Jose Carreras to Hold Recitals

Photos courtesy of Goyang Aram Nuri

Jose Carreras will hold three recitals across South Korea beginning Friday through May 12 -- not as a stopover of an Asian tour but in order to revisit the local audience.

``Korea is, for an artist, a wonderful pleasure. The tradition and knowledge here for classical music and opera are incredible,’’ the tenor said in a press meeting in Seoul, Wednesday. He was presiding over the jury at a recent Verdi Competition and 70 percent of the contestants were Korean, he explained, and prominent European and American orchestras have many Korean members.

``Going to Korea is something that any artist has to be proud of, and I am very proud to come to Korea. I came to your country for the first time in 1979, 30 years ago, and since then I had a wonderful, wonderful experience. It’s a privilege to come to your country,’’ said the Spanish singer, who, along with Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, is considered one of the three great tenors of modern times.

``Yes, I keep in touch with Placido as often as we can,’’ he said, despite their different schedules and frequent travels, and plans on visiting him soon in London. ``Our friendship and our professional relationship are still there and I’m very happy to have it,’’ he added. On a more somber note, he said he greatly missed the late Pavarotti. ``We lost one of the most important tenors and singers of the history of opera. Not only that (…) we lost a wonderful friend, a very charismatic person, a very caring friend. It was a tremendous pleasure to not only work with him but to talk to him. He was a sensational guy,’’ he said.

Jose Carreras, center, and sopranos Fiona Campbell and Park Mi-hye

While Domingo, who also recently held an Asia recital exclusively in Seoul, is still active on the opera stage, Carreras said he prefers recitals, though he would accept an operatic role if the conditions are favorable. For the tour here, he will sing popular operatic arias and folk songs including ``Lamento di Federico’’ from the opera ``L’Arlesiana’’ and ``Lejana Tierra Mia,’’ joined by sopranos Park Mi-hye and Fiona Campbell. ``I will be singing `New Arirang,’ and as soon as I heard it I knew I would like Korea,’’ said Campbell about singing the traditional local song on her first visit here.

Meanwhile, Park, who took the stage opposite the tenor several times in Europe, said it was always a great honor to sing with someone who inspires not only with music but also with his personal triumph. In 1987 at the height of his success, Carreras was diagnosed with leukemia, but miraculously overcame the disease.

Fighting Leukemia

``Of course when someone gets a diagnosis for acute leukemia, this is very hard to swallow… You have possibilities: one is to be passive as a patient and let things go, the other thing is to fight with determination,’’ he said. When doctors told him he had ``the possibility of one in a million’’ to recover completely, he had to grab that chance and fight. ``I think this is absolutely indispensable,’’ he added.

(Ma questionne) ``Yes,'' music itself was inspirational -- ``a wonderful shelter,’’ he said. ``Music therapy is something doctors recommend to patients. Music always plays a very important role in our lives, not just for musicians but in the lives of everyone.’’ >>More

>>Read about Im Tae-kyung, a young Korean crossover tenor who also overcame leukemia.

Director Skolimowski Fetes 71st Birthday in Jeonju

``Four Nights With Anna’’ (2008)

JEONJU - South Korea’s foremost indie and art film event, Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), celebrates its 10th anniversary through Friday in the North Jeolla Province city -- and the big birthday coincided with that of one of its special guests, Eastern European master director Jerzy Skolimowski.

The honored Polish auteur marked his 71st birthday, which fell on Tuesday, with a party and a retrospective featuring nine of his 22 films. About his first visit here, he said he was impressed by Korea’s markedly different exoticism from the ambiance of Japan, Hong Kong or Macao. He was also happy with the selection of films in the JIFF retrospective, except for ``30 Door Key’’ (1991) -- it was based on a famous Polish novel and should never have been translated to film, he said in a statement released by JIFF.

Born in Lodz, Poland in 1938, Skolimowski studied anthropology, history and literature at the University of Warsaw and eventually film at the Polish National Film School. A man of many talents, he is also a writer, painter and boxer. He became reputed through films including ``Walkover’’ (1966), although ``Hands Up!’’ (1967) was banned in Poland for its critical, anti-Stalinist point of view. Nevertheless, he earned international acclaim through Cannes award-winning films ``The Shout’’ (1978) and ``Moonlighting’’ (1982).

His films are noted for their social criticism, often featuring antisocial or marginalized figures, but Skolimowski said he was not a social commentator. He never associated himself with any social group and some people have even accused him of being a misanthrope. He enjoys solitude and relates better with animals. ``I once cried watching Robert Bresson’s (mistreated donkey story) `Au hazard Balthazar,’’’ he said.

The ``lonesome’’ filmmaker had disappeared altogether from the film scene, retreating to a life as a painter for 17 years. He poured all his passion into painting and didn’t feel the desire to direct, he said. He has held exhibitions and industry icons such as Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper have acquired his work. ``It was a time to reestablish myself as an artist, and I felt reborn as a young artist,’’ he said, adding that he was able to rediscover his energy for filmmaking. >>More

Soprano Lee Ji-young to Play Supporting Role in `Fidelio'

Photo courtesy of MuAk Opera

Lee Ji-young, who wowed the local audience as a guest singer in Placido Domingo’s Seoul recital in January, will appear as Marzelline in MuAk Opera's production of ``Fidelio,'' which will be staged Thursday through Sunday at Seoul Arts Center.

Some felt baffled that the rising U.S.-based soprano accepted the minor part, but Lee expressed great affection for the production.

``I was initially reluctant about appearing in the opera, not because it was a supporting role -- Marzelline’s part actually suits my voice better than Leonore’s -- but because I debuted here only recently (in Domingo’s recital),’’ she told The Korea Times, Friday in Seoul. A graduate of Domingo’s prestigious Young Artist program, she received critical acclaim for a lead in the Washington National Opera.

But she was ultimately drawn to the visions of the newly founded Muak Opera and the initiative of the project, which also coincides with the celebration of the 120th anniversary of her alma mater Yonsei University. ``I think the `how’ or `why’ part, rather than `what’ you do, is more important,’’ she said.

Originally a classically trained pianist, Lee began singing at a very late age, her senior year in high school. ``I had never heard an opera until then,’’ she chuckled. ``But in college, I fell in love with `La Boheme’ through Prof. Kim Kwan-dong (MuAk Opera’s artistic general director).’’

Afterward, Lee headed to the U.S. for further study. The road to her blooming success, however, was far from easy, as visa problems postponed the launching of her career. Domingo’s program was the only one that granted visas to participants, and Lee entered what she calls a ``great turning point.’’

``I was almost 10 years older than most people in the program, but everyone has their own path. Before, I used to feel anxious about becoming a diva and making it big. But I prayed a lot to God and rediscovered my reason for singing,’’ she said.

Marzelline is certainly a minor part, but Lee said she is a most crucial character that uplifts the dark story and helps the protagonist. On the opening night of the Washington National Opera’s ``Daughter of the Regiment,’’ Domingo himself had presented Lee as ``the daughter of the opera house.’’ Indeed, Seoulites will be able to see Lee shine through, as this reporter did in a rehearsal of ``Fidelio,’’ for quality reigns over quantity.

``Fidelio’’ begins at 8 p.m. except for Sunday, which will be a 4 p.m. matinee show. Thursday and Saturday productions will be in Korean, while the ones on Friday and Sunday will be in German. Tickets cost from 30,000 won to 150,000 won. Call (02) 720-3933.

Beethoven’s `Fidelio’ to Be Staged in 17 Years

(Photo courtesy of MuAk Opera)

Seoul’s classical music scene is becoming increasingly diverse, but operas remain mostly limited to the standard repertoire of Mozart, Puccini and Rossini. MuAk Opera presents Thursday through Sunday a rare production of Beethoven’s ``Fidelio’’ -- for the first time here in 17 years and for the first time in the original German.

Beethoven’s unique opera, ``Fidelio’’ has been seldom revived since its 1805 premiere in Vienna under the German master’s own baton. Johan Simons brought the piece back into focus last fall through a modern reinterpretation at the Opera Garnier in Paris.

``Fidelio’’ debuted here in 1970 but wasn’t restaged until 1992 due to the strict military regime of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Set in 18th-century Seville, Spain, it traces a faithful wife Leonore’s efforts to save her husband Florestan, who had been illegally imprisoned for revealing the corrupt acts of Don Pizarro. She disguises herself as a man and enters the prison as a guard under the alias Fidelio and schemes to rescue Florestan from death row -- ``Prison Break,’’ anyone?

``We chose to stage `Fidelio’ rather than more popular works such as `Tosca’ because we felt a responsibility to introduce novel works to opera lovers,’’ said artistic general director Kim Kwan-dong in a recent press conference in Seoul.

``It isn’t light entertainment, as it depicts human sufferings. But the universal messages are relevant in modern society and shows that light shines in darkness,’’ he said. ``The story is dark but it is ultimately a happy ending,’’ said director Choi Ji-hyung. Indeed, the opera celebrates the triumph of love, justice and freedom. It also has some comic relief in the tradition of Shakespeare’s ``Twelfth Night,’’ where a young girl, Marzelline, falls in love with Fidelio.

The visuals will reflect the stark realism of the story, but MuAk Opera promises spectacular music, especially for the famous ``Prisoners’ Chorus’’ with an impressive cast of over 100 singers from the Grande Opera Choir. ``We did not want to compromise the work’s artistry for economic factors,’’ said the director.

``I’ve had the pleasure of hearing maestro (Choi Seung-han) conduct the chorus, and it’s one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard. From the quiet pianissimos to the triple forte, it had perfect diction and the most beautiful sound,’’ said American tenor Steven Harrison, who will share the role of Florestan with the popular Han Yoon-seok. Meanwhile, sopranos Na Kyung-hye and Susan Anthony will alternate the part of Leonore.

``Fidelio’’ begins at 8 p.m. except for Sunday, which will be a 4 p.m. matinee show. Thursday and Saturday productions will be in Korean, while the ones on Friday and Sunday will be in German. Tickets cost from 30,000 won to 150,000 won. Call (02) 720-3933.

Beethoven Galore

In addition to ``Fidelio,’’ other pieces of music by Beethoven will fill local halls throughout the month. The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music, under the theme ``Beethoven Plus,’’ presents the composer’s chamber works through May 18 in various venues around the capital. Visit www.seoulspring.org.

On May 23, virtuoso pianist Kim Sun-wook will join his former teacher, pianist-conductor Kim Dae-jin, for Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra’s special two-part concert featuring Beethoven’s complete Piano Concertos, at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Seoul’s satellite city, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Call (031) 288-2813~5.

'Thirst' Tops Box Office With 600,000 Moviegoers

*South Korea measures box office scores in terms of number of moviegoers, rather than revenue. It has a population of only 48 million, so 600,000 is a huge number!

"Thirst," director Park Chan-wook's latest film, placed top in the South Korean box office during the two consecutive holidays of the opening week.

The film attracted a total of 626,024 moviegoers during the first three days after the release, following 439,950 at 601 cinemas across the country for May Day and Saturday, according to the integrated computer network figure of the Korean Film Council.

The film also attracted 178,000 cinemagoers, Thursday, the largest number among new releases in the first day of their screening this year.

The film, which tells the story of a priest who becomes a vampire, is expected to hit 800,000 in total Sunday if the current trend persists, according to movie analysts.

This is incredibly impressive; Park is of course an icon here, but his movies have a cult following among only a rather limited group. This is doubly significant since April 30 marked the release of major competitors such as "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

>>Read my movie review of "Thirst," one of the first available in English.
>>Read about what director Park had to say about his movie.

Dresden Staatskapelle to Enliven Strauss in Seoul

This weekend classical aficionados can savor Richard Strauss in its original tongue through the definitive ``Strauss orchestra,'' Dresden Staatskapelle.

The 461-year-old troupe is wrapping up its Asia tour here with two programs dedicated to the tone poems of the German master.

``The force of this orchestra is (its) very high ethical understanding of his importance in music history and the will to preserve (its) truly unique sound,'' said maestro Fabio Luisi in an email interview. He said he was curious and excited to meet the local audience in his first visit to South Korea.

A highlight of the Saturday show at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Seoul, is the revival of ``Ein Heldenleben,'' Op. 40, which will end with a gentle violin solo according to Strauss' original intentions.

The following evening, Sejong Center's pipe organ, the largest in Asia, will resound for ``Also Sprach Zarathustra,'' which many will recognize as the grand thematic score of the movie ``2001 Space Odyssey.'' Also featured is the ``Burleske'' for Piano and Orchestra with Emanuel Ax.

``I chose the program in order to show, on the one side, the stylistic history of the Staatskapelle, which actually is the `Richard Strauss Orchestra,' and on the other side, to present the major characteristics of this orchestra, which are a beautiful, smooth sound and the ability to play and understand properly the Romantic repertoire,'' said the conductor.

Born in Genoa, Italy in 1959, Luisi originally taught and played piano. Conducting local operas lead to an international career, and his engagements include general music directorship of the Semperoper Dresden (Saxonian State Opera) and principal conductorship of the Vienna Symphony.

``Both opera and concert are important to me,'' he said. ``In the opera I have to conduct a work in which the stage plays an important role ― this is complicated but very interesting. In a concert I can focus on absolute music.''

In regard to conducting style, he said he admires Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and Rudolf Kempe ― ``conductors who can equilibrate feeling and rationality.''

He regards Kempe's Strauss recordings as being ``still the best.'' ``Kempe gave some objectivity to the pompous element in Strauss. Today the trend is towards opulence again, and I much prefer the distanced opulence of Karajan and others to the exaggerated sensuality of some of my colleagues who are not interested in the truth of the work but only in packaging it nicely,'' he said in a statement released by Sony Classical.

As for the Dresden Staatsakapelle, he strives to preserve and develop the unique characteristics of one of the world's oldest ensembles. ``The Staatskapelle always was an orchestra that has given a break to young composers. These young composers used to be called Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss,'' he said, and aims to link in to this tradition by appointing Isabel Mundry and Bernhard Lang as composers in residence.

Tickets cost from 50,000 won to 250,000 won. Call (02) 399-1114~6.

"Cyborg She," One Man's Perverse Fantasy

Director Kwak Jae-yong has been giving less than stellar performances ever since the South Korean megahit ``My Sassy Girl’’ (2001) and the mellow romance ``Classic’’ (2003) ― and he makes an effort to redeem himself, rather fruitlessly, in ``Cyborg She.’’

The Korea-Japan joint production nevertheless held a top spot in the Japanese box office for five weeks and sold over 110,000 DVDs. The movie translates into real action akin to Japanese sci-fi anime, and is not without its charms, particularly with some striking visuals and top stars Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide giving endearing performances.

But this reporter ― having loved Kwak’s ``Sassy’’ and ``Classic’’ (2003), despised ``Sassy’s’’ prequel ``Windstruck’’ (2004) and felt pity for ``My Mighty Princess’’ (2008) ― was not at all convinced by ``Cyborg’s’’ perverse pursuit of an older man’s self-gratifying fantasy. ``This movie is like a gift to myself, to my lonely days as a young man without a girlfriend,’’ Kwak told reporters following the press preview in Seoul, Wednesday.

The 49-year-old filmmaker emphasized that the movie, despite its recurring theme of a quirky young woman shaking up and ultimately saving the life of a lonely, spineless man, should not be seen as part of a trilogy with ``Sassy’’ and ``Windstruck.’’ But the director relies too much on the premise of the emotional hinge of unrequited love beneath the surface of some pretty bad slapstick.

Lonely geek Jiro (Koide) is no longer so lonely when a femme cyborg (Ayase) crashes his birthday party. She has traveled back in time from the year 2133, to help him and all of humanity, and as an added bonus, has his ex-girlfriend’s pretty looks. She tries to blend into the local scene by shopping for clothes, even though it inevitably involves giving electric shocks to the cashier, and developing a taste for fried chicken, though eating them whole. Such third rate jokes set up the slapstick for the next few reels and are completed by her efforts to rescue Jiro and other humans like an anime Supergirl.

The story does pull at the heartstrings, however, when the cyborg arranges a time warp for them to visit Jiro’s hometown, which has been destroyed by an earthquake. The big budget franchise recreates a beautiful and nostalgic, storybook-like traditional Japanese town and conjures up childhood wonders. It’s quite ironic though that the most ``fake’’ (is it a time warp or a staged hypnosis? We don’t know) moment is the most compelling in the whole story.

Back in reality in Tokyo, our protagonist starts falling for the lovely robot. Jiro agonizes over whether, beneath her fixed smile, the cyborg can ever feel his growing attachment to her. When an earthquake hits the city, however, it's a question Jiro, rather than she, has to deal with. This is where the film’s 10 billion won is mostly poured into, and is indeed spectacular, but the climactic drama between the two characters is necessary to cover up some of the artifice.

Koide assumes the most expressive role, but it's Ayase who engages your attention as the always smiling, lovely cyborg who may have a blooming sense of human emotion. Kwak strongly emphasized that ``Cyborg’’ is a sci-fi movie and it was indeed featured as the closing film for the 2008 Pucheon (Bucheon) International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan). Given the plotline, one might have expected the cyborg to experience some kind of existential struggle like ``Bicentennial Man.’’ Instead, it’s about a young science major, who, frustrated about not having a girlfriend, creates a pretty robot that can stay by his side.

In theaters May 14. 100 minutes. 12 and over. Distributed by NEW.