Arirang Fantasy

"Arirang Fantasy", originally titled "Arirang", is a 1976 modern classical composition for orchestra by the North Korean composer Choi Sung-hwan, who died in 1981. It based on the Korean folk song "Arirang", specifically the "Bonjo Arirang" arrangement, which is the most popular and well-known of all the "Arirang" variations, thanks to its popularization in the 1926 film Arirang.

History

In 1978, "Arirang Fantasy" was played in Japan by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, marking the first time the piece was performed in Japan.
In 2008, the New York Philharmonic visited North Korea and conducted by Lorin Maazel played a slightly-modified arrangement of the piece before a live audience at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre.