title

paan

year of composition

2021

duration

8′

instrumentation

gueum, piri, and harp

performance

• june 30, 2021 | busan, south korea

mijin kim · gueum

jiyoon kim · piri

younglip kim · harp

program note

This piece was written after listening to the gu-eum of a master singer. Gu-eum is a performance act that imitates the sounds of traditional Korean instruments using the human voice. Gu-eum itself contains an expansion of expression. This aspect came across as having great potential as creative material. The piece ‘Paan’ brings in these characteristics of gu-eum, treating the voice as instruments. In this way, all three instruments have equal weight, each performing its role and influencing each other. The structure progresses as if the instruments are laying a foundation or in Korean ‘paan’ for each other, with one leading seamlessly into the next. Different scales, distinct from traditional Korean music, are mixed to attempt a unique soundscape.