Spectacle of 3-D stage set may attract new audience for opera

In celebration of spring, palaces are opening their doors wide to those who want to know more about them and the stories they contain. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that Korean traditional musical concerts will be held at Joseon-period palaces in Seoul through autumn. At the royal garden and Nakseonjae building in Changdeokggung Palace, stage actors Park Jeong-ja and Jeong Dong-hwan will perform short plays of love stories and other anecdotes from the Joseon era (1392-1

What do George Orwell’s “1984” and E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” have in common? Starting later on in 2013, they’ll both be owned by the same company after a merger is completed between publishing heavyweights Penguin and Random House. The two have received unconditional approval from several regulatory commissions on competition in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with the latest coming from the European Union on Saturday. The merger does not “raise competition concerns, in par

HONG KONG (AFP) ― From foie gras noodles and liquid olives to air baguettes and mimetic peanuts, much of what elBulli chef Ferran Adria and his team created across their nearly 2,000 dishes defies transcription.Two years after closing the beachside Spanish restaurant ― repeatedly lauded as the world’s best by those lucky enough to have dined there ― Adria says he is now focused on preserving its legacy for future generations.Widely regarded as the world’s best chef and credited with having chang

Songdo Good Market, an annual flea market aimed at spreading green and sharing culture in Korea, will be back on April 27 at the Songdo Canal Walk inside the Songdo International Business District in Incheon. Starting on that day, the 2013 market will continue to be held on the last Saturday of May, September and October from 1 p.m. through 6 p.m., said Gale International Korea, developer of the Songdo IBD. The organizer said about 300 sales booths will be installed along the main stream where p

Pop music“Zedd in Seoul”: The young Russian-German DJ and music producer Zedd is a classically trained musician who began playing the piano at the age of 4 and the drums later on. In 2002, when Zedd was just 12 years old, he joined the heavy metal rock band trio Dioramic and began composing and producing music. In 2009, he discovered the world of house music after hearing French electronic duo Justice. This led Zedd to the path of DJing and producing electronica music and he released his debut h

Psy has been included on the list of winners recognized for their “disruptive innovation” during the past year, according to the website of Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. Psy was among the 19 recipients of the award given to a person or organization for their achievements that had a significant impact on their respective industry.  “The recent online obsession over Psy’s video for ‘Gangnam Style’ has turned the Korean artist into a global phenomenon,” read the description of Psy on the we

PARIS (AP) ― France’s Louvre museum is getting a new director ― the man who is leading the restoration of its most famous Greek sculpture and has his hands in some of the institutions latest efforts to expand its reach.Jean-Luc Martinez, a French specialist in Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities who has worked at the Louvre since 2007, was appointed by President Francois Hollande for a three-year term. Martinez, 49, is leading the restoration of the famed headless Winged Victory of Samothrace

The British Council opened a new exhibition called “The English Effect” in Britain on Wednesday that introduces many English words with foreign origins.According to the exhibition, “booze” came from the medieval Dutch word “busen,” meaning “to drink to excess.” It was first used by beggars and thieves in the 1500s.Unlike people’s belief that “bungalow” was first used by house builders who had to “bung a low roof” due to the shortage of bricks, it is from Bengal, India. It is said to have been t

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province ― What are believed to be the sarira of Sakyamuni enclosed in urns kept inside the Three-Storied Stone Pagoda at Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, were removed on Tuesday in preparation for repairs to the nearly 1,300-year-old structure.This is the first time the bead-like objects said to have been found among the cremated ashes of Buddha were removed from the stone pagoda and shown to the public since 1966.Byun Young-sup, the newly appoi

One eccentric man’s lifetime mission delves into the history of human waste disposal