Label: Ocora

国家無形遺産保有者であり、なんと2025大阪万博にて演奏を披露した朝鮮の伝統楽器"コムンゴ"の名手であるイ・ジェファを特集した、名門Ocoraによる2025年CD作品。琴の一種であり弦は6本、その起源は現在の北朝鮮と満州の大部分を支配していた古代王国"高句麗"にまで遡り、その歴史は約1600年に渡るとされる。弦を撥で叩くことで生じる摩擦音、また左手を弦の上で繊細に動かすことで生じる擦れ音によって多彩な音色を生み出す傑作盤。朝鮮半島全土では「あらゆる楽器の中で最も偉大な楽器」と伝えられている模様。

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In this unique recording, Lee Jae-hwa –a geomungo zither virtuoso– performs the suites Geomungo Hoesang and Geomungo Sanjo in the respective styles of the South and North of the Korean peninsula: distinct forms, techniques and rhythms, but with a shared subtlety, sensitivity and emotion.

The geomungo, a 6-string zither, features 16 frets over a resonating board made of paulownia wood. Its origins trace back to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo (37 BCE to 668 CE), which dominated the territory of present-day North Korea and a large part of Manchuria. Its rich history spans some 1600 years.

The geomungo makes dramatic sounds, through the friction created by the plectrum striking the strings, or the rustling created by the subtle movements of the left hand over the strings. Due to its dignified and stately nature, the geomungo was considered “the greatest of all instruments” throughout the Korean peninsula.