Gugelan by Unsuk Chin

Gugelan is a chamber piece by Korean composer Unsuk Chin. The title means something like to hoodwink or to make ridiculous movements. I was reminded of a troop of entertainers I saw a number of times as a child and a suburb of Seoul. These amateur musicians and actors traveled from village to village in order to foist self-made medicines which were ineffective at best on the people. This was all extremely amateurish and kitschy, yet it aroused incredible emotions among the spectators.

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