Program includes new song ‘He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang’


Canadian pianist and composer Steve Barakatt said he will perform his song “He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang,” the No. 5 track of his new album “Someday, Somewhere,” at his upcoming concert in Seoul.

Barakatt is scheduled to hold a “White Day” recital at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall on Sunday and Monday, as March 14 is celebrated in Korea and Japan as a day when boys give candy to girls to express their love, a month after Valentine’s Day.

The Seoul concert’s program includes his representative romantic piano instrumentals as well as new works from his latest album which will hit the shelves Thursday in Seoul.

The new album has 11 tracks, each expressing the different emotions the artist felt in different places he has visited around the world, with simple illustrations by Canadian artist Melanie Allard on the cover and inside pages.

“For the past 15 to 20 years, I’ve been traveling a lot. I wanted to express emotions linked to specific places in the world. That’s why it’s called ‘Someday, Somewhere,’” Barakatt told reporters at a hotel in Seoul.

“By this album, I tried to create a place where everybody feels home.”

The places reflected in the 11 tracks include Brazil, Europe, his hometown Quebec, Beijing and Seoul.

“He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang” is a fictitious love story which imagines how two people’s love could be a starting point for dialogue toward peace, Barakatt said.

“Peace is possible and love is possible. We have to look at each other as a person,” he said.

Especially since he was appointed UNICEF Canada Ambassador in 2009, the 38-year-old has wanted to turn people’s attention away from conflicts to minimize the negative impact of wars on children, he said.

When making the album, the pianist said his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter inspired him to see the more beautiful and simple things in life.

Barakatt is best known for songs such as “Rainbow Bridge” and “The Whistler’s Song,” which were frequently used in TV commercials, dramas, and as background music for radio programs in Korea.

Since his first concert in Korea in 2005, Barakatt has been one of the most sought after New Age pianists in the country.

Korean-American John Park, who stormed into the K-pop scene last year as the final rival to Superstar K2 winner Huh Gak, is to join Barakatt’s concert and sing his latest single “I’m Your Man.”

Vocalist Kim Geu-rim, a contestant of Superstar K2, will perform a duet song with Barakatt as well.

Steve Barakatt’s “White Concert” will be held at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall on March 13 and March 14 at 8 p.m. The March 13 concert is sold out. Tickets range from 30,000 won to 100,000 won. For tickets, call 1577-5266.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)