Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Busan brings 'Carmen' to waterfront under summer stars
A promotional poster for Classic Busan's outdoor opera "Carmen" / Courtesy of the Busan Metropolitan City
By Jhoo Dong-chan
On a sweeping industrial expanse along Busan’s historic waterfront, workers will soon begin transforming a prominent landmark development site into a massive open-air theater. The production is French composer Georges Bizet's "Carmen," and the backdrop will be the shifting silhouettes of container ships and the night sky over the North Port.
The grand-scale staging, scheduled for July 11 and 12, is a calculated cultural overture by Classic Busan, the city’s performing arts body. Conceived as a public celebration ahead of the highly anticipated opening of the Busan Opera House, the two-day festival aims to democratize an art form traditionally sequestered behind gilded indoor walls.
At the center of the production is Chung Myung-whun, the renowned conductor and artistic director of Classic Busan. Chung, who led a critically acclaimed concert version of "Carmen" indoors last year, is expanding the opera into a sensory public festival. Director Eom Sook-jung is tasked with adapting the psychological drama of the free-spirited gypsy and her tragic lover to the vast spatial demands of an outdoor harbor stage, utilizing bold visual presentation to engage opera novices.
The city is deploying world-class talent to anchor the free performances.
Canadian mezzo-soprano Michele Losier returns to sing the title role, joined by tenor Kim Jung-hoon — a veteran of London’s Royal Opera House — as Don Jose. Baritone Lee Dong-hwan will portray the bullfighter Escamillo. The vocalists will be backed by the Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside local choral and dance ensembles.
In a departure from rigid opera etiquette, the venue will feature a dedicated picnic zone alongside traditional seating, flanked by a fleet of food trucks.
"We want to share a vision of Busan as a global arts capital," Classic Busan CEO Park Min-jung said.
Admission is entirely free, with online reservations opening on June 24 (classicbusan.busan.go.kr/Home/ko/Main).
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.