October 11, 2024
SEOUL – October brings a flurry of opera productions and opera buffs can look forward to a array of performances, including outdoor productions, in Seoul and beyond.
The lineup is impressively diverse, ranging from Puccini’s “Turandot,” Vivaldi’s “Orlando Furioso,” Bizet’s “Carmen” and Wagner’s “Tannhauser,” each captivating for its own reasons.
“Turandot” : Grandiose Arena di Vernoa version
This month’s “Turandot” is a production by the late Italian director Franco Zeffirelli. First staged at the historic Arena di Verona in 2010, it’s now a hallmark of grandeur in the opera world.
“Turandot,” performed by Sol Opera and some 1,000 singers and staff from Italy, will be staged eight times from Oct. 12-19 at the KSPO Dome, an indoor venue within the Olympic Park in Seoul.
Vivaldi’s “Orlando Furioso.” PHOTO: DAEGU INTERNATIONAL OPERA FESTIVAL/THE KOREA HERALD
“Orlando Furioso”: Korean premiere
Daegu International Opera Festival, running through Nov. 8, will showcase the Korean premiere of Vivaldi’s “Orlando Furioso” at Daegu Opera House on Friday and Saturday. The baroque opera features music sung in rarely encountered ranges such as countertenor and contralto.
On Oct. 18 and 19, “265, That One Star,” an original opera created by Camerata Creative Opera Research Group, will go onstage. The opera is a work about the life and outstanding literary achievements of Yi Yook-sa, an acclaimed poet and an independence activist.
Poster for the Korean National Opera’s “Tannhauser.” PHOTO: KNO/THE KOREA HERALD
“Tannhauser”: Seoul Version
The Korean National Opera will present Wagner’s “Tannhauser,” which has a running time of 4 hours 20 minutes, from Oct. 17 to 20. It marks the company’s first full-scale production of the opera in 45 years since its Korean premiere, in Korean, in 1979.
Yona Kim, the director of KNO’s “Tannhauser,” said she would unveil a fresh interpretation, known as the “Seoul version.” There are four different versions of “Tannhauser” — Dresden Version (1845), Paris Version (1861), Munich Version (1867) and Vienna Version (1875).
Based on German medieval legends, particularly that of Tannhauser, a knight and poet, the opera centers on the conflict between sacred and profane love, as well as themes of redemption and forgiveness.
“Tannhauser” can also be watched online at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19 on KNO’s online platform and Naver TV.
“The Barber of Seville” is performed at an outdoor stage in Nodeul Island in Seoul in October 2023. PHOTO: SEOUL FOUNDATION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE/THE KOREA HERALD
“Carmem:” Outdoor version
Meanwhile, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” will take on a new dimension when it is staged outdoors on Nodeul Island.
The 100-minute outdoor version of “Carmen,” presented by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, will star mezzo-soprano Jeong Ju-yeon and tenor John Noh. The performance will feature innovative LED technology and a unique stage design to enhance audience interaction.