Making music real
> Yiruma take fans on a labyrinth of memories and emotions at his recent concert in Genting
THE MERE mention of his name conjures an image of a grand piano and mesmerising music that heals, inspires and reminds listeners of love and hope.
South Korean pianist and composer Lee Ru-ma, better known by his stage name Yiruma, may be a soft-spoken man of few words, yet when his fingers dance across the piano’s 88 keys, the melody that arises transcends this world.
Last Saturday night, his greatest songs were heard echoing through the Arena of Stars at Resorts World Genting during his Genting Live with Yiruma concert.
Setting the tone with Sunbeams They Scatter, Yiruma greeted the audience in excellent Bahasa Malaysia making the crowd erupt in cheers and applause.
“Selamat malam. Apa khabar? Selamat datang tuan-tuan dan puan-puan,” he said, before going on to say: “Music is not real music if it is not blended with memories, and tonight, I will demonstrate to you how music becomes real music.
“So close your eyes and bring up your memories of the past, your loved ones, your family, and even think about yourself when you listen to my performance.”
He went on to relate a story about how the song Love Me came about, which he played next along with Fairy Tale, a composition for the popular Korean drama, Secret Garden.
The self-confessed ice-cream lover recalled coming across a flavour named Love Me.
“It did not taste very nice and so I thought: ‘Love is not sweet all the time; it can also be bitter’,” he said.
Yiruma then proceeded to take his audience on a journey down memory lane with Dance, a composition he wrote for beautiful Jeju Island.
“The trees and waves were dancing around me and that is where I got the inspiration,” he said, adding that he wanted to dedicate this song to Genting Highlands.
“You should be proud that your country is surrounded by nature. I would like you to imagine this place while listening to this song.”
If the audience thought they would only be serenaded by his piano, Yiruma then introduced violinist Kim Sangeun to accompany him in Passing By, Blind Improvisation + Destiny of Love and several other songs.
Yiruma’s performance wouldn’t be complete without his acclaimed songs, Kiss the Rain and River Flows in You, which earned thunderous applause from the audience.
He also invited a member of the audience, a 16-year-old named Anton, on stage to play with him.
Anton was asked to pick out three keys on the piano. From there, Yiruma improvised an entire piece dedicated to the boy’s mother, who was also present at the concert.
Yiruma’s set ended with Reminiscent, but he encored with I and Autumn Leaves amidst romantic lights hovering over the audience like stars.
Music expresses an artiste’s most inner thoughts and each melody played truly conveyed an array of powerful emotions to the audience. As he took his final bow, Yiruma gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement towards his piano, displaying his affection for the 88 keys that brought everyone on a journey of a lifetime.