Yiruma and Framed Memories

As the day of the show approaches, many people are still looking for tickets through social media, hoping that someone cancels their attendance. Traditional scalpers are also roaming around looking for extra tickets in the arena on Friday (26/4/2024) and Saturday afternoon.

On the first day, spectators started arriving on Friday afternoon. The doors to the main building open at 16.00, while the concert starts at 19.30. While waiting, visitors can buy snacks and drinks. Food from outside is not permitted. Inside, drinking water is sold in glass bottles.

Knick-knack outlets are also open. Yiruma Management sells merchandise in the form of posters, umbrellas and sheet music books of his best works. The music book with a price tag of Rp. 800,000 is quite popular among fans. It really felt like visitors were fans of this 46 year old musician's work.

This piano concert seems relaxing. There is no need to dress formally like a formal recital. Not surprisingly, Yiruma's works actually have a pop feel, but are formulated using a classical formula. With this blend, Yiruma gained popularity. The song is often used as a background for South Korean television dramas. The number "When the Love Falls" may be the most familiar to South Korean drama fans. This song became the main song of the Winter Sonata series in the early 2000s.

Although the TV series aired in 2002 - broadcasted on SCTV in Indonesia - its song has a long life. Recently, the song, and Yiruma's other works, have often accompanied poignant video clips on social media. Thus, it is not surprising that the age range of Yiruma's fans is relatively wide.

That's what it looked like at the show ring last weekend. Not a few young couples come with children aged seven years. Teenagers are also no less numerous. Ages may vary, but when it comes to clothing, it seems like they all agree to dress neatly and non-formally. There were no spectators wearing worn Metallica t-shirts, for example. Everyone was well-dressed. It feels like this is a classy crowd who won't complain about their water bottles being screened by security officers.

The lights in the auditorium dimmed a few minutes before 7:30 pm. The audience had already taken their seats in the plush, tiered chairs. Through the loudspeakers, the audience was reminded not to record the performance in the form of photos or videos. The spotlights illuminated the Yamaha grand piano.

The star appeared from the left side of the stage. He was wearing an unbuttoned monochrome blazer, looking neat yet casual. Applause accompanied his steps towards the piano seat. He arranged the sheet music in an orderly manner and stretched his fingers for a moment. The audience fell silent.

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About memories

The first number "Berryland Road" from the mini-album Room with A View, which was released in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, is the opening number. The title of the song is taken from the name of the street where he lived while studying music composition at King's College, London, England. Yiruma immortalized his memories through the song.

Similar memories are exposed in the song "Room with A View" played in the second half of the concert. The song was written during the pandemic, but its inspiration came from Yiruma's time living in London. Speaking to Udiscovermusic.com, Yiruma, whose birth name is Lee Ru-ma, recounted, "My mother painted my room with yellow color. At first, I didn't like it. But every day, the light that came in looked brighter, amidst the gloomy weather of London. It gave me a warm feeling." It is not surprising that his music is melancholy but conveys happiness.

The audience was captivated by the played numbers, such as "Stay in Memory," "Maybe," and "Passing By." Yiruma said that the latter song tells of regret. "But I still write songs again, so it's somewhat sad," he said. Yiruma talks about his songs during the breaks between two or three songs.

He delivered the statement very casually, leaning towards comedy. For example, after playing the first two numbers, Yiruma gave tips on how to enjoy his songs. "Embed your memories into the song that I am playing, be it good or bad memories. That way, the song will be attached to your memory," he said. That's how Yiruma suggests framing memories and souvenirs.

This is further realized in the "Framed" number. The spotlight from above forms a square that surrounds the pianist and his piano. The stage lights are subdued. The relatively simple string of notes enchants the audience, wandering with their own memories. The song ends with a crescendo, abruptly coming to an end. A little surprising. This concludes the first session.

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Music without lyrics cannot be left floating alone. Yiruma often tells stories about the backgrounds of his songs during breaks in between two or three songs. The story is sometimes spiced with comedy. For example, when the song "Blind Film" ends. "I wrote that song after watching a movie with my eyes closed. The imagination that emerged became an inspiration. Well, my suggestion is that's how you enjoy this concert. You don't need to see me, a skinny 46-year-old man, ha-ha-ha," he said, which sparked laughter.

Melancholia and laughter intertwined in the concert which lasted almost two hours. He performed no less than 20 numbers, including two encores. The song in one of the encores was "Ex Most Beautiful" created by Yovie Widianto. The audience murmurs the lyrics. After the song, he said goodbye, but not for long. The number "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was chosen as the finale and was hummed by the audience as they left the amphitheater.