70 Years

They certainly don’t act like they are in their 70s.

“Don’t tease us for being 70! Seventy years have gone by like a dream.... We still have so much left to do....” (Kim Hee-gap)

“That’s right. We have to go skiing together, go on some trips.... There are so many things we still have to do together.” (Yang In-ja)

In a practice room in the Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Composer Kim Hee-gap (70) yesterday, celebrated his 70th birthday wearing jeans and strumming his acoustic guitar. His wife, Yang In-ja (61, lyricist), who brags about the various kinds of hair bands she has purchased, is equally as “youthful.”

“I don’t know why they are dedicating the stage to me as I still have so much to learn... It’s all because of Ms. Yang. In the 1980s, those unique lyrics were quite shocking.” He waves his hand. However, he can’t hide his satisfaction.

On April 11 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, the Tribute Performance will celebrate his 40-year career as a composer with the opening of “You’re a Huge Tree” which was prepared over the last year by 15 of his juniors who respect him including singers Jang Sa-ik, Kim Guk-hwan, Lim Ju-ri, and Cho Gwan-woo, along with tenor Park In-su.

Actually, his wife Ms. Yang has a share in the respect and part of the tribute. The pair was dubbed the “Hitmaking Duo” for such songs as Cho Yong-pil’s “Kilimanjaro’s Leopard,” Lee Sun-hee’s “I Want to Know,” and Kim Guk-hwan’s “Tatata”

“Today young composers sell songs like ‘ready-to-wear clothes.’ However, shall I say that our work is more like custom-made to specific singers?” (Kim Hee-gap)

“If we look at our juniors, disputes about plagiarism never end, but in my point of view, they play music without pride. It makes me sad that they are increasingly making music without effort.” (Yang In-ja)

In this concert, you can hear early works such as “I Didn’t Really Know” plus songs such as “That Winter Teahouse,” “Love’s Labyrinth,” and “Tatata.” Cho Yong-pil’s “Kilimanjaro’s Leopard” will be performed in a rap arrangement.

bsism@donga.com