This summer(August 7-8), the Korean Cultural Institute in Rome made the performance "Pansori: Tales in Music," produced by the prestigious National Gugak Center, available online for all newsletter subscribers free of charge
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Pansori is a traditional Korean dramatic song form that combines spoken narration and song, and has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2003. During the performance, a professional singer (sorikkun) is accompanied by a drummer (gosu), and together they create a narrative of dialogue, song, and dramatic action.
The gosu may say something during the performance with expressions of encouragement such as jochi ("nice!"), geureochi ("perfect!"), and eolssigu ("right on!"), thus adding to the energy of the performance. The audience also actively participates with shouts of support (chimsae), creating a shared experience in which singer, percussionist, and spectators become one.
The best-known pansori works are five main suites: Chunhyangga, Simcheongga, Heungboga, Sugungga, and Jeokbyeokga. The duration of these performances can vary from two to three hours for the shorter versions, up to seven to eight hours for the longer ones.
The main elements that characterize pansori music are: Seongeum: the expressive use of the voice to convey emotion, with vocal variations that follow the content of the text; Gil: the melodic scales and Jangdan: the traditional rhythmic patterns.
The first suite presented by the Institute was Chunhyangga, a touching story of love and fidelity featuring Chunhyang, the daughter of a gisaeng, devoted to her beloved Mongryong.
The second, Heungboga, tells the story of Heungbo, a poor but kind man who is rewarded for saving an injured swallow. His greedy and cruel brother Nolbo tries to imitate him but ends up punished.
Jeokbyeokga narrates the famous Chinese Battle of Red Cliff, based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (San Guo Zhi Yan Yi). It is one of the most dramatic and spectacular suites, accompanied by pieces such as Gunsa Seoreum (“The Sorrow of the Army”) and Jangseung Taryeong (“Song of the Totem”).
In Shimcheongga, the protagonist Simcheong sacrifices herself by throwing herself into the sea to restore her blind father's sight. However, she is saved by the Dragon King and becomes empress.
Finally, Sugungga, a blend of satire and wit, tells the story of the Dragon King, his servant—a tortoise—and a rabbit. The King, gravely ill, learns that only a rabbit's liver can heal him. He orders the tortoise to provide it, but the rabbit, thanks to its cunning, ultimately manages to save itself.
Thanks to this initiative by the Korean Cultural Institute in Rome, I had the opportunity to discover and appreciate a profound and fascinating aspect of Korean culture, recognized worldwide as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
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