Korea // Current

North and South Korean navies exchange fire guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/10/north-korea-south-navy-ships-exchange-fire

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Kim Jong Il Rides Tricked Out Train

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - known for shunning air travel - has six luxurious... more

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The 950th Time is a Charm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/asia/07briefs-Korea.html... more

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Woman passes 950th driving test

A South Korean woman is celebrating after passing the written exam for a driving... more

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Disgraced cloning expert convicted in S.Korea

EOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A disgraced South Korean scientist who falsely claimed to... more

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Discover Beauty of Electronic Classical Music

``Ars Nova,'' the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's contemporary classical music program, opens its 2009 season this week in Seoul featuring electronic music.

``Do you think electronic music is difficult? Cell phone ring tones and other tunes you come across on a daily basis are electronic music. Come and discover the charms of electronic music through our upcoming concerts,'' Chin Unsuk, composer-in-residence of the Seoul Philharmonic, told reporters in Seoul last week.

Ars Nova III will commence Thursday at 8 p.m. at Seoul Arts Center and Ars Nova IV will be staged Saturday at 8 p.m. at KNUA Hall, Korea National University of Arts.

This year, the Seoul Philharmonic has collaborated with IRCAM (Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), a French modern music institute founded by Maestro Pierre Boulez, to introduce four pieces developed at the institute: ``Anthemes 2'' by Boulez, ``Double Bind'' by Chin (Asia premiere), ``Nemo'' by Finnish composer Jukka Tiensuu (Asia premiere) and ``Resonance'' by German composer York Holler.

``Electronic music is a genre that holds the most important meaning in contemporary music. As much as German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen once predicted that instrument-rendered music will eventually disappear in the future and only computer-generated electronic music will remain, my faith in electronic music is strong,'' said Chin.

``In traditional methods of composition, a composer cannot be sure of what kind of music will be delivered until a piece is actually played,'' explained the composer. ``Electronic music on the other hand appeals to the composer since one can fully control the form in which it will be presented to the audience.''

Nevertheless, electronic music remains something of a mystery to the average concertgoer.

``Modern man is constantly exposed to electronic music in the form of cell phone ring tones and such. It is in reality a very easy and common type of music but people think it is difficult when it is presented as an art form,'' she said.

``Electronic music ranges broadly from esoteric, difficult-to-hear pieces to easy-to-approach ones. The upcoming concerts will feature pieces that can be effortlessly enjoyed, and I hope concertgoers will discover the beauty of electronic music.''``Ars Nova,'' the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's contemporary classical music program,... more