Listening to "Solo Leveling" on the Geomungo... Game OST Meets Korean Traditional Music

Korean Traditional Versions of OSTs from "Lies of P" and More Unveiled
Featuring Music Director Lee Jisoo and Composer Yang Seunghwan

The background music (OST) of masterpieces that swept the Korea Game Awards has been reborn in the melodies of Korean traditional music. Electronic sounds from digital devices have met the breath of the gayageum and daegeum, adding artistic depth.

On the 12th, the National Gugak Center held a showcase at Pungnyu Sarangbang in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to celebrate the release of its "Game Sound Series," unveiling Korean traditional music remake versions of Neowiz's "Lies of P" and Netmarble's "Solo Leveling: ARISE." These are the results of a game collaboration project promoted to expand the scope of Korean traditional music.

Film music director Lee Jisoo, who worked on "Oldboy" and "Architecture 101," and composer Yang Seunghwan, known for crossing between tradition and modernity, participated as arrangers. They replaced the electronic texture of the original tracks with the acoustic timbre of Korean traditional instruments, creating a different kind of emotional impact.

The highlight was the theme song "ARISE" from "Solo Leveling: ARISE." The intense K-pop original sung by (G)I-DLE was transformed into a simple chamber piece in the hands of director Lee Jisoo. Lee explained, "I replaced the original synth bass with a weighty geomungo, and layered daegeum and piri on top to bring out the delicacy unique to small-scale chamber music."

"Lies of P" also donned the tranquil aesthetics of Korean traditional music. Korean traditional musician Jeong Seungjoon delivered a profound resonance with the restrained vocal style unique to jeongga in "Proposal, Flower, Wolf Part 1." In the subsequent piece "The Clear Blue Sky," the mysterious melody of the saenghwang blended with soprano Lee Hanna's voice to lyrically expand the brutal-fairytale universe of the game.

Hwang Seongun, acting director of the National Gugak Center, stated, "Games are a comprehensive art form that transcends borders and generations," adding, "I hope this attempt will serve as an opportunity to prove new possibilities for Korean traditional music as K-content." The tracks from this "Game Sound Series" can be streamed on major music platforms in Korea and abroad starting at 6 p.m. on the same day.