Korea Travels to Oakland
OAKLAND—In one of the adventurous Oakland Symphony’s boldest and most exotic ventures, half of the Nov. 15 program was devoted to Korean music which, though timeless in style, seems downright avant garde to Western ears. The centerpiece was Cal grad Jean Ahn’s concerto “The Woven Silk,” with soloist Soo Yeon Lyuh playing the two-stringed bowed haegeum fiddle, which resembles the Chinese erhu. The orchestral effects are difficult and unfamiliar, with swooping gestures, low trombone rumbles, and furious drumming. The restless…
