Kilig, but make it classical
The Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Korean Cultural Center clearly know how to pull heartstrings—both emotional and orchestral. After last year’s success, OST Symphony II: K-Drama in Concert returned on Oct. 25, featuring the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and proved once again that the language of kilig transcends subtitles.
Held at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura, the concert filled seats and hearts alike. I caught the first of the two shows, where the PPO’s strings, brass, and percussion—under the baton of Herminigildo Ranera and joined by guest violinist Mijung Kim—lent grandeur to the songs that have defined our binge-watching years.
It’s a clever concept, really—taking classical musicians off their usual concert-hall pedestal and dropping them into the emotionally charged world of K-drama soundtracks. Suddenly, the country’s premier orchestra isn’t just playing Beethoven or Brahms. They’re playing our feelings.
The concert opened with the Squid Game theme—an attention-grabber that felt, admittedly, a bit like clickbait. It was thrilling but fleeting, a quick dip into dystopia before the concert got cozy with nostalgia. Then came that unmistakable intro of You Are My Everything from Descendants of the Sun, and the entire hall collectively gasped. Proof that the appeal of that drama has truly outlived its lead stars’ real-life marriage.
The repertoire read like a playlist of every K-drama that’s broken and mended our hearts: Crash Landing on You, Jewel in the Palace, Mr. Sunshine, The World of the Married, Queen of Tears, King the Land, Itaewon Class, Love in the Moonlight, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
When Korean singer-songwriter Yegny played the first notes of the ballad Beautiful from Goblin, a ripple of recognition ran through the audience—the kind that comes from somewhere between memory and obsession. There were squeals for Lovely Runner and a chorus of delighted murmurs for Aloha from Hospital Playlist.
Filipino artist Kyline Alcantara delivered a tender rendition of My Destiny from the local adaptation of the Korean romcom My Love From the Star. Her voice blended beautifully with the orchestra’s lush arrangement.
Yegny, who took on some of the vocal duties, wrestled gamely with the high notes of Golden from K-pop Demon Hunters. But no one seemed to mind—the crowd was too enamored to care.
Another Korean singer-songwriter, Isaac Hong, on the other hand, brought the house down with his powerful renditions of Queen of Tears’ Fallin’. He shared that his parents had worked in the Philippines and that this was the country he’s visited most. The affection was clearly mutual—his Filipino fans made sure he felt right at home, shrieking loudest when My Love By My Side from the recent tearjerker When Life Gives You Tangerines began.
My personal favorite came from deep in the archives: Flower Day from 2006’s Hwang Jini. Hearing it live, lushly arranged for a full orchestra, felt like rediscovering a classic painting in a new light.
Throughout the concert, scenes from the dramas flashed on screen—a brilliant touch that deepened the nostalgia. Not all numbers had visuals, though, perhaps due to rights limitations (a herculean task, no doubt, given the scale of Korean entertainment licensing). Still, when the screen lit up, the collective sighs, giggles, and whispered recollections rippled across the hall like waves of shared memory.
One curious inclusion was a segment from Encantadia Chronicles, a homegrown fantasy series that felt oddly out of place in a concert celebrating K-dramas. A bit of nitpicking, sure—but when you come for K-drama, you come for K-drama.
In the end, OST Symphony II wasn’t just a concert—it was communal fangirling set to strings. It reminded us that good music, much like a good K-drama, doesn’t just play in your ears; it lingers in your chest, echoing long after the credits roll.
