As Korea’s opera scene heads into the year’s final stretch, major companies across the country are unveiling high-profile productions that underline the growing ambition and scale of the nation’s opera companies.
From the Seoul Metropolitan Opera’s grand 40th-anniversary staging of Verdi’s "Aida" and Chung Myung-whun’s long-awaited return to "Carmen" in Busan, to Wagner’s monumental "Tristan und Isolde," Puccini's "Tosca" and Gluck’s "Orfeo ed Euridice," audiences are being offered an exceptional lineup of operatic experiences to close the season.
‘Orfeo ed Euridice’ by Daegu International Opera Festival
As the closing performance of the 22nd Daegu International Opera Festival, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” will take the stage at the Daegu Opera House on Friday and Saturday. A 2024 in-house production by Daegu Opera House, the opera was showcased at Estonia’s Saaremaa Opera Festival in July to international audiences.
Based on ancient Greek mythology, “Orfeo ed Euridice” is a lyrical opera that follows Orfeo’s descent into the underworld in a desperate attempt to reclaim his beloved wife, Euridice.
The production is directed by Eom Sook-jeong, with Cho Jung-hyun conducting the Dio Orchestra and the Daegu Opera Choir.
This year’s Daegu International Opera Festival, held under the theme “Per Sempre” — Italian for “forever” — has featured four full-scale opera productions since Sept. 26: Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” Bizet’s “Carmen,” Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” along with Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.” Ticket prices range from 20,000 won to 100,000 won.
'Aida' by Seoul Metropolitan Opera
The Seoul Metropolitan Opera will mark its 40th anniversary with a large-scale production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida,” returning to the Sejong Center Grand Theater for the first time in 11 years. The production also commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 1965 Korean premiere of “Aida."
One of Verdi’s most majestic operas, “Aida” blends exotic atmosphere with deeply human drama. Set in ancient Egypt, the story unfolds through a powerful intersection of love, war and destiny, heightened by lyrical arias and dramatic ensembles.
With a cast of more than 200 performers, the production, directed by Lee Hoe-soo, will take full advantage of the Sejong Center’s Grand Theater stage to deliver an overwhelming sense of scale and spectacle, according to the opera company's artistic director Park Hye-jin.
A distinguished international cast will lead the production. The title role of Aida will be double-cast with sopranos Rim Sae-kyung and Cho Sun-hyung, while tenors Shin Sang-geun and Kuk Yoon-jong will perform as Radames. The role of Amneris will be shared by mezzo-sopranos Yang Song-mi and Kim Saerin, with baritones Yoo Dong-jik and Yang Jun-mo appearing as Amonasro.
A total of four performances will be offered from Nov. 13 to 16.
Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 170,000 won.
‘Tosca’ by Seongnam Arts Center
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Seongnam Arts Center, the Seongnam Cultural Foundation will present Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece “Tosca” on Nov. 28 and 29 at the Seongnam Arts Center Opera House.
“Tosca,” one of Puccini’s three greatest operas together with “La Boheme” and “Turandot” unfolds over a single night, depicting a gripping tale of love, jealousy, power and betrayal, set in Rome in the early 1800s.
This anniversary production is directed by Eom Suk-jung. At the podium, Roberto Gianola will lead the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and Winner Opera Chorus.
The production features leading vocalists including soprano Cho Sun-hyung, winner of first prizes at the Bilbao and Parma Competitions and active across major European stages, and soprano Seo Sun-young, a renowned dramatic soprano and professor at the Korea National University of Arts. Tenors Shin Sang-geun and Park Sung-kyu will perform the role of Tosca’s lover, the painter Cavaradossi. The ruthless police chief Scarpia will be portrayed by baritones Park Jung-min and Ryu Ji-sang.
Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 120,000 won.
‘Tristan and Isolde’ by the Korea National Opera
“Tristan und Isolde” will run from Dec. 4 to 7 at the Seoul Arts Center as a collaboration between the Korea National Opera and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under music director Jaap van Zweden.
As the second installment of the Korea National Opera’s Wagner Series, this new production of "Tristan und Isolde" explores the fateful and all-consuming love between the knight Tristan and Princess Isolde. The staging is led by director Stephan Marki, who has expanded his Wagner repertoire with acclaimed productions of “Tristan und Isolde” at the Coburg State Theatre in 2023.
On Dec. 4 and 6, the title roles will be sung by tenor Stuart Skelton as Tristan and soprano Catherine Foster as Isolde, joined by Tone Kummervold as Brangane, Leonardo Yi as Kurwenal. The Dec. 5 and 7 performances will feature tenor Bryan Register as Tristan and soprano Eliska Weissova as Isolde, with Kim Hyo-na as Brangane, Noh Dong-yong as Kurwenal.
Park Jong-min as King Marke, Lee Jae-myung as Melot, Kim Jae-yeol as the Shepherd and Young Sailor, and Kim Young-hoon as the Steersman will perform their roles across all four dates.
The three-act opera, running approximately six hours including intermissions, begins at 3 p.m. daily from Dec. 4 to 7.
Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 180,000 won.
'Carmen' by Classic Busan
Classic Busan presents a concert opera performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” led by maestro Chung Myung-whun at the Busan Concert Hall in Busan on Dec. 19 and 20. This marks Chung’s first "Carmen" on a Korean stage in about 20 years.
Under Chung's baton, the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra will perform alongside an impressive cast of singers who perform internationally. World-renowned tenor Lee Yong-hoon, who has appeared in leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House and the Vienna State Opera, will sing Don Jose -- marking only his third opera appearance in Korea. Canadian mezzo-soprano Michele Losier will take on the title role of Carmen, while baritone Kim Ki-hoon, winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, will appear as Escamillo. Adding to the scale of the performance, three choirs -- the Kimhae City Choir, Classic Busan Choir and the Haeundae Children’s Choir -- will also participate.
Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 120,000 won.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
