Indulge in Imaginative Operas on Small Stages

The Seoul Opera Ensemble is staging “Mozart and Salieri” as part of its opera festival at the National Theater of Korea through July 27. / Courtesy of Seoul Opera Ensemble

Last month, the Seoul Opera Ensemble Company staged a hip version of Verdi's ``Rigoletto'' at the Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center. Such small stages will continue to host operas that flirt with experimental structures and bring audiences closer to the genre.

The Small Theater Opera festival, currently ongoing through July 27 at the National Theater of Korea, features rare-to-see pieces such as Rimsky-Korsakov's ``Mozart and Salieri.'' The work dramatizes the supposedly fatal rivalry between the two composers in 18th-century Vienna, and inspired the critically acclaimed Milos Forman movie ``Amadeus'' (1984).

Accompanying the show are works by the Mozart and Salieri themselves, ``Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario)'' and ``Prima la musica e poi le parole (Music Comes Before Speech),'' respectively. At the time, it is said that the emperor assigned the two to write an opera about the birth of opera, and Salieri's piece was preferred over Mozart's satirical criticism of the corrupt music scene.

Tickets for each opera cost from 30,000 won to 50,000 won. Call (02) 6223-5312 or visit www.seoulopera.org. Located near Dongguk University station, line 3, exit 6.

While Seoul Arts Center prepares for its Opera Theater's reopening in mid-December with ``The Nutcracker,'' the Towol Theater will continue to resound with operatic arias. The National Opera of Korea invites first-time opera-goers and avid fans to watch Bizet's Spanish love story ``Carmen'' July 23-Aug. 1.

Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 50,000 won Students and children can receive special discounts up to 50 percent, with the lowest reservation price costing 5,000 won. Call (02) 586-5282.

In August, Seoul Arts Center presents Mozart's ``The Magic Flute'' from Aug. 9 to 24. This is part of the center's annual best-selling summer vacation treat for families. The fantastic visuals and storyline featuring nymphs and singing flutes will captivate children and adults alike. Under the baton of Christopher Lee from Austria, the Seoul Arts Center Festival Orchestra and the country's top singers will deliver a night of magic with the stellar Queen of the Night aria.

Tickets cost 30,000 won to 50,000 won. Call (02) 580-1300 or visit www.sac.or.kr (Korean and English). The center is located near Nambu Bus Terminal station, subway line 3, exit 5.