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| Music director Yang Ju-in doubles as conductor of the 11-member orchestra for "The Bridges of Madison County." / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
‘Bridges of Madison County' relies on music director Yang Ju-in
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A head pokes out of a hole in front of the stage of the musical "The Bridges of Madison County," currently performed at the Grand Theater of Chungmu Art Center in central Seoul. This bobbed-hair belongs to Yang Ju-in, one of the most important people for the production, and the beautiful music of the show begins with a single motion of her hand.
Yang is the music director of the production ― in charge of all things musical.
"In big productions like The Bridges of Madison County, a music director supervises all things related to music ― I arrange the music, conduct the orchestra and coach vocals. If necessary, I also take part in translating English lyrics into Korean," Yang said during an interview with The Korea Times.
"For this show, I only conduct the orchestra, but sometimes I double as conductor and keyboard player. I am also responsible for recruiting the orchestra, finding the best players for each instrument."
"The Bridges of Madison County" is based on the 1995 film of the same name and tells the once-in-a-lifetime love story between Francesca, a housewife from Italy living in Iowa, and Robert, a photographer for the National Geographic who visits the town to capture the covered bridges of the county.
The musical version of the tale was mostly praised for its score combining folk, country, pop and operatic music, composed by Jason Robert Brown and won the Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations in the 2014 Tony Awards.
"When the company asked me to listen to the music, my heart raced. Brown's talent is unquestionable and I desperately wanted to work on this show," Yang said. "The music is based on sophisticated pop style with a classical twist as well as more modern music such as bossa nova."
Yang admired the genius of Brown, who arranged the songs from different genres with a sense of unity. "The wholeness of the show's music comes from the fact that Brown both composed and arranged the music. I tried to read the intention of the composer," Yang said. "In Madison, all feelings are expressed through music and it changes constantly. The overture begins with a cello, which brings back Francesca's memory. Wandering photographer Robert is mainly represented by a guitar. Brown elaborately assigned each instrument to tell the tale of Francesca and Robert."
An 11-member orchestra plays the music live every night, accompanying singer-turned-actress Ok Joo-hyun as Francesca and musical actor Park Eun-tae as Robert. The musicians under the stage are chosen as carefully as those above the stage.
"It was difficult to find the right musicians for Madison as the music is very sensitive and requires all-round skills," Yang said. "Musical scores are dramatic and I had to find expressive musicians for this show."
For instance, the drummer has to play pop drum and classical percussion at the same time, while the guitarist has five instruments ― two electric guitars, two acoustic guitars and a mandolin.
For the Korean production, Yang added a few tweaks to amplify the music to fit the 1,250-seat theater. "I could not damage Brown's arrangement, which was already perfect. However, I had to rearrange State Road 21/The Real World, the second act opener, to liven up the state fair atmosphere. I also added a few underscores to help the Korean audiences feel the emotions more deeply," the music director said.
When the audience members exit the theater, the orchestra plays an instrumental version of Robert's song "It All Fades Away" as Yang wants the music to linger with the audience for a little longer.
Role of music director
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| Yang Ju-in, music director of "The Bridges of Madison County," poses for a photo on the stage of the Grand Theater of the Chungmu Art Center in downtown Seoul. Yang supervises all things related to music, including arrangement, vocal training and conducting. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Yang is a person of versatility. A graduate of the Department of Composition at Kyungwon University, she worked in the popular music industry first, and as a K-pop vocal trainer.
"Though I majored in classical music composition, I was interested in various genres. My motto was to experience all genres of music possible," Yang said. "About 12 years ago, I was introduced to a theater director who was looking for someone to guide songs for a showcase by an acquaintance. That's how I entered the theater industry."
Yang started working as an assistant music director and with her orchestration skills she learned from her classical music background, she soon distinguished herself in musical theater.
"While working for popular music, I craved for something more dramatic. Since musicals encompass different genres of music, I was fascinated by the unlimited possibilities I dreamt of. A pop song sings of emotions of the moment, but the sentiment flows and changes in a musical. That enthralled me, and now I have marked 10 years in musical theater," Yang said.
Just like her broad interest, Yang has worked on various musicals from hit Broadway shows "Wicked" and "Kinky Boots" to Korean musicals "The Goddess Is Watching" and "Red Book."
"'Wicked' was a musical of my dreams and I was conducting the show in no time," she said.
Usually Yang sits between the orchestra pit below the stage and the stage, sticking her head out to see both spaces at the same time.
"It's the most exciting and burdensome seat in the theater. I am the only creative staff member exposed to the audience and the closest audience member to the actors at the same time," Yang said. "Sometimes, the actors on stage and the audience confront each other. On such a day, my back becomes keen to read the audience whether they are uninterested or hostile. There is no correct answer, but I try to make the audience sink into the show as much as possible," the music director said.
Yang has arranged and conducted the best musical theater scores for over a decade and she is finally ready to unravel her own creations.
"I am in talks of composing a musical, possibly for next year. It's the songs I have saved for years and I am excited," Yang said.
