INTERVIEW: Byeong Woo Lee makes NY debut, and he’s bringing ‘Mother’
Photo: Byeong Woo Lee will perform a two-part concert at The Town Hall in New York City on April 20. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by Cindy Byram PR with permission.
Byeong Woo Lee’s collaboration with director Bong Joon Ho is the stuff of legend. The guitarist-composer has scored a few of Bong’s films in the past, and audiences around the world have fallen in love with the intensity, beauty and pathos of the accompanying music. Their collaborations include The Host, a superb monster movie with an unexpected heart; Tokyo!, a short film from 2008; and Mother, a crime thriller celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
This artistic collaboration will be celebrated, alongside Lee’s exquisite guitar work, at a special “double feature” event at The Town Hall in New York City on Saturday, April 20. The evening will begin with a concert given by Lee that will surely include some of his original compositions for the guitar, followed by a screening of Mother, featuring Lee’s score performed live. Joining the guitarist for the evening will be an orchestra assembled from members of The Harlem Chamber Players, conducted by Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Tania León, according to press notes.
“I am incredibly thrilled and overwhelmed,” Lee wrote in a recent email interview about his New York City debut. “I can’t wait to go to the venue and experience the atmosphere and energy that has been around for 100 years. … Audiences can expect to enjoy the sight of someone who has loved the guitar all his life playing it, and the songs he composed for films, and to experience the orchestral live score to Bong Joon-ho’s 2009 film Mother, a beautiful yet uncomfortable masterpiece.”
Lee has been playing the guitar since he was 10 years old, and he remained self-taught for the first 15 years of his musical career. Then, he made a move to Vienna in order to study the instrument. “The resonance of the guitar cradled in my arms that makes sounds day by day is the resonance that keeps me alive,” he stated. “I am following that resonance all the way to New York!”
According to the guitarist, his work with Bong was “truly fantastic,” and apparently it was a true collaboration, with the filmmaker respecting Lee’s creative opinions and allowing him to compose freely. Of course, Bong has gone on to international acclaim with his Oscar-winning film Parasite. For Mother, the production team rented a concert hall within a school for individuals with disabilities. Lee was struck by the architecture and décor.
“What made it unique was its interior was entirely made of ceramics, which not only looked special but also provided excellent acoustics,” he stated. “Director Bong Joon-ho sat in the audience, watching everything and was delighted with how beautifully the recording turned out. I was truly happy (notably, the son who is accused of murder in the movie Mother also has a developmental disability).”
One of the compositions that sticks out the most in Mother is a piece called “Festival.” The song was inspired by Korea’s criminal procedures — at least in a roundabout way. Here’s how Lee put it: “In Korea, there is a process where, after a criminal is caught, the crime is re-enacted with the police, and during this, the local people watch the scene in silence. Normally, a very sharp and tense score would be expected in this situation, but I composed music with the opposite feeling, like circus music, inviting people to watch. The music was composed after watching the movie.”
Lee will remain busy after The Town Hall show. He heads to Seoul, Korea, for an orchestra concert, and he begins work composing music for a contemporary ballet. This New York City engagement surely is a sonic treat for audience members who love modern film scores.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Byeong Woo Lee will offer a two-part concert event Saturday, April 20, at The Town Hall in New York City. He’ll open with a guitar concert and then perform the live score to Mother. Click here for more information and tickets. Emailed responses were slightly edited for style.
