Parasite·Ogam Music Director Jeong Jae-il Receives Standing Ovation at London Symphony Orchestra Collaboration

10th Anniversary Opening Performance of 1-Day K-Music Festival Marks UK Debut
"Proud and Happy to Showcase Korean Traditional Music in the UK"

Composer Jeong Jae-il, famous as the music director of Squid Game, made a successful local debut through a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra at the opening performance of the 10th anniversary K-Music Festival held by the Korean Cultural Center UK at the Barbican Centre in London on the 1st (local time).

Composer Jeong Jae-il is performing in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra at the opening concert of the K-Music Festival held at the Barbican Centre in London on the 1st (local time).
[Photo by the Korean Cultural Center UK]

At the opening performance, Jeong Jae-il opened the stage with a lyrical yet grand rendition of "Ocean Meets the Land," a track from his album Listen. The audience held their breath, focusing on his piano performance, and when the iconic soundtrack "Pink Soldiers" from the Netflix drama Squid Game followed, they responded enthusiastically.

The highlight of the first part of the performance was "Memorare," included in the 2022 album Psalms. True to its title meaning "Remember" as a prayer, a sacred choir resounded while the string instruments' melodies evoked deep resonance. Director Jeong introduced the piece during the performance, saying, "I composed it thinking of the Earth suffering from climate change."

In the second part, the soundtrack from the Academy Award-winning film Parasite was performed. Following the representative piece "The Belt of Faith," "Zappaguri" was performed in collaboration with Jeong’s delicate yet powerful piano melodies and the London Symphony Orchestra’s playing under the skilled baton of conductor Robert Ziegler, eliciting cheers from the audience.

Led by Simon Rattle, the London Symphony Orchestra is the resident ensemble of the Barbican Centre and a world-class orchestra collaborating with top artists and conductors from the UK and around the globe. Previously, Director Jeong recorded the music for Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming sci-fi film Mickey 17 with the London Symphony at Abbey Road Studios in London last summer. This performance marked Jeong’s first live collaboration with the London Symphony beyond recording. Already possessing a strong fan base both domestically and internationally, Director Jeong met the British audience for the first time through this performance.

Pansori singer Kim Yulhee and percussionists Lee Jeonghyung and Kwon Seolhun bow on stage after performing director Jeong Jaeil's new song 'A Prayer'.
[Photo by Juyeong Korean Cultural Center]

The highlight of the opening performance was the new piece "A Prayer," featuring pansori singer Kim Yul-hee and percussionists Lee Jeong-hyung and Kwon Seol-hoon. Kim Yul-hee’s heart-stirring pansori combined with the resonant sounds of the Korean representative percussion instruments, janggu and kkwaenggwari, filled the 2,000-seat Barbican Centre.

Following this, the orchestra’s grand strings and percussion were complemented by Director Jeong’s powerful piano playing, bringing the performance to its climax. This final piece, which carries the meaning of dispelling all anger and misfortune while boosting blessings and energy, was met with a standing ovation from the audience.

After the performance, Director Jeong expressed in an interview with the press, "I feel proud and happy to present Korean traditional music together with the London Symphony at the Barbican Centre."

After the concert, Liam Izod of Songlines magazine said, “It was a magnificent performance that left me deeply moved beyond words,” and praised it as “a perfect harmony of Eastern and Western music unlike anything I have ever heard.”

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the K-Music Festival will hold a total of nine performances at major UK venues including the Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, and Kings Place until November 12, following the successful opening performance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.