A growing ‘sisterhood’

By Catherine Amos

Published: May 8, 2008

Normally filled with quiet researchers and pleasure readers, Culpeper County Library was packed from bookshelf to bookshelf last Friday with locals, foreign visitors and the high-energy sound of “fusion” music.

The South Korean hybrid fusion group Haegum Plus performed a free show at the library last week, just days after a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The show was a part of their East Coast tour, “Remembering the Future.” Though they played at the library, the quality of the performance was deserving of a grandiose concert hall.

The performance strengthened the growing bond between Culpeper and Korea after the South Korean consulate recently announced “sisterhood” ties with Culpeper County, home to the only place in America named Korea.

Led by musician Kang Eun Il, Haegum Plus (pronounced “higgum”) performs with both traditional Korean and western instruments, blending Korean music with classical and jazz to create an intriguing and modern sound that was surprisingly pleasing.

Haegum Plus comprises nine members playing a variety of instruments, including guitars, drums and a keyboard along with the haegum, gayageum and piri. Kang showcases the haegum, a stringed instrument resembling a fiddle but played vertically like a cello.

But on the haegum, there are only two strings. The bow is trapped between the strings and actually attached to the instrument.

“From this very old instrument, we are seeking our future,” Kang said via a translator. “And here we are with all of you. Maybe we can see our futures together.”

The gayageum is a traditional Korean 12-string zither-like instrument and the piri is a double-reed woodwind tinier than a piccolo, but it packs the punch of a saxophone.
Kang described the gayageum as symbolizing the heavens, with the strings’ individual bridges resembling birds’ feet, “as if they’re flying.” The deftness and speed of the instrument’s player were mesmerizing.

The library, though welcoming to Friday’s visitors, was too small for such a large crowd — more than 200 people crammed into the center aisle between bookshelves, spilling into the rear and nearby reading sections.

The blend of sounds Haegum Plus created was both powerful and tender, with haunting melodies and heavy rhythms. Mostly instrumental songs, some were upbeat and cheerful, some somber and wistful.

A young Korean girl sang “Amazing Grace” in both English and Korean as Kang played along on the haegum, truly blending two separate cultures in a single song. With a great swell of music and emotion, the audience softly sang the familiar melody along with her.

Sometimes smooth and sultry, other times spastic and unpredictable, Kang’s performance — and the rest of the group — was captivating. The audience seemed pleased as people tapped their feet and clapped their hands, keeping time with the percussion.

Some shouted Korean praises and everyone rose for a standing ovation after the final song.

“For small Culpeper, I never expected to see a performance like that,” someone said. “I didn’t even have to go to the Kennedy Center.”

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .