Intercultural Aesthetics in the Contemporary Korean Compositions of Hae-Sung Lee

• Published in: World of music 2017-01, Vol.6 (1), p.103-122
• Main Author: Oh, Hee Sook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0043-8774

Interculturality is a popular concept in the world of Korean contemporary music composition. Rather than a collection of divergent musical forms fused via composition, the term interculturality implies a groundedness integral and inseparable from the identity of the composer, as well as that of the listener. Therefore, when studying the work of contemporary Korean composers, questions regarding to what extent and in what form both personal and cultural contexts influence musical themes and forms are often relevant. In this paper, I examine the compositions of Hae-Sung Lee (*1961) in order to explore interculturality as a process of identity articulation. Like with many contemporary Korean composers, Lee's compositional training and experience is grounded within the European art tradition and underscores her approach to composition. At the same time, while not explicitly writing "Korean" contemporary music, her personal history and cultural background frame her perspective on compositional focus and aesthetics. Straddling musical worlds, Hae-Sung Lee's awareness of her identity has always been a main concern for her, whether in a direct or indirect way. Lee disapproves of assumptions regarding a fusion of the assumed-monolithic "Korean" and "Western" musical cultures. Instead, she stresses that when musical cultures interact nuanced distinctions emerge. Lee's perspective is one embodying a pursuit of aesthetic equality through a reciprocal interchange between musical cultures; something which I contend forms the heart of any intercultural music practice. In this paper, I examine bicultural orchestration and Korea-specific sociological-historic themes in Lee's works in order to illustrate this perspective on interculturality. To explore Lee's compositional perspective, the paper analyzes Mulkil (Waterway) for Violin, 2 Hae-Gums, and Cello (2000), Darem for Gayago and Violin (2001), Maruta for Orchestra (1995), Sae-ya Sae-ya for Violin and Orchestra (2003).