Winzer Krems | Concert Evening 3

"K ..." – wasn't there something? K-Pop has taken the world by storm from South Korea. In contrast, traditional Korean music has so far been reserved for the initiated – less known than the music of neighboring Japan or China, to which it is in no way inferior.

Three exceptional female musicians are working to change that. Precise virtuosity meets playful creativity in Hilgeum. Adding to this are the fascinating sounds of traditional instruments, with a role distribution akin to that of a rock band: Somin Park plays solos on the two-stringed tube fiddle Haegeum, Yerim Kim strikes her riffs on the curved board zither Geomungo like on an electric guitar. Yoin Cho plucks the Gayageum with one hand while the other hand manipulates the sound up and down like a synthesizer, creating vibratos and glissandi.

Their performances are unique experiences: the full sound of the ensemble with two basses and two drummers; jazz with the intensity of rock music, raw, warm, and tender at the same time. The band has been making waves for ten years: jazz with roots in traditional music such as that of the Gnawa in North Africa's Maghreb. Their concert tours have taken them across Europe, North America, and Africa.

Memorable moments connect bandleader Lukas Kranzelbinder and Glatt&Verkehrt: in 2018, a concert by Shake Stew featured a dance performance by the Sons Of Sissy with Simon Mayer; in 2022, Kranzelbinder's trio Interzone played with Danyèl Waro and his band from La Réunion.