Aug. 15 was both Korea's Independence Day and the anniversary Japan's surrender in World War II, and was met by two very different scenes in Tokyo. At night in the main theater of the Tokyo Art Center, a Japanese MC dressed in white traditional Korean hanbok appeared before a full house of some 2,000 spectators. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is the host of the popular talk show "Tetsuko's Room" and author of the book "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window", which sold a total of around 20 million copies in 35 countries.
"As Aug. 15 is a day we can never forget, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra has held a concert for peace every year since 1989,¡± she told the audience. ¡°This year's conductor is a promising star of the Korean music world, Oh Choong-keun, a professor at Kosin University."
The Korean conductor took the podium and lifted the baton to lead the Japanese orchestra through the dynamic highs and lows of the Bizet¡¯s ¡°L'Arlesienne Suite¡± and Stravinsky's "Firebird." Joining the orchestra later was New Age pianist Yuhki Kuramoto, who has sold 1.5 million albums in Korea alone. Tetsuko asked Kuramoto various Korea-themed questions such as, "You were popular in Korea before you did in Japan, what was your secret?" and, "You have worked a lot with Korean Wave stars like Bae Yong-joon and Lee Young-ae, what was that like?"
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Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra performing a concert to mark Korea¡¯s Liberation Day, Aug. 15.
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Kuramoto said because his music was used in Korean TV dramas, it was only natural for him to become well known there. ¡°I rode the Korea Wave in reverse," he quipped. "I was happy to hear that Lee Young-ae says she is a fan of my music." He is rewarded with appreciative laughter. The Japanese audience¡¯s enjoyment was a clear reflection of the state of grassroots Korea-Japan cultural interaction. As the first phrases of the encore piece, Korea's traditional folk tune ¡°Arirang¡±, began to flow off the stage, members of the audience could be heard lightly humming along.
Yet on the morning of the same day, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi worshiped at the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses memorials to war criminals. He justified himself saying if he skipped the visit on the contentious day there would also be protests, sparking an outcry in Korea and elsewhere in Asia. Saburo Kurematsu of the Tokyo Philharmonic, the man who invited Oh, said, "Politics and culture are two separate things, but I hope that even if it's just for one day, we can send a message of peace through our music."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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