'Saenghwang, yanggeum and voice' bring a millennium of resonance to Theater Yong

The National Museum of Korea Cultural Foundation announced Friday that it will stage the special performance "Sori: Seongdeok Daewang Sinjong" at Theater Yong in the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

The production reimagines the Sinjong — one of Korea's most celebrated national treasures, also known as the Emille Bell or the Silla Bell — through the lens of sound. Drawing on the saenghwang (a traditional mouth organ), the yanggeum (a hammered dulcimer) and the human voice, the performance weaves together music, video and stage art to trace the bell's creation, its distinctive resonance and the prayers embedded within it.

The production is notable for pushing beyond the visual experience of cultural heritage, inviting audiences to hear and feel it instead. Through the performance, audiences can encounter the bell's millennium of history and meaning through a contemporary sensibility.

Structured in three parts, "Sori: Seongdeok Daewang Sinjong" takes three numbers associated with the bell as its guiding motifs: "√2," representing the bell's proportional form; "64 Hz," evoking its deep, low resonance; and "771," the year of its completion. Each number anchors one part of the narrative — birth, resonance and prayer.

The first part traces the time it took for earth, fire and metal to be forged into a single monumental form. Saenghwang performer Han Ji-su uses the instrument's breath and harmonics to express the process leading up to the bell's first sound.

The second part captures the moment sound is born from the completed bell. Yanggeum performer Yun Eun-hwa strikes metal strings to produce a clear, intense timbre that evokes the vibrations of resonance spreading across the bell's surface.

The third part begins in 771, the year the bell was finished, and turns toward the hearts of the people whose wishes it carried. Seodo Band, known for music that moves between traditional and popular genres, gives voice to a thousand years of longing for peace and well-being.

Jung Yong-seok, president of the National Museum of Korea Cultural Foundation, said the performance was conceived to bring audiences closer to cultural heritage through the performing arts. "We hope the millennium of resonance carried by the Sinjong will leave a lasting impression in the everyday lives of today's audiences," he said.

Artistic Director Jo Yong-gyeong said the production sought to encounter the bell's form, sound and the emotions it holds through the language of contemporary performance. "By experiencing through sound a piece of cultural heritage that we have only ever looked at in a museum, I hope the time and prayers the bell has carried will reach today's audiences as a new sensation and resonance," Jo said.