[Herald Interview] Inspired by his childhood memories, pianist Park Jong-hwa plays nostalgic and unforgettable traditional children’s lullabies on his new album and tour project “Nunaya.”

Unveiled last month, the 11-track digital album features classical variations of some of the most widely-recognized folk melodies in Korea, such as “Mother, Sister (Ummaya Nunaya),” “Jackrabbit” and “Hometown Spring.”

“You will be hard-pressed to find a Korean who does not recognize these titles,” said Park during an interview with members of the media.

“Whenever I hear these popular folk melodies, I believe I -- just like many others -- get transported back to my childhood, growing up in Korea and just feeling like a kid again,” the 41-year-old added.

The pianist has spent most of his life studying abroad, leaving Korea at age five to pursue his musical endeavors. Having left his hometown at such a tender age, Park said through his new album he wanted go back to his roots and remind himself of his heritage.

“For about 30 years I had spent my life living abroad and as the time went by, as an artist, I really wanted to take on a project that had meaning to Korea,” he said.

Park first began playing the piano at age four and quickly established himself as a child musical prodigy, making his professional debut when he was 9 years old at the Yamaha Hall in Tokyo.

At age 33, he returned to Korea to teach at Seoul National University. At that time, he was the youngest professor that the top college had ever hired.

The musician said the idea to create piano renditions of popular folk songs actually stemmed from watching his daughter playing with one of her toys.

“One day my daughter was playing around with a toy that she got from her grandmother; it was one of the toys where when you pressed a button it would play these short tunes, and of the tunes it played was the children song ‘Hometown Spring,’” he explained.

“I don’t know much about Korean pop, trot or ballad music, but hearing ‘Hometown Spring’ just brought back so many wonderful memories for me … I hope others will also have that same sentimental feeling when they hear me play.”

A physical album will be out in August under label Universal Music and Park is also planning a nationwide tour later this year.

Taking audiences on a personal journey through his most treasured yesteryears recollections, he will kick off the tour with a concert at the LG Arts Center in Seoul on Sept. 20, with more shows scheduled through the month of October in Gimpo, Jejudo Island and Daejeon. 

Tickets to Park’s upcoming “Nunaya” piano recital series range from 30,000 won ($27) to 70,000 won, with his final concert being held on Oct. 7 in Daejeon.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)