By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Austrian-born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest composers of all time, premiered his opera Don Giovanni (1787) in Prague instead of Vienna, a city where musicians of that era wished to live.
He said "Prague citizens understand me."
This could offer an explanation for the creation of the marionette version of Don Giovanni two centuries later in Czech Republic.
First performed in 1991, Marionette Don Giovanni has been performed by the Czech National Puppet Theater more than 3,500 times worldwide. This week, it can be experienced in Korea.
Although this is only the second trip to Seoul - the first was four years ago - the performance is already quite familiar to Koreans. A famous Korean soap opera "Lovers in Prague (2005)" had a scene with the two main characters watching the performance.
Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. wrote in a press release that puppetry has maintained a strong presence in his country's history.
It was once used as a tool for maintaining its language, which was on the verge of extinction.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the whole country was engulfed by an "amateur puppetry movement," which led to the spread of puppetry throughout the country.
The European country's first noted puppeteer was Jan Jiri Bran born in 1724.
A venue for puppet performances was first set up in the 1930s, and that was a seed for the creation of the National Puppet Theater.
The performance in Seoul is highly anticipated by the Czech Embassy, in particular, which was brainstorming ideas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and the Czech Republic this year.
The Czech Republic, a former communist state, had opened diplomatic ties with North Korea first, and its decision to open formal relations with South Korea in 1990 sparked diplomatic unrest with the North.
Director of the theatrical group said the show will reveal the hands of the puppeteers so that the audience can see how fast their hands are moving.
The performance will be held at the Hoam Art Hall in Sunhwa-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. For more information, visit www.ticketlink.co.kr.