Yiruma frequently performs at sold-out concerts in Asia, Europe and North America. His alma mater, King's College London, England helped him gain European popularity and recognition. Among his most popular pieces are "River Flows in You", "Kiss the Rain" and "May Be". Yiruma's most popular album, First Love was released in 2001.
He began playing the piano at the age of five and moved to London when he was eleven, in 1988, to study at The Purcell School of Music. He held dual citizenship, South Korean and British, until 2006, when he gave up his UK citizenship to serve in the South Korean Navy.
Lee Ru-ma was born and raised in South Korea, and educated in England. Yiruma began playing the piano at the age of five, and subsequently moved to London at the age of eleven (1988), for the purpose of studying at The Purcell School of Music. In December 1996 he participated in the album
The Musicians of Purcell (Decca). Graduating from Purcell School of Music in July 1997, Yiruma continued his musical aspirations and completed a Composition major from King's College London in June 2000. While studying at Kings College, this promising pianist released his first album "Love Scene" through DECCA records.
Additionally, during his time in college, he participated in a musical tour in Europe. Making a historical impact for his country, Yiruma was the first Korean artist to receive an invitation to perform at the 2002 MIDEM in Cannes, France. Early in his career, his albums were released in Europe and Asia, they are now available internationally through various online sources such as iTunes, Amazon, and Yiruma's recording label STOMP Records.
In 2001 he released his most popular album to date, "First Love". His #1 selling piece "River Flows in You" was on this album and since 2001 this piece has been released on two other albums (First Love [Repackaged] and Wedding Essentials: The Ceremony) Yiruma released his third album, From The Yellow Room in 2003. Pre-order sales topped 30,000 copies and the album was top-ranked on many popular music charts, including Yes24, Phono, and Hot Tracks. His 12-city Korean tour was a sellout, as well as his November concert at the Seoul National Arts Center.
His fourth album is POEMUSIC. In 2006, the following year, he composed a main theme piece for a popular KBS drama, Spring Waltz. In his fifth album, h.i.s monologue, he utilized prepared piano. Yiruma has composed soundtracks for musicals, films and plays. While being successful in the music industry, Yiruma decided to serve in the South Korean military. Hence, in 2006 he gave up his British citizenship and enlisted in the Korean Navy.
Upon completing his service in the Korean Navy, he began the 2008 Yiruma Come Back Tour, Ribbonized, in 20 cities across Korea. Additionally, on January 1, 2009, he became a DJ for KBS1FM Yiruma's Music from All Around the World.
In September 2010, Yiruma gave Stomp Music a contract cancellation and signed with Sony Music Entertainment Korea. Stomp Music then filed an injunction to prohibit Yiruma from selling his music, and the request was accepted by the court in April 2011. Yiruma immediately filed an objection against the injunction, and the court finally gave Yiruma the upper hand.
Yiruma's musical style is easy to misclassify. Because his music is popular among many listeners who are not familiar with classical music, the solo piano instrumentation and tendency toward "movements" often leads to labels like "new classical" or "contemporary classical". However, although his composition studies would have included the classics, neither the structure of his pieces nor his technique as a pianist are heavily influenced by them. His music has sometimes been classified vaguely as "popular", as shown by the inclusion of his hit piece River Flows in You on a compilation of wedding pieces titled "Wedding Essentials: The Ceremony". According to the iTunes Store, he is actually considered a World Music or New Age artist.
For the actual structure of his music, the movement and reach required to play his pieces averages around Grade 7 by Royal Conservatory standards. Pattern and repetition feature prominently, however, making the structure more like popular pieces or movie themes than traditional solo piano compositions. Yiruma's pieces are also heavy in simple melody and rhythm, making them immediately attractive to many modern ears.
No comments:
Post a Comment