World Stars to Grace Stage in May

South Korean fans will be able to welcome international music icons Jose Carreras, Ennio Morricone, Sumi Jo and Dmitri Hvorostovsky next month.

Jose Carreras will hold a recital tour across Korea May 8-12. One of the three great tenors of the century, alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, the Spanish singer will grace Kyunghee University’s anniversary celebration in Seoul May 8 and perform at Cheonma Art Center in Daegu May 10, and, May 12, at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center for its second anniversary concert in Seoul’s satellite city of Goyang, in Gyeonggi Province.

The crystalline bell sound of his younger days has now taken on a deeper color, and the 62-year-old wowed local fans during his 2005 recital at Seoul Arts Center. Meanwhile, crossover tenor Im Tae-kyung is known for overcoming leukemia, and Carreras, too, has inspired many by conquering the disease and supporting others through his international leukemia foundation.

He will sing popular operatic arias and folk songs, and his partner conductor and nephew, David Gimenez, will conduct the Eurasian Philharmonic Orchestra for the Seoul and Daegu concerts while for the Goyang performance he will lead the Korean Symphony Orchestra, which recently provided the accompaniment for Domingo’s recital.

Tickets cost from 80,000 won to 220,000 won for Daegu (call 053-422-4224) and Kyunghee University (call 1588-7890) and from 40,000 won to 220,000 won for Goyang Aram Nuri Art Center (call 1577-7766).

In 2007, Ennio Morricone made an unforgettable concert debut here by conducting the timeless compositions that appeared in ``Cinema Paradiso,’’ ``The Mission’’ and ``The Legend of 1900.’’ The 80-year-old veteran of over 400 film soundtracks will revisit Korea to give two concerts May 26-27 at Olympic Park.

The Italian composer has been touring the world with the Gyor Philharmonic Orchestra, and will be joined by the Yoon Hak-won Chorale for the Seoul concerts. Esteemed director Park Chan-wook was quoted as once saying, ``While there may be people who have not seen his films, there is no one, in civilized modern society, who hasn’t heard his music. He is the J.S. Bach of today.’’

Details about the program have yet to be announced. Tickets cost from 50,000 won to 160,000 won. Booking in English is available at (02) 3444-9969.

Korea’s feted soprano Sumi Jo and Russia’s foremost baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky will perform for Seoulites May 28 and 30 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Seoul.

The concert, most appropriately titled ``Majestic,’’ brings together two of the most talented singers of the world, Jo, whom Herbert von Karajan complimented as having ``the voice from Heaven,’’ and Hvorostovsky, whose silvery voice graced all five of the world’s top opera houses.

Jo will sing the technically exigent aria ``Couplets de Mysoli’’ from the opera ``La Perle du Bresil,’’ among works, while Hvorostovsky will offer not only standard Italian operatic arias but a variation of French and Russian repertoires.

Ion Marin will conduct the Mostly Philharmonic. Tickets cost from 70,000 won to 200,000 won. Call (02) 3461-0976.

Artists to Inspire Children in Lectures

Renowned figures of the Korean art world will become honorary professors for young students. Artists including conductor Chung Myung-whun, soprano Sumi Jo and ballerina Kang Sue-jin hope to inspire elementary, middle and high school students through a program organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The lecture series was launched last October in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology with the aim of encouraging underprivileged children amid the faltering economy, the culture ministry said, Tuesday.

``The program will be more than just one-time events. It will make way for student-teacher communication and revamp arts education through performances with commentaries; exploration of arts and culture scenes; opportunities to play with orchestras; and camps,’’ said the ministry.

Maestro Chung, who extended his contract with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, has set off on a busy season with serial concerts, charity events and the lectures for children. ``Music Story With Maestro’’ begins Friday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Some 8,000 students and 4,000 parents will be invited. The first lecture will be on symphony music, with a concentration on Beethoven’s Symphony Nos. 5 and 9. Three other lectures will take place June 19 on opera, Aug. 11 on ballet scores and Dec. 29 on concertos.

For all classical music fans, the conductor will appear with the Seoul Philharmonic tonight at the Sejong Center. The third of the Masterpiece concert series features Stravinsky’s ``The Rite of Spring’’ and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with Irish pianist Finghin Collins. Tickets cost 10,000 to 70,000 won. For information about the lecture series and concert, call (02) 3700-6300.

In October, star soprano Jo will accompany a youth orchestra comprising underprivileged children for a tour through Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province. On April 26, prima ballerina Kang will meet and converse with the child audience of an international dance gala performance that is to take place that day at Seongnam Arts Center. >>More

Read about maestro Chung's other charity projects, such as the Boystown Orchestra.

Sumi Jo Returns Home With Globetrotting Album

She was very upbeat on the phone, but I was a little irritated when her two dogs kept interrupting the conversation.

There’s no place like home for internationally feted soprano Sumi Jo. The lyric coloratura singer has been traveling the world for over 20 years, and makes a ``homecoming’’ through a new crossover, cross-border album of world folk music, ``Missing You.’’

``The most important thing in life is family, and I miss home the most when I travel,’’ Jo told The Korea Times, sounding cheerful over the phone from her Italian residence. The 45-year-old lives with her three pet dogs, which she had to shush in rapid Italian during the conversation. ``For me, voyages and airports are marked by loneliness and homesickness, rather than excitement and fun. This album is like returning home,’’ she said.

The Grammy Award-winning artist comes back to Deutsche Grammophon, a label under which she recorded her opera debut ``Un Ballo in Maschera’’ with maestro Herbert von Karajan in 1987. With 16 songs in 11 languages ranging from Nordic hymns and Mexican serenades to Yiddish tunes like ``Dona Dona,’’ the project embodies Jo’s past two decades of music making around the world.

``Are there too many tracks?’’ she asked, slightly concerned. Her personal motto being ``less expectation, more appreciation,’’ she is grateful for the small things in life, but her greed for perfection is boundless when it comes to work.

Jo has released a crossover album every now and then ``like a relaxing vacation,’’ but this recording, she said, was as demanding as a hefty opera compilation. Though versed in multiple languages, Jo had to employ tutors and visit cultural centers for the unfamiliar lyrics in Norwegian and Russian among others. Recent concert tours in Russia and Israel, as well as pronunciation tips from her Argentinean assistant helped, but she felt greatly pressured about capturing the tradition and sentiment inherent to each folk song.

The result is not a messy potpourri, but a collection of soulful love songs suffused with warmth and feeling that transcend the spoken word. ``It’s Sumi Jo’s love story, and the protagonist is music,’’ said the singer. Indeed, she makes each classic song her own, whether it be something serene like ``Cossack Lullaby’’ or sensual like ``Besame Mucho,’’ which is delivered in harmony with crossover tenor Alessandro Safina. There’s an endearing artlessness to it, where Jo’s vivid voice is not embellished by fancy techniques. ``I can’t sing in a calculated manner. For me, singing is natural like breathing or sleeping,’’ she said.

The album’s last and most important track ``Mother, Sister’’ brings her back home to Korea. Singling out just one Korean piece was extremely tough, but speaking to her mother made the decision easier. ``My mom reminded me of how I used to get in trouble for fooling around and not practicing the piano when I was young. She scared me by saying how she found me beneath the Han River bridge and I’d behave,’’ said the soprano with a laugh.

Jo chose this sad song evoking Korean War orphans even though she had envisioned something brighter. ``It moved me to tears,’’ she said. The soprano also colored the piece with haegeum, a traditional Korean two-string fiddle. ``I am just so Korean,’’ she said. You can take the Jo out of Korea but not the Korea out of Jo.

Looking back on her career, she said ``music was and is my reason for living.’’ But she cautions young singers about walking a similar path. ``I’d like to advise them to make music a companion in life and not necessarily life itself,’’ she said. To add to her roster of honors, she recently won the prestigious International Puccini Award. ``It was really unexpected. It’s a great honor but it also made it clear how much more there is to achieve,’’ she said. Besides continuing to explore the vast ocean of classical repertoire, the UNESCO Artist of Peace laureate wants to continue helping children and animals.

In December, Jo and Alessandro Safina will visit Korea to sing the beautiful folk songs. ``I’m actually thinking of having the conductor wear a pilot’s uniform,’’ she said with rhythmic laughter. ``I want the audience to travel the world through music.’’ The ``Dream With Us’’ concert will take place Dec. 5 at Seoul Arts Center. Call (02) 3461-0976.

Sumi Jo, Rising Stars Tour Korea

I got to hear her so close-up! She is "yeoksi" very glamorous, and knows how to play the press and pose for the camera.

Soprano Sumi Jo and rising opera stars sing during a press showcase in Seoul for the concert series ``Sumi Jo & Winners,’’ Thursday. From left, Suh Jung-hak, Son Ji-hye, Kang Hyung-kyu and Sumi Jo. /Korea Times photo

Prime coloratura soprano Sumi Jo has returned to her homeland to helm the next generation of Korean opera stars in the cross-country concert tour ``Sumi Jo & Winners,’’ from Busan to Seoul through Jan. 3, 2008.

``I’ve been looking forward to this since my world tour last year (celebrating 20 years since my international debut),’’ said the 45-year-old diva during a press meeting in Seoul, Thursday. ``These young artists are joining me on my longtime journey. We need to establish a support system for musicians, especially given that we put Korea’s reputation on the line.

``There are so many young artists leading active careers abroad. They have such bright futures and need to be taken notice of,’’ said Jo. ``I wanted to support them and sing less than I was scheduled to, but that was apparently a problem with selling tickets,’’ she added with a laugh.

Joining the prima donna onstage are award-winning singers who are playing principal roles in the international music scene: soprano Son Ji-hye, mezzo soprano Lee A-kyeong, tenors Lee Jeong-won and Chung Ho-yoon, and baritones Kang Hyung-kyu and Na Myung-won.

``There is a lot of striking Korean talent in Europe, and I often hear people say that Sumi Jo is the best,’’ said Kang Hyung-kyu, who has been leading an active career in Italy for 10 years now. ``I believe we were given such opportunities because (Jo) paved the path for us,’’ he said. Lee Jeong-won, for example, is the first Korean tenor to debut at the famed Italian La Scala Theater.

Jo herself was a discovery of German maestro Herbert von Karajan, who said she possesses a ``voice from the heavens’’ that appears every once in a 100 years or so. Jo also announced her five-year contract with Universal Music Korea, which she said is like ``returning home in 20 years.’’ Jo had recorded ``Un Ballo in Maschera’’ with Karajan in 1988 (Decca) as well as ``Carnival.’’ A crossover album of international folk songs is slated for release next December.

The opera gala concert showcases well-known arias from the standard operatic repertoire, including Rossini’s ``Il Barbiere di Siviglia,’’ Bizet’s ``Carmen,’’ Verdi’s ``Rigoletto’’ and ``La Traviata’’ and Puccini’s ``Turandot.’’ ``Even those unfamiliar with classical music or operas will be able to enjoy it,’’ said Jo.

The remaining schedule is as follows. Dec. 24: Daegu Suseong Artpia (www.ssartpia.or.kr); Dec. 27: Seongnam Arts Center (www.snart.or.kr); Dec. 29: Suwon Gyeonggi Arts Center (www.ggac.or.kr); Dec. 30: Busan Cultural Center (bsculture.busan.kr); Dec. 31: Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex (www.artgy.or.kr); Jan. 3, 2008: Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul (www.sejongpac.or.kr).
Tickets cost from 70,000 won to 150,000 won. For reservations, visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or www.interpark.com. For more information about the concert, call (02) 3461-0976.