Local opera lovers will get the chance to see two vastly different operas this November -- Richard Wagner’s rarely staged “Lohengrin” and Giuseppe Verdi’s musical interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies “Macbeth.”
Following on the heels of “Tosca” earlier this month, the National Korea Opera is gearing up to present its second production of the season -- the mystically romantic tale of “Lohengrin,” which is being staged for the first time in Korea in four decades.
In 2013, the KNO presented local audiences with the Korean premiere of Wagner’s final opera “Parsifal.” Following its success, the company decided to launch a Wagner series, staging “The Flying Dutchman” last year. It is now continuing the series with the 19th century three-act opera “Lohengrin.”
Set in the early 10th century, the opera tells the fantasy-filled tale of Elsa, who is falsely accused of a crime and prays for a knight in shining armor to save her. Her prayers are answered as Lohengrin, knight of the Holy Grail, appears to rescue her. Although the two fall deeply in love with one another, they quickly find that the circumstances are not in their favor.
Hailed as one of Wagner’s top operas, “Lohengrin” combines elegance, enchantment and darkness.
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A scene from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” (Sejong Center) |
“When you hear the music of ‘Lohengrin,’ you experience two worlds and two different atmospheres -- you have the world of the day and the world of the night,” said the opera’s conductor Philippe Auguin of the Washington National Opera, during a press conference at the N Studio in Seoul on Monday.
“In the world of the day, you have magic, music that comes from the heavens,” he continued. “Then at night, you have this dark magic.”
The upcoming opera will star bassist Mikhail Petrenko as Heinrich the Fowler; tenor Charles Kim as Lohengrin; soprano Seo Sun-young as Elsa of Brabant; baritone Thomas Hall as Friedrich of Telramund; soprano Catherine Hunold as Ortrud; and bassist Sonn Hye-soo as The King’s Herald.
“Lohengrin” will be staged for three days at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera House on Nov. 16, 18 and 20. Ticket prices range from 10,000 won ($8.71) to 150,000 won.
The Sejong Center is also gearing up to host its latest opera production, Verdi’s operatic rendition of the Shakespeare classic “Macbeth.”
Once again returning with Shakespeare in honor of the 400th anniversary of the bard’s death this year, Verdi’s musical rendition of the Shakespearean tragedy is most often hailed as the best of the composer’s earliest works, expressing the cruelties and ambitions of humans through a powerful score.
“The music to this opera is extremely powerful,” said the opera’s general director Lee Geon-yong, during a press conference at the Sejong Center in Seoul on Monday.
“Just to give you an example,” he continued as he walked over to the practice room’s grand piano and held up a wire that had snapped. “See this? During our rehearsal our pianist was hitting the piano keys so powerfully that the wire actually snapped. In my entire career, I’ve never seen that before, so I think it really represents the intensity of the opera’s score.”
The opera follows the storyline of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth, who is told by a trio of witches that he will one day become King of Scotland. Consumed by greed and ambition, Macbeth goes on to murder King Duncan in order to claim the throne for himself. Guilt and fear later consume him and he is racked with paranoia.
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Soprano Seo Sun-young (left) and tenor Charles Kim perform a scene from Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” during a press conference at the N Studio in Seoul on Monday. (Korea National Opera) |
Sung in its original Italian libretto, the upcoming four-act “Macbeth” opera will also feature subtitles in both Korean and English.
The production will star baritones Yang June-mo and Kim Tae-hyun as Macbeth; sopranos Oh Mi-seon and Jung Joo-hei as Lady Macbeth; and bassists Choi Woong-cho and Kwon Young-hyeong as Banco.
“Macbeth” will be staged at the Sejong Center’s Grand Theater in Seoul from Nov. 24 to 27. Ticket prices range from 20,000 won to 120,000 won.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
