Henning Brockhaus brings 'La Traviata' to Seoul
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A scene from “La Traviata” / Courtesy of Sejong Center for Performing Arts
Veteran opera
director to stage
his interpretation
Henning Brockhaus speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Sejong Center for Performing Arts
By Yun Suh-young
Renowned opera director Henning Brockhaus will be showcasing his surreal version of Giuseppe Verdi's “La Traviata” in Seoul for the first time.
"I'm finally here in Korea. I cannot say how much I wanted to come here. For the past 25 years, La Traviata has been staged across the world since it first debuted in 1992. The freshness of the performance has been maintained throughout the years," said Brockhaus upon meeting reporters Monday ahead of showcasing the piece in front of Korean audiences from Nov. 8 through 13 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
"At the time in 1992, the performance was interpreted with a symbolic meaning and was a great shock to the audience who had not been informed by the media of this kind of stage setting. The unique interpretations in this performance will maximize the emotions within the story," the Italian scenographer said.
What is unique about Brockhaus's La Traviata is the use of mirrors to reflect the scenes on the stage to the ceiling so that the audience can also view what's going on at the rear of the stage which is difficult to see from the audience seats. The mirrors are tilted 45 degrees to reflect the floor of the stage onto them. Such a stage setting was first introduced in 1992 when Brockhaus showcased his La Traviata to the world and was a great sensation at the time. Using mirrors in this way is now prevalent but was an innovation at the time.
"It allows the audience to feel like a jury in a court. By showing the audience what the stage directors don't necessarily want them to see ― the back of the stage ― the audience can feel like they're satisfying their voyeurism. They get to observe what they have not seen before," said Brockhaus.
The performance that the Korean audiences will experience in November is the reenacted performance of the initial version that was introduced in 1992. The mirror is 22 meters wide, 12 meters high and weighs 1,500 kilograms.
"I didn't use architectural elements but rather symbolic elements. Because of this, very few people in the audience will understand what I'm trying to say. However I follow Verdi's composition and gestures in extreme detail which is why I think the piece could be lastingly impressive."
La Traviata is based on Verdi's opera which is based on French novelist Alexandre Dumas’ novel "La Dame aux Camelias." Brockhaus seems to base his interpretation more on the original work than on Verdi's composition.
"Not many people know the background of La Traviata, that it actually originated from the story La Dame aux Camelias. This opera has a lot of implied meanings. Also, no one really knows the meaning of the title itself which means 'a stranded woman' referring to a prostitute. It's the story of Violetta, the woman who took a wrong step in life," said Brockhaus.
The only difference between the novel and Brockhaus' opera is that in the novel, Violetta's lover leaves her, while in the opera, she leaves her lover.
"I imagined how Verdi would have interpreted the opera if he was alive right now. I tried to focus on which emotions to touch in the audience," he said.
The opera was able to be performed in Korea due to efforts of the Korea Opera Group which supported Brockhaus in organizing the performance.
"The repertoire is quite well-known in Korea but I have always had an interest in Henning Brockhaus's production. I really wanted to see his work and emailed him personally but received no response. Only after I met him in Italy was I able to ask him to bring the performance to Seoul," said Park Ki-hyun, general artistic director of the Korea Opera Group.
"It will be a completely new experience for even those who have seen La Traviata before. That's why we subtitled it The New Way."