Meaning of Music

¡°I grew up in Chile as a child and moved to America as a teenager,¡± Bang said. ¡°I was always into music and while learning to play instruments, I shaped my own style of music. When I graduated from college, I seriously thought about my career. I had a chance to visit Korea, so I started sending demo tapes to music producers and production companies.¡±

Afterwards, Bang received an offer to record an album. He began his music career by forming the band U&Me Blue in 1994. Though the band did not enjoy commercial success, it was recognized for a distinct music sound and talent at a time when modern rock was unfamiliar to most Koreans. This also led to another opportunity: composing film scores.

The composer said, ¡°I¡¯d worked on film scores before, but ¡°Tell Me Something¡± was the first movie whose score I was in charge of. My first experience creating a music score was so refreshing and exciting. I remember I basically spent all day at the theater after school, that¡¯s how much I loved movies. I was thrilled to be working on my two favorite things: music and movies.¡±

Bang said ¡°Joint Security Area¡± was when he fully felt the power of a movie, experiencing a gamut of emotions in the process and finally witnessing the audience¡¯s reactions. Afterwards, he said he grew more eager to continue his career in cinematic soundtracks and utilizing his unique musical style.

Things changed, however, after he got immersed in work and began to treat what he loved to do as a profession. He lost much of his initial excitement and enthusiasm in composing film scores. Worse, his declining health prevented him from working. ¡°When I started thinking about taking a break from work, I was diagnosed with cancer. I chose to overcome my cancer through natural treatment and in the meantime, I pondered the question of what I needed to do,¡± he said.

¡°The projects I took on after my recovery were ¡°The Throne¡± and ¡°Veteran.¡± While I highlighted the value of ¡®my music¡¯ or ¡®unique style¡¯ before, my three-year hiatus from work changed my views and got me to focus more on the audience. I asked myself, ¡®What can I do to help the audience get the most out of this movie?¡¯ and ¡®How can I deliver the stories of the movie more effectively?¡¯¡± His drive to achieve these goals resulted in his acclaimed score for the two ¡°Along with the Gods¡± films, which each drew more than 10 million viewers. His score contributed to the success of the movie, as it helped the plot unfold in a rather sophisticated manner by setting the tone.

To Bang, a movie is a story that is told by another language: music

Folk Music: Universal Language

Bang¡¯s next project was considerably different from his previous endeavors. He collaborated with director Kim Tae-yong, whose films include the critically acclaimed ¡°Late Autumn,¡± and the National Gugak Center to produce ¡°Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels.¡± Unfamiliar with gugak (traditional Korean music), Bang spent a month at the center to learn about it more in depth. He said he deeply appreciated his experience there, adding, ¡°The closer I get to traditional music, the more I realize that the spirit of gugak is present within us.¡±

¡°It¡¯s not something from the far past but something we all unconsciously know and understand. We can easily see it in the lullaby of a grandmother humming to her grandchildren or a melody that makes people dance at a small neighborhood party. I wanted to share and convey what I felt from traditional music to the audience. I broke away from the typical framework and composed music that utilizes a court music orchestra and a folk music group.¡±

This unconventional way of blending cinema, theater and traditional Korean music has seen explosive popularity. ¡°Kokdu¡± received critical acclaim at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival and was invited to the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. It will also be showcased at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York on June 29, Toronto Center for the Arts on June 21 and the Canadian Museum of History on June 25.

¡°I heard from someone that I should change my career every five years. I agree with him. I think people tend to find themselves trapped in the same place after five years at the same job. And I¡¯m at that point in my life,¡± Bang said.

Thus his effort to create traditional Korean music in ¡°Kokdu¡± was a turning point in his career. He said, ¡°I happened to visit Peru last year. I was surprised to find how similar Peruvian folk music is to gugak. The message was simple: music is alive within us. Just like different accents exist within the same language, music is the common language we all share that can be found in different forms everywhere.¡±

Bang is now working on various projects, including the third movie in the ¡°Tazza¡± crime series set for release this summer. When he chooses a movie to score, he always considers what the film means to him and its value to the world. His ultimate hope, he said, is help make the world a better place. Though a single movie cannot change the world, it can seize an audience and change the way they see the world. Bang said he never stops asking himself critical questions to get closer to the essence of his work. He said he has yet to figure out what music is and where his inspiration comes from, but many moviegoers have and will continue to experience the power of his music through his scores.