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Moranbong Band Discography 2012.07.06 - 
Worrying news! The largest DPRK channels have been deleted this morning! Stimmekoreas, 볽은별 TV (and most of its KCTV livestreaming channels as well), 조선의 오늘 and uriminzok have all been deleted!
Pyongyang, April 13 (KCNA) — Art performance “Our National Flag” was given at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre Friday in honor of deputies to the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Among the audience were Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), first vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and president of the Presidium of the SPA, Pak Pong Ju, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, vice-chairman of the DPRK State Affairs Commission and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Jae Ryong, member of the DPRK State Affairs Commission and premier of the Cabinet, and deputies to the 14th SPA.
Artistes of leading art troupes successfully put on the stage masterpieces of the times.
Patriotic feelings pervaded the hall as it resounded with prelude “Our National Flag” led by children.
The performers made a solemn and beautiful, musical epical depiction of the glorious history of the DPRK that has won victory after victory upholding the banner of self-reliance under the leadership of the great Party in such numbers as orchestral music and male chorus “We Started from Scratch” and female duet and male chorus “Are We Living like in Those Days?” and “We Wish Comrade Supreme Commander Good Health”.
Serial songs “The Dear Name Called by People”, female solo and male chorus “We Will Follow Marshal to End” reminded the audience of the glorious days when they led a worthwhile life as revolutionary fighters.
The performance was acclaimed by the audience. -0-
Concert video uploaded, also a version on NK media
We have, at the start, a new rendition of new song “Our national flag”. At the start of the year I said that I thought we would be likely to see a Moranbong Band/Electronic ensemble performance of this new and popular song, but the chances of that seem much lower…
I enjoyed Ryu Jin-a and Song Yong in “Are we living like back then?”, similar arrangement as performed by Yu Bong-mi in 2016.12.20 Moranbong Band concert, “Hand of Destiny” and “Tommorow of Happiness” were also especially good.
The performance was based around the SMC, without any narrators unlike other recent concerts, with female singers but also with the children at the start. As for singers, the only Moranbong singer was Ryu Jin-a. Song Yong and other singers I recognize from the Chongbong Band and some others composed the rest of the singers I believe.
Ryu Jin-a has performed with the SMC and Samjiyon Orchestra frequently since and before the Moranbong Electronic Ensemble performance at the New years’ concert, before with at least one of the other Moranbong Band singers. But now she is “on her own” here. This makes me wonder if that if we are lucky enough to actually get any sort of Moranbong performance throughout the rest of this year, will Ryu Jin-a even perform as part of the Moranbong Band/Electronic ensemble? Since she was with them at new year and still she had been performing with the likes of the Samjiyon Orchestra before. I don’t know. As long as she is enjoying herself doing whatever she doing, I can’t cease to smile at her, so it’s okay on that accord…
Some bands come, some bands go, but the SMC stays. Its origin is in the Korean People’s Army Chorus established in 1947. There have been many divisions, reorganizations and name changes over the decades, but the present 공훈국가합창단 (Merited State Chorus actually; I do not know why its English name is State Merited Chorus) configuration dates from July 2007. It is thus a Kim Jong Il era creation, soon 12 years old. Its personnel plays its instruments professionally, but I am still unable to consider it among the most innovative or artistic North Korean ensembles. Yet, its importance has only been growing throughout these 12 years. With other bands there is a rise to the top, staying there for a few years or months, followed by silence. Not with the SMC.
We saw again on the video missiles rising, commensurate with the somewhat foreign politically angered speech by the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission presented in the same day (12 April) to the same audience (deputies to the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly). Nevertheless, we did not hear ‘우리의 총창우에 평화가 있다 Peace is on our bayonets’ or other similar songs eulogizing direct military confrontation. The songs were about the nation and the leaders; a nationalistic theme, not a militaristic one. Also KJU in his speech gave the United States time till the end of this year to mend its ways and start negotiating sensibly, and thus we probably do not need to wait for stronger songs, nor for missile tests for about 8 months. However, after that it may be time to dig the Moranbong Band/Electronic Ensemble out of naphthalin, or to create a new band along similar lines. The slightly boring SMC will not be enough to raise the national fighting spirit; a more dramatically popular band will be needed.
Hwang Ün Mi was wearing the same dress she last time wore publicly in the second to last Unhasu Orchestra concert in 2013.06.25. It is a nice chosönot and she has kept herself beautifully in shape over these six years.
Sometimes we notice missing bands, sometimes missing singers, sometimes a missing tooth in a beautiful mouth, and sometimes a missing new dress on a female star singer. This all probably tells about lack of funding in the musical field. Are the other artists mainly preoccupied somewhere in the private market trying to make a living by some kind of business there, as Thae Yong Ho suggested a couple of years ago? If so, then both KJU and Moon Jae-in are is a similar difficult fix. A peaceful inter-Korean relationship should be reached in order to get both the northern and the southern economy rolling, but all they can do is to wait for the United States to make up its mind. The northeners can also enjoy State Merited Chorus concerts.
The Samjiyon Orchestra actually performed, but it was probably their most low key performance to date. Just strengthens your point more.
You are very thorough. I am happy that the orchestra still exists. It still seems to have its concert hall (Samjiyon Orchestra Theatre) given to it in October 2018, and it is still conducted by Jang Ryong Sik and Yun Bom Ju, but otherwise it appears to have reverted to the kind of secondary role where it existed before 2018. It hardly appears in news, and its personnel has been cut down. I calculated 67 musicians (can contain a small mistake, unclear video), which is about the same number it had in 2009, when it was established. It is a bit larger number than during 2012-2017, when it had only 40-50 musicians, but much less than a year ago, when in the Gangneung and Seoul concerts there were on stage 94 musicians, and in the photo taken after returning to Pyongyang with all personnel, singers, leaders, conductors, creators, technicians etc. included there were 137 people, in addition to KJU.
Musicians picked from other ensembles, most of them from the SMC, apparently have been returned back to their ordinary organizations, like we saw in the 2019.04.12 SMC concert. Also the star singers picked from CBB and MBB perform elsewhere, where ever and when ever they are needed. Perhaps these singers are now a general movable element, employed in more important concerts with any musical ensemble. SB never had its own vocalist section, and also in this concert the singers appear to come from the Mansudae Art Troupe, just like before 2018. The name on the screen was still given as 삼지연관현악단 (Samjiyon Orchestra), but otherwise almost everything looked like 만수대예술단 삼지연악단 (Samjiyon Band of the Mansudae Art Troupe). Apparently organizational history and links are very important in North Korea.
Last night I had this song in head and I convinced myself that it was the Chongbong Band playing it, but then realized that it was the SMC version.
The arrangement for the song is literally a scaled-up version of the Chongbong Band, there surely has been a stylistic change in some of the repertoire of the State Merited Chorus which reflects the jazz-y style of the Chongbong Band, which no longer seems to exist. Perhaps the DPRK music administration are trying to make the SMC into an “all-purpose tool” which can perform in many different styles easily throughout a single concert, without the need for all the extra ensembles? In a way that is sort of what they have done, especially in this concert at least. For example we had “Tommorow of happiness” as the Chongbong-style song, “Are we living like back then?”, as I believe I said, is, more or less, the same arrangement performed by the Moranbong Band in 2016 (of course, re-arranged for the entire SMC orchestra), and songs like “We wish for the good health of our Comrade Supreme Commander” or also the arrangement of “We will follow our Party forever”, among others, as the State Merited Chorus “style” songs in the concert. You could maybe even go as far to say that “Whether 1,000 or 10,000 ri” sung by Hwang Un-mi could even bring back memories of the Unhasu Orchestra, despite how Hwang has been performing with the SMC for at least a few years.
But thinking of the SMC as an “all-purpose tool” reminds me that perhaps the most stylistically diverse music ensemble in the DPRK would have to be the Moranbong Band. Maybe the DPRK music administration will realise this in due course…
Does anyone know the name of this song? Sounds like SMC, or some other military orchestra. It appeared in various missile videos during 2017, but disappeared after peace making started in 2018. I have not yet seen its return in 2019, but might be one of the songs indicative of the mood in Pyongyang, if it will reappear.
Sounds like 문경고개 for me, but don’t expect it to be played anytime soon, as major diplomatic events are ahead of us.
Yes, the song is Mungyong Pass. I was so used to the Moranbong Band version – which is quite special – that I did not recognize it as a male choir version.
Let’s hope that we will not hear it. Diplomacy goes on, but what is happening on the military field makes the situation a bit jittery. The United States has again started military drills with the South Korean army, which it commands. Although they are smaller scale than those up to 2017, the first exercise this year was made in March, and more are expected to follow. It is also developing a new anti-ballistic missile defence system, which is claimed to be more accurate and reliable than currently existing systems, and this then would before long force North Korea to contemplate resuming missile research, development and experimentation: multiple warheads, submarine launched missiles, cruise missiles, or new Russian type extremely fast missiles would be needed. North Korea is in a tight place competing with the biggest military might on earth, where Trump has been increasing military spending and does not care about fiscal deficits. All this cannot be taken lightly in Pyongyang. Yesterday KJU commanded a surprise drill of the North Korean air force. http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ftype=songun&no=19635
So both sides are publicly drilling their militaries again, though it is still small scale.
The peace process may well continue, but there are also chances that we are heading back to normal. It would necessarily be reflected also in the style and content of concerts.
I think we can await concerts in Russia soon.
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) — A performance was given by the State Merited Chorus at the April 25 House of Culture on April 25, the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army.
Among the audience were Army General Kim Su Kil, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, and other senior officials of the armed forces organs, service personnel and teaching staff and pupils of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School and Kang Pan Sok Revolutionary School.
Put on the stage of the performance started with prelude “Our National Flag” were male chorus “We Wish Comrade Supreme Commander Good Health”, orchestra and male chorus “The Snow Is Falling”, unaccompanied chorus “The Country I Am Defending”, mixed duet “Loving Care for My Destiny”, etc.
The performers sang high praises of the immortal exploits of the peerlessly great men who founded the revolutionary army and thus pioneered the revolutionary cause of Juche advancing by dint of the might of the arms and ushered in a heyday of building the revolutionary armed forces.
The performance climaxed with female solo and male chorus “We Will Follow Marshal to End” and orchestral music and male chorus “We Will Go along Road of Loyalty” that showed the will of the KPA servicepersons to follow the road of revolution indicated by the Party to the last, holding aloft the flag of the Workers’ Party of Korea as the first colors.
“A Long Way, But One That We Must Take”
S Korea marks first anniversary of Panmunjom summit, without N Korea presence.
Wish Sonu Hyang-hui was there. Would it be possible to see her live violin solo in S Korea in the near future?
Yes, I was in Seoul a year ago this time, and miss the relieved and optimistic atmosphere. Nowadays is different; on the long road again. We were writing our comments at the same time; my post below is an answer, though of course we do not know anything for sure.
Again a colleague visited Pyongyang and had a chance to discuss with cultural sector officials there. No tremendous new news, but at least once again a confirmation that the absence of Sonu Hyang-hui from the stage from 2014-15 onwards was caused by marriage. This information has been received already previously from different channels, and like some people also here have been commenting, marriage is the most obvious reason for the frequent disappearances of female artists from stage for months or years, not any dramatic political problems.
In Pyongyang there appear to be preparations for sending a musical ensemble abroad for a tour, but instead of Russia, China was said to be the destination. Also South Korea, the United States, Vietnam, or Japan seem to be out of consideration in the current situation. Nothing was confirmed about the ensemble except that it would not be the Samjiyon Orchestra, whose diplomatic role appears to have ended for the time being. SMC comes first in mind because it is so visible in domestic concerts, and of course the Moranbong Electronic Ensemble cannot be ruled out, but in history the Mansudae Art Troupe and the Phibada Opera Troupe have made successful tours in China, and should not be forgotten. No information about timing.
I will be there in July… I will keep you updated…
Good!
In the KCTV documentary on Marshal Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, I found it quite interesting that they chose to have “L’internationale” playing at 35:17 in the documentary…
The Moranbong Band and SMC played “L’internationale” once in the 2013.02.02 concert (so quite a while ago), I don’t believe the internationale is a popular choice and isn’t played very often in concerts and documentaries like this. As I’m sure you will all probably know “L’internationale” is the international (hence the name) anthem of Socialist, Communist and Anarchist movements. It seems an odd choice for them to play it in the documentary on Russia, a country which is no longer socialist. I even think it would make better sense to have used this song in regards to China, since China regards itself as “socialist” to an extent. But perhaps it was more in relation to what was occurring in the video at that time (They were visiting a memorial to Soviet soldiers who fought in the Korean war), which makes more sense to me as to why they chose the international song of socialist solidarity against imperialism, which would correlate well to remembering the Red Army soldiers who fought with the KPA against the United States imperialists.
Or perhaps I am overthinking and the sound editor just thought the song sounded good for that moment, or it was already present in a medley played before, does anyone recognise when this version (probably by SMC) might’ve been performed?
Internationale is not so rare in North Korean concerts. You hear it occasionally in party anniversaries, linking NK socialism to the history of the international movement. I guess that it was not a coincidence that the melody was played in the video in this kind of historical connection, though we did not hear what the Russian band was playing at that moment. Internationale is a reminder of the period when Russian/Soviet relations with North Korea were deeper than they are now.
For non-Russians the difference between Russia and the Soviet Union is not always very sharp. In many ways SU looked like a Russian empire, and some things in contemporary Russia, such as geopolitical interests, remind of the SU. Perhaps also the North Korean editors of the documentary think in that way.
While pyongyang slowly start to go the old path again, some more hopeful news:
The northern soprano Kim Song-mi performed together with southern artists in shanghai.
https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190512003300315?section=nk/nk
Some interesting article about the concert here. https://news.joins.com/article/23473901
Ministry of Culture of the North Korea responded S Korean violinist that you’re doing a good job and we are anticipating more of it. Also according to the intelligence sources about NK, soprano Kim Song-mi is close to Hyon Song-wol.
This article has been modified from its first edition, and the sentences I wrote here are removed from the online newspaper article. All Google cached pages which got the first edition of the article showing 404 errors. These strange things happen all the time. Well, maybe not that strange thing!
Fresh from KCNA:
Pyongyang, May 26 (KCNA) — The grand gymnastics and artistic performance “The Land of the People” will be held here.
The grand gymnastics and artistic performance will start at the May Day Stadium in Rungna Islet early in June (confirmed to be June the 3rd) and go on till the middle of October (high probably 10.10, but i’m pretty sure they will extend the show).
will this performance be played everynite like they did last year ?
and all tourists at pyongyong during this period must buy ticket to watch?
It will be performed six times a week and everyone has to buy a ticket.
100 euro per ticket.
The Youtube channel supersuhui has started to upload their KCTV output in 1080p. Seems like we will finally get concert brodcasts with high quality.
For comparison, this was uploaded three days ago:
Seems like Elufatv also changed its graphics.
today find an old video published by mokran video( 목란 비더오)which seems moranbong band miss.jung suhyang정수향 performed 2 songs with others, she appears at 03:30′ and 19:30′, and also 2 moranbong vilion players appears in this video , then they are under the umbrella of
왕재산 악단 . so this show must be at least 7 years ago.
u may try to access below link to see details
https://b23.tv/av54131641
Thanks for this. It was refreshing to hear a “new concert” for a long while. Classical Kim Jong Il period performance, small scale, but artistic.
Yes, it has to date sometime between 2009-2011. The last song 발걸음 Parkorŭm Footsteps, implying the rise of Kim Jong Un to the position of the heir, became performed often during and after 2009.
The video was uploaded today to Bilibili. Someone in China was able to get hold of an old dvd.
Ah, I had found this (much lower quality) video of “This is offensive” from that concert the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2EUG11Fo18&list=LLhGhRMIWW9BOVvkDxZU0idg&index=4&t=0s
Not only were the two violinists Hong Su-kyong and Cha Yong-mi there, but also on the synthesiser is Ri Hui-kyong, and Kang Phyong-hui is playing the guitar solo in the middle 8. Also in the trio of singers with Jong Su-hyang you mentioned is Kim Ju-hyang, who sang with Unhasu Orchestra, then Chongbong Band and now Samjiyon Orchestra.
This little documentary/programme from KCTV is about the quintessential Korean song Arirang, and Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble singer Ri Kyong-suk is speaking after the clip of the Pochonbo EE performance of Arirang (with Ri Kyong-suk) at 10:30, I think the video quality has probably been improved as well.
Those who understand Korean should be able to discern more from what she is saying, but I also noticed that she is wearing a Kim Il Sung badge, as opposed to a Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il badge which I believe is often worn by most people of high position (including all the Moranbong Band of course). Since she was at the prime of her career before the death of Kim Jong Il, (and thus before Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il badges were made, since Kim Jong Il couldn’t bear the thought of being valued on par to his father whilst he was still serving the country) she might just wear it for nostalgia, or perhaps she was just never even given the newer badge.
The Moranbong Band version of Arirang (very first song in the first concert) is played at 17:00. The Moranbong Band even at its oldest extent is still in the people’s minds…
Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next Thursday and Friday in 20 to 21 June. Apart from the diplomatic developments, the visit is rather likely to also contain a visit to a musical performance. A usual all-stars collection of singers that are able to perform in Chinese songs of Sino-NK friendship will be a likely sight at the front stage, but who will sit behind them playing the instruments? State Merited Chorus? Samjiyon Orchestra? A section of the Mansudae Art Troupe?
It is of course possible that Xi will bring with him a Chinese music or opera troupe and they will take care of performing. Or something that now does not seem likely will happen. We’ll see.
Yes, I would imagine we’ll get a concert fairly similar to the recent concert in Beijing, but not too similar, especially considering that Xi attended the Beijing concert…
I don’t think we’ll get a concert video published just the same as the concerts (with Moranbong Electronic Ensemble appearing) for Cuban and south Korean presidents and delegations last year, with only a short KCTV appearance, among all the other important affairs associated with the visit.
However I can be absolutely sure we won’t have the Moranbong Band medley of Disney songs… not with the real Winnie the Pooh watching…
We’ll see indeed!