliard School in New York with Emmanuel Ax.

But it was far from easy.

In addition to the constant artistic battle with the self, he had to fight another war against prejudice. ``Racial discrimination is a lot more prevalent in the classical music world than you think. I have to work twice as hard to prove myself,'' he said. In 2005 he shared third place with his older brother Dong-min at the International Chopin event, where there was no second prizewinner. It was a phenomenal achievement, but the experience proved to be rather anticlimactic for Lim.

``I expect the worst for each competition, but the next is always even worse,'' said Lim, who will probably be forever known as the pianist who declined third prize at the 2003 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.He felt tired and decided to stay out of the competition pool. Entering one competition after another had kept him focused, and lacking an immediate goal, he ``lounged around doing nothing.''

``I didn't really know which direction to take,'' he said. ``But (the slump) would have come sooner or later, and I'm glad I got through it now. It's better now than later.

``Besides, what else can I do?'' he said. ``Playing the piano is the only thing I know how to do. It would be a waste to just throw away all the effort I've put into it,'' he said casually, but then said, ``The slump actually made me realize how much I can't live without music.'' Hearing Bach's Goldberg Variations by chance would inspire him to start anew. When you've hit rock bottom, there's nowhere else to go but up.

Last June, he made a comeback to the competition circle, finishing fourth at the Tchaikovsky event. He took up his new repertoire with vigor. Known as an interpreter of Chopin, Lim interpreter calls it ``stealing a glance of Bach.'' ``It's part of a never-ending process of learning as a musician. I thought if I were to do it, I might as well do a big piece. The Goldberg Variations is such a well-known piece, so it's a great challenge.``I learned the Chopin pieces with my heart, but had to use more of my head for Bach.

``It was like water and oil, they didn't mix together well,'' he said. Has Bach reached his heart yet? ``I'm not sure, I'll have to see with the first performance. Playing the piece onstage before an audience reveals its true charms,'' he said.

Lim will be giving his sixth performance tonight (Wednesday). He is still nervous each time he goes onstage, but each recital brings him closer to Bach, according to his manager.``It sounds a bit abstract, but it's all about communicating beauty. If I can touch or move the audience in any way, my mission is complete,'' he said. He will also be recording an album in April after the tour. ``But I'm not going to stay with Bach for too long. It's sort of ironic, but it's part of exploring something else so I can do what I do (Romantic works) better,'' he said.

And so his transformation as artist and as an individual continues. ``I want to mature as a human being,'' he said. As a musician, he refused to be defined in one color.``It's like a prism,'' he said about his musical world. ``The hue depends on how you look at it, and constantly changes depending on when and where it is.''

But some things don't seem to change. He's been living abroad for 14 years now, but remains Korean to the core. He only eats Korean food, including breakfast, and can't live without kimchi jjigae (pot stew) and gobchang gui (grilled small intestine of cattle). Lim said now that he's stepped out of the slump, he wants to gain weight and be healthier. Perhaps some Korean food in Korea would do the trick.

Lim is presenting a full program that includes the Goldberg Variations as well as Chaconne, BWV 1004 and the chorale preludes by Bach/Busoni. He will perform tonight (Feb. 20) in Ulsan; Friday at Goyang; Saturday at Nowon; Feb. 26 in Seoul; Feb. 28 in Seongnam; Feb. 29 in Suwon; March 3 in Seosan; and March 7 in Gwacheon.

The Seoul performance will take place at 8 p.m. at the concert hall of the Seoul Arts Center. Tickets cost 30,000-80,000 won. Call 1577-5266 for tickets and (02) 318-4303 for inquiries.

Prodigy Pianist Kim Sun-wook Goes International

Mr. Kim is the hottest headline maker in Korea's classical music scene, especially since he never studied abroad like his peers -- a triumph of the local arts education per se. He showed up looking like a typical teenager, like he just rolled out of bed. But his black garb and ironic speech screamed "artist" all over. I thought he was a kindred spirit -- an old person inside a young body.

Pianist Kim Sun-wook, 19, shares his thoughts about his musical career in a Korea Times interview. Having won major piano competitions and currently sealing a contract with an international arts management company, Kim is expanding his horizons onto the world stage. / Courtesy of the Seoul Arts Center

This is the first in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians. ― ED.

Having first struck the piano keys at the age of three, Kim Sun-wook had won most of the major domestic piano competitions by 10. He skipped high school to enter the Korea National University of Arts to study under the distinguished pianist/professor Kim Dae-jin. By 18 he had won major international piano competitions, making headlines by winning the 2004 Ettlingen (Germany), the 2005 Clara Haskil (Switzerland) and the 2006 Leeds (United Kingdom) events as Asia's first and the world's youngest winner in 40 years.

Now, before turning 20 in April, Kim is signing a contract with the prestigious international arts management company Askonas Holt. He will be joining distinguished artists such as conductors Simon Rattle and Chung Myung-whun, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and soprano Sumi Jo.

``But nothing's changed all that much,'' Kim told The Korea Times. ``My childhood dreams ― winning first place at competitions or signing contracts ― have all come true at a relatively early age. It's true that I've worked hard to achieve them, and I just want to keep it up. ``I like the word consistency. Make constant effort, without stopping or worrying about slumps or such. That's my dream, to be consistent,'' he said.

Many musicians dream of moving people's hearts but that is not what drives Kim.

``It might be selfish, but I play for myself. Of course the stage exists thanks to the public, and I am grateful. But there are so many pieces I want to play, so many orchestras I'd like to perform with and so many music halls I wish to be in,'' he said about expanding his horizons.But what Kim calls ``selfishness'' may be seen as an introspective focus that keeps him going. The recent media buzz doesn't seem to bother him much either.

The pianist met with The Korea Times over Seollal or Lunar New Year's break at a hotel in downtown Seoul. But it was no holiday for him.

``It's the best time to practice because I have lots of leisure time,'' he said. With windswept hair and sporting jeans, Kim seemed like a regular guy ― stripped of the glossy looks of the sleek tuxedo-clad pianist onstage. But his mind never seems to leave performing. ``I wouldn't feel comfortable staying away from the piano for the three-day break. The pressure of having to practice kills me but I always look forward to the stage.

``Being onstage is an addiction,'' he said. ``The darkened audience seats and the lit up stage… I simply love it. But when I actually play, I separate myself from the audience, and focus,'' he said. ``I joke about how I wish I could say my birthplace was the stage instead of Seoul,'' he laughed.

But the extensive stage exposure last year wasn't easy. Before winning the Leeds competition, Kim performed about six times a year but afterward was playing about 40 times a year, including a debut in Europe. He was constantly pressed to learn a string of concertos after another in a limited amount of time.

What is music to him then? ``It's just something I had to do naturally ever since I was young. I never consciously thought I'd like to become a pianist or a musician. But a life where I am not doing music seems very unnatural. It has naturally become something I cannot live without,'' he said.

``I think (my connection with music) exceeds a relationship with a friend or lover. It's like dressing or breathing, something you do without thinking,'' he said.How then did he come this far? It can be traced down to a voracious hobby and unquenchable curiosity.

Avid Collector

``I absolutely loved going to hakwon (private institutions),'' he said, referring to his taking up of extracurricular activities such as taekwondo, calligraphy, piano and swimming, as well as working on workbooks at home when he was little.

Kim was an avid collector of almost everything, and seeing all the colorful workbooks and bags for each activity greatly excited him. He pursued all these activities quite seriously, earning a black belt for Taekwondo, but he made the most rapid progress with the piano. ``I think I was driven by the desire to collect the next music score or booklet more so than the wish to master each piece,'' he said with a laugh. Naturally, he spent more time in front of the piano and cut off the other activities.

``I buy CDs endlessly,'' he said. Such avid consumerism to satisfy his singular passion to collect items has led to expanding his musical repertoire to the violin, and a growing thirst to learn. He took violin lessons for about four years, but gave it up for both practical reasons -- having to carry around the expensive instrument all the time -- and musical reasons of it being highly dependent on the piano for accompaniment.

``My mother would always tune into classical music, like concerts that air on TV of the KBS Symphony or a famous orchestra from overseas. I would then look up information about the orchestra and all the other orchestras of that country,'' he said. ``They call me the `king of online research.'"

``So when people ask how I got this far and why, of all things, the piano, I have nothing to say… I just liked listening to recordings and attending concerts, and here I am,'' he said.A classical musician to the core, his interests are bound to the genre. ``When I go to a noraebang (singing room), I have nothing to sing. It was only last month that I heard `Tell Me' for the first time'' he said, about the hit pop song by the Wonder Girls, which stirred up the entire country last year.

It's not a ``normal'' life, per se. But Kim disagrees. ``I guess I'd be taking the college entrance exams right now… But I consider myself the norm,'' he said. ``It sounds egocentric, but I just focus on myself. All my wishes have come true so far, but I'm still immature, I guess,'' said the artist, not with haughtiness, but with the ease and assurance of traveling at his own pace.

Even being labeled ``young artist'' seemed to bother him. It's true that there are musicians, but they are individuals and are of all ages. ``The age of the artist may be young but not necessarily his music… Of course no matter how hard I try, in terms of experience I could never rival that of someone a year older. I just think it's best for someone to play like his age,'' he said.

But while he directs his musical focus inward, his mind seems to stretch far outward. Kim is often hailed as a triumphant example of pure homegrown talent. He was never torn away at a young age to be trained in a foreign institution. Kim's teacher Kim Dae-jin also expressed deep pride in his student's achievement at a recent press meeting.

Last fall, Kim gave his first performance in Paris when he took part in the non-profit organization Corea Image Communications Institute's showcase of Korean arts and culture.``Rather than limit myself to Korea and being Korean, I'd like to think of myself as a global citizen,'' he said, saying how important it is to open oneself up to different cultures.

Kim reminds one of a peaceful walk in the forest ― a moment of deep introspection that still allows time to admire the surroundings. In fact he said trees and natural scenery inspire him.

Kim will present one of his new pieces that he practiced over Seollal, Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto in a concert on Friday (invitation only) and Saturday. Joining him at the Seoul Arts Center are soprano Shin Young-ok and the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Tickets for Saturday cost 10,000-100,000 won. Call (02) 580-1300.

The pianist will give what will be an increasingly rare domestic performance with the BBC Philharmonic in March before going on a four-week military training camp in April, after which he will leave for Europe in the summer.

Pianist Jerome Rose Inspires Students

Pianist Jerome Rose gives a master class last week in southern Seoul. Side by side, teacher and student play and converse through music on two grand pianos. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Pianist Jerome Rose gives a master class last week in southern Seoul. Side by side, teacher and student play and converse through music on two grand pianos.
/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-won

``It's fortissimo, fortissimo!'' exclaimed the pianist, as a young student tried to catch up in playing Franz Liszt's ``Dante Sonata.'' ``I don't understand how you can do that without switching the pedal.''

This is Jerome Rose, one of America's most distinguished pianists, giving a master class to young students in Seoul. He was in town for a recital at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 29, and had contacted the local Yamaha Artist Services to offer the free tutorial the following day.

``Listz, being the greatest pianist in the world, played like he was the greatest pianist in the world,'' Rose encouraged the 17-year-old student to play with confidence. ``Bravo,'' he said, ending the heated lesson on a happy note.

``All of music is in many ways autobiographical; it's an expression of your imagination and life experience and the life experience of the music you're representing,'' Rose told The Korea Times after giving his second lesson.

Rose has been seen all over the world stage since making an international debut in his early 20s. A Gold Medallist of the International Busoni Competition, he also has critically acclaimed recordings of Liszt, Chopin and Beethoven under his belt.``What I was trying to do with this young man was show him that (the `Dante Sonata') is a dramatic episode after the reading of Dante's `Inferno.' This is an absolute tome form of music, which Franz Liszt wrote from his years of pilgrimage. The years of pilgrimage are basically a representation of his entire life.

``And I don't think the young man playing the piano really understands where this piece fits into Liszt's life. He will in time… I did not have time to explain all of this to him,'' he said.``In order to understand music you have to understand life ― I think this has been said a million times by a million different people. You play who you are,'' explained Rose, emphasizing once again that who you are is an extent of one's imagination, talents, passion and human experiences, and ability to identify with the music.

``You and the music are one. When somebody sits down to play, they are living the music and the music lives through them. They are the body, the mind and the spirit of the music. The great performance is the synthesis of the body, the mind and the spirit,'' said Rose.

Five aspiring musicians each received one-hour lessons from the pianist, while some 150 people stopped by. Playing all afternoon could have easily been enervating, but explosive energy and dramatic tension pierced the air throughout. Students, parents, teachers and professional musicians came by to hear the open lecture, including up-and-coming pianist Kim Tae-hyung, 22, the first Korean to win the City of Porto International Piano Competition.

Through the master class, Rose said he hopes to inspire: ``All you can do is excite a certain imagination. That's all you hope to do in one lesson. It's to say, yes, there is music, and there is a world of drama, performance and imagination that you can aspire to. You, too, can be an artist. That's all you have to do, to inspire someone to the importance that they have, in the moment they sit down to play.''``It was so inspiring and stimulating,'' said Jeong Yong-hwan, 17, who tackled the ``Dante Sonata'' with Rose. A third year student at the elite Yewon School, he studies under Kim Dae-jin, one of Korea's most prominent pianists.

``Korean teachers usually focus on the detail, but Mr. Rose emphasized the overall feel of the piece,'' said Jeong. ``(Rose's) performance is so powerful ― it really prompts me to read Dante's `Inferno' and practice extra hard,'' he said.But Jeong wasn't the only one moved by the experience. ``Yes (it's inspiring to play with these young students) ― it's like planting a seed and seeing it grow. This is true for any teacher, it's like having children. It's very exciting,'' said Rose, who currently teaches at his alma mater, Mannes College of Music.

``The children in Korea are very special as you know,'' he said. ``The parents are very dedicated to their children. It's a very special society, and the children are very important to them. And with education being triumphant in the culture, unlike many societies, Korea is striving today,'' he said.

``I've long been dreaming of studying in the United States,'' Jeong said. ``After the lesson with the English/Korean interpreter, I realized that I needed to polish up my English,'' he said.

Yamaha Artist Services Seoul (YASS), located in COEX, southern Seoul, provides a platform for rising young talent by providing recitals and master classes with top musical experts. Jeong, for example, had attended a master class with Russia's celebrated Mikhail Voskresensky in 2006 for Chopin's ``Polonaise'' and won the Bechstein Samik Piano Competition the following year with the piece.

To learn more about YASS, visit www.yamaha-music.co.kr (in Korean)

`Chaser’ Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills

Not another serial killer story ― and for St. Valentine's Day? You've got to be kidding. But ``The Chaser,'' coming to theaters Feb. 14, is no joke. It's a film noir with a serious message, but is entertaining despite being ridden with social criticism from beginning to end.

While giving the much-exploited genre a novel edge, it's a classic edge-of-the-seat experience with pulsating action, cynical comic relief and elusively gripping characters. Two hours fly by in no time.

``The Chaser'' marks director Na Hong-jin's feature film debut. He made a name for himself in the international scene for shorts like ``A Perfect Red Snapper Dish,'' and presents an original story that was three years in the making.

Here, the cat-and-mouse game is not between the police and criminal: In American parlance, a less-than-average Joe tracks down a serial murderer, while the corrupt police and public prosecutors prove to be rather useless.

Kim Yun-seok, the award-winning supporting actor from ``Tazza: The High Rollers'' and the familiar face from ``The Happy Life,'' nails down his first lead role. Jung-ho is an antihero who gives a bad first impression. He's a former cop who got fired for bribery, and now runs a so-called door-to-door masseuse service, which is really a sordid call girl business.

Jung-ho is in a sour mood as one call girl vanishes after another. When Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hi) disappears he notices that they've gone missing after getting a call from the same client, or cell phone number.

He suspects human trafficking and sets out to catch the culprit, grumbling how much money he had paid for the girls. ``4885 ― that's you, right? If I catch you, you're dead,'' he says. Jung-ho does track him down, but it's far from heroic. He accidentally crashes into the guy while driving recklessly.

``I didn't traffic them… I killed them. But that woman (Mi-jin) is probably alive,'' killer Ji Myeong-min (Ha Jung-woo) ``casually'' mentions to the police. What's more, he can't seem to remember the exact number of his victims ― was it 10 or 12?

The police have hit the jackpot, as Myeong-min claims to be responsible for a bunch of unsolved serial murders. They try to put a case together in a desperate attempt to save face after a notorious incident that had literally dung-slapped the Seoul mayor.

While the cops are busy poking around in all the wrong places to retrieve evidence, Jung-ho, convinced that Mi-jin is still alive, embarks on his own investigation. It's because she is a valuable asset for business, not a sense of social responsibility. But corrupt politics among the police and prosecutors, media play and other mishaps set the killer free. A breathtaking chase ensues.

Ha Jung-woo (``Never Forever''), whom renowned director Martin Scorsese had praised as having ``as much potential as Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon,'' brazenly displays an animalistic instinct for acting. He is both passively aggressive and ``aggressively passive'' as the enigmatic murderer. Is he sexually frustrated misogynist? A failed artist? A psychopath? The film does not attempt to deconstruct the mind of the murderer nor does it provide flashbacks of traumatized childhood or such.

It simply lays out the senselessly brutal act as it is. A hammer, chisel and a full swing.

The average viewer, despite having been conditioned to movie conventions that offer a solid who, what, when, where and why, have no time to demand reason. Apart from being overwhelmed by the harrowing bloodshed, one is swiftly led from one heart-pounding scene to another.

The script, while a bit rough around the edges, is smart and stylish as it paints a grimacing portrait of contemporary society with all its muck and grit.

We see ugly modern man indulge in instant gratification and easily satisfy sexual urges with one phone call. His anonymity is guaranteed, of course, for names and personal identity have degenerated into numerical digits. Corrupt authorities that are blinded by personal gain overlook his sins.

``Yes, it is,'' Na said bluntly when asked if the movie was a social criticism. ``Fury prompted me to write the story,'' he told reporters following the film's press preview in Seoul. ``Intentions for murder cannot and should not be justified,'' he said.