Maybe it is the cool cobalt waters, or the sun-drenched azure sky. Maybe it is the cherry blossoms and the camellias that turn the entire city into a garden come spring. Maybe it is the breathtaking view of the nearby islands from the hills. Whatever it is, the small seaside city of Tongyeong has produced some of the country’s cultural greats.
The writer Park Kyung-li (1926-2008), best known for her multi-volume epic “Land,” set a popular novel in Tongyeong. The poet Yu Chi-hwan (1908-1967) mailed love letters from a hillside post office which he immortalized in a poem. And then there is Yun I-sang (1917-1995), the composer who professed to being inspired by his hometown even as he wrote music in Germany.
Unlike other popular Tongyeong cultural luminaries, Korean’s discovery of Yun is a rather recent development. The first Isang Yun Music Festival was held in 1994, some 25 years after he went into a self-imposed exile in Germany following a life sentence for involvement in a North Korean spy ring and his eventual release two years later. Although Yun’s absence cast a shadow on the occasion ― the government barred him from entering Korea ― it was the first time that the public heard his music being performed. In fact, Yun was better known in the West where modern music cognoscenti recognize him for his attempts to bridge the East and the West through music.
Over the years, the festival weathered several political storms and was eventually renamed Tongyeong International Music Festival. Marking a watershed moment in its history, the long-awaited concert hall hosted its first TIMF last year. The 1,300-seat Tongyeong Concert Hall was a coup for the city which now boasts South Gyeongsang Province’s only classical concert hall.
Shaped like a seagull in flight, Tongyeong Concert Hall, perched up on a cliff overlooking the sea, is a perfect venue to lose yourself in music, putting all the worldly cares behind you. After a concert, you step out into the balcony overlooking the sea and you feel like a new person, in another world.
During the two-day stay in Tongyeong last weekend, I attended a concert each day, listening to the familiar and the unfamiliar. On Saturday I heard the Basel Symphony Orchestra led by Dennis Russell Davies perform Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with the pianist Fazil Say, the Stravinsky Firebird Suite, and, for the first time, a piece by Hindemith, “Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber.” I admit I am not a modern music fan but the harmonies and the beats that were strange and new jolted me out of a certain sense of jadedness about attending classical music concerts.
The Saturday morning recital by Say, a composer and pianist, was an introduction to music that is informed by his Turkish heritage as well as recent developments in his native country. Many of his compositions had their Korean premiere that day, including “Black Earth,” transporting the audience in Tongyeong to another harbor city thousands of miles away.
As much as I delighted in discovering new music, however, something was amiss. There was little of Yun in this year’s program ― a total of four pieces during the 10-day festival. In fact, I left Tongyeong without having heard any of Yun’s compositions being performed. Certainly this could be improved. Perhaps in 2017, the centennial of Yun’s birth, we will be treated to at least one Yun composition each day. Surely politics should not be allowed to stand in the way between music and the people. Maybe ideology and politics could be set aside so that we can all appreciate Yun’s genius.
Standing in line at the box office, I overhead a mother with two daughters ask the staff if she could buy tickets with culture vouchers. Culture vouchers are issued by the government to low-income households to be used toward participating in cultural events. It was an “a-ha” moment for me. While critics claim that the locals have not embraced the TIMF and that the festival has nothing to do with the everyday people of Tongyeong ― the locals make up 30 percent of the attendees ― here was a family taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by an international music festival in their midst. Perhaps listening to Say’s music will open their ears and souls to a new world ― and their lives will be richer for that.
My bet is that in a not-too-distant future, Tongyeong may again see a cultural renaissance. The TIMF is dedicated to fostering the next generation’s appreciation for music, holding children’s concerts as part of its program. The Tongyeong Concert Hall also hosts the city’s students throughout the year, a strategic move that is aimed at getting the people of Tongyeong to take interest in classical music. “Children will attend a concert and talk about their experience during family mealtimes. This way, the parents will be encouraged to come too,” said Florian Riem, TIMF Foundation CEO, in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. Some 10,000 children attended concerts last year and this year, the concert hall expects to have 15,000.
For the city which contributes 1 billion won toward the festival ― South Gyeongsang Province provides 100 million won while the TIMF Foundation raises 200 million won ― the TIMF is a good investment that is sure to reap returns in terms of increased tourism income and greater city brand awareness both domestically and internationally. Already, the TIMF is making itself known as a unique, premier modern music festival in Korea and Asia that attracts internationally acclaimed musicians to little-known Tongyeong. But the most significant return will be in the form of a thriving cultural scene that will enrich the souls and minds of its people and, I dare dream, the emergence of great musicians and artists who call Tongyeong their hometown. Just like the cherry blossom buds that had bloomed fully in a matter of hours while I was attending a concert, that day will come unexpectedly and to the delight of everyone.
By Kim Hoo-ran
Kim Hoo-ran is an editorial writer at The Korea Herald. She can be reached at khooran@heraldcorp.com ― Ed.
