Jeonghyeon Joo
composer | haegeum performer
for 7 gayageum players
commissioned by Byeonghun Ha
commission supported by Arts Council Korea
premiered 12/2/2025, M Theater, South Korea
ca. 10 minutes or flexible duration
Score available by request.
there is no paradise to escape to is about the desire to run away from one’s reality to seek an ideal that may or may not exist. The composition stems from my fascination with the development of the gayageum over history and its preoccupation with change. The three different gayageums I have chosen for this ensemble represent three different times when the numbers of strings were increased and the materials modified in an attempt to push the instrument more towards the West, like a piano or harp. However, the trajectory this change has been taking is, in my opinion, a dead end. A false paradise.
Instead, I approach the instrument from its physical structure and the textural possibilities provided by its many strings and movable bridges. These extended techniques, developed in workshop with Byeonghun Ha, move the instrument towards an possible other world, inhabited by clusters, bowed and percussive noise, and microtonal beatings. The piece consists of three seamless but distinguishable movements that are designated by different acoustic preparations, performers’ gestures, and lighting cues. As the piece progresses, the choices made by each performer, including the soloist, gradually come to determine a significant portion of the music.
This piece is commissioned by and dedicated to Byeonghun Ha, with support from the Arts Council Korea. The premiere took place on December 2nd in Seoul, South Korea.
ⓒ moamoa production
Score: Download PDF