Hanwha to invite classical music fans Conductor William Christie, right, and his ensemble, Les Arts Florissants, perform in this file photo. / Courtesy of Hanwha GroupBy Nam Hyun-wooHanwha Group will hold a classical music concert in September with world-renowned conductor William Christie and his ensemble, Les Arts Florissants, heading the two-day festivities.According to the group on Thursday, the concert, titled Hanwha Classic 2017, will take place at the Seoul Arts Center and the Daejeon Arts Center on Sept. 23 and 24, respectively.Christie has earned his reputation by interpreting 20th century French music in an innovative way. He is described as a maestro who draws the best beauty out of French classical music. This year, Christie and Les Arts Florissants will play Jean-Philippe Rameau’s operas, “Daphnis et Egle” and “La Naissance d’Osiris.” In French opera, dance plays a critical role in the performance. This time, the ensemble’s performance will be full scale, including dance, choir and live instrumentation.Despite a performance like this typically being expensive, ticketApr 27, 2017
VIDEO Lovelyz back with new single in May By Eom Da-solK-pop girl band Lovelyz will return with a new single on May 2, according to its agency.Woollim Entertainment posted a teaser video of the band’s new song on Facebook on Apr. 21. The 30-second video shows the eight members in white dresses in sunlight while psychedelic instrumental music plays.The new song is included in the band’s “repackage” album ― a follow-up of its previous full album “R U Ready?” The track list of the latest album has not been announced, but it is expected to include the entire playlist of the last album and the new song.Until the official comeback date, band members are releasing concept photos one by one. Ryu Su-jeong and Jung Ye-in released their photos on Thursday.Lovelyz released “R U Ready?” in February, with its lead track “WoW!” portraying their charms and characteristics.The band debuted with single “Good Night Like Yesterday” in November 2014. The group topped Japan's Tower Records albums chart with another single, “Candy Jelly Love,” the same moApr 27, 2017
K-pop fans thrilled about Hyori's return Lee Hyo-ri / Korea Times fileBy Kim Jae-heunK-pop idol Lee Hyo-ri will return with a new album after a four-year hiatus and K-pop fans seem thrilled, looking for another sensation.According to Lee’s agency Kiwi Media Group, the singer is set to return during the first half of this year. Many insiders predict it will be in June as Lee has just finished shooting a music video for her new single and her new album entered the final stage of mastering.Lee has, once again, worked with her old colleague Kim Do-hyun, who wrote the singer’s hit-song “10 Minute” which made her a super diva.Lee has reportedly participated in writing many of the songs on her new album herself, after she showed potential as a music producer with her last hit song “Miss Korea.” Her performance on stage is drawing high expectations among her fans as Lee is well known as a dancer and a fashionista.The singer will also appear on the new variety show “Hyori’s Guest House” on cable channel JTBC set to premier in mid-June. Lee will host a guesthouse on Jeju IslaApr 26, 2017
Actor Lee Byung-hun to star in Psy's new music video South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun will appear in a new Psy music video, according to informed sources Wednesday.Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, became a global sensation with his 2012 mega hit "Gangnam Style."Lee has finished filming for the video accompanying a song in Psy's eighth full-length album that will come out next month, according to K-pop industry insiders, who asked not to be named.The video is reportedly different from another yet-released Psy video featuring Son Naeun of girl group Apink. Lee's footage was filmed months ago, the sources told.The 46-year-old Lee debuted in Hollywood with "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" in 2009. He has since appeared in "G.I. Joe 2" (2013), "Red 2" (2013), "Terminator Genisys" (2015) and "The Magnificent Seven" (2016).The two stars are reportedly close friends. Psy attended the Los Angeles premiere of Lee's film "Red" in 2013, while Lee attended Psy's concert the same year.Psy's past music videos have featured several prominent Korean female celebrities. He worked with HyunA, a former member of 4minute, for his "Gangnam Style" video aApr 26, 2017
Politically vocal singer's concert canceled Singer Jeon In-kwon, left, is seen with Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential nominee of the People's Party in Seoul, April 19. / Yonhap By Park Jin-haiJeon In-kwon, former vocalist of legendary rock band Deulgukhwa, canceled a concert scheduled for next week. The band’s best-known hit song “Don't Worry, My Dear” was the very song that crowds sang with candles in their hands in the anti-president protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.The 62-year-old singer planned to hold the two-night concert, titled “Jeon In-kwon concert _ Say you will dream new dreams,” May 6 and 7. But his agency on Tuesday abruptly announced it had decided to cancel the Sunday date, citing “poor ticket sales.”Industry insiders, however, raise the possibility that the recent remarks of the singer, who publicly revealed his support for presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo from the People's Party, may have backfired. Usually, such a media event, right before a concert, leads to greater ticket sales.Jeon, during the press event to promote hisApr 25, 2017
Hyukoh confesses anxiety in new album '23' 151) Korean indie band Hyuk Oh members, from left, Im Dong-gun, Lee In-woo, Oh Hyuk and Lim Hyun-jae talks during the press conference for first studio album “23” at D Museum in Hannam, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of DRDRamcBy Kim Jae-heunPopular Korean indie band Hyukoh’s first studio album “23” cannot be any gloomier, as it contains songs with all the anxieties the band faces as young 20-somethings.The four-member band, all 23 years old, is well-known for its pessimistic songs, but Hyukoh’s music has grown darker as their popularity has increased over the last two years.The group formed in 2014 and released their first mini-album “20” on Sept. 18 that year, experiencing moderate success in the underground music scene. However, they instantly rose to fame after participating in the Summer Music Festival on the popular TV series “Infinite Challenge.” The band’s next mini-album “22” made the top 10 of the Billboard World Albums Chart and they signed a contract with YG Entertainment’s sub-label HIGHGRND, Apr 25, 2017
Will Smith's son Jaden to release K-pop single By Eom Da-solWill Smith, right, and Jaden Smith visited Korea in 2013. / Korea Times fileWill Smith’s son Jaden plans to release a K-pop single this year.“I will be dropping a K-pop single in the next four months,” he said on Twitter on Apr. 21. He gave no further details.Since last December, Jaden has been proclaiming on SNS his dream to be a K-pop singer. “People see me and ask me if I want to be a K-pop star as if I have not made my goals for 2017 clear,” he said. “I just want to be a K-pop star. G-Dragon is my inspiration.”Netizens doubt if his plan is genuine because he is famous for making jokes. A Twitter user wrote, “Smith has to compete with K-pop singers who have been under rigorous training for years in their entertainment agencies. It will not be easy.”Will and Jaden Smith visited Korea in 2013 to promote “After Earth.” Jaden told a press conference, “I want to work with G-Dragon. If the movie goes viral in Korea, Smith family and YG Family will collaborate for an album.” YG Family refers Apr 24, 2017
K-pop star Psy returns with 8th album in May By Lee Han-soo, Woo Ji-wonPsy World-famous K-pop star Psy will return with his eighth album next month, his agency said Friday.“Psy has already finished filming two music videos that will be featured alongside the eighth album,” a YG Entertainment spokeswoman told The Korea Times. “We don’t have a fixed date for release, but the new album is in the final stage of production.”She said the album’s first single will be released first on YouTube, but refused to reveal other information about the song and album.Psy has laid low for 18 months since he wrapped up his performances with his 7th album “Chiljip Psy-da.”Psy, who made his debut in 1999, became an international sensation with his hit song “Gangnam Style” in 2012, which has been played more than 2.8 billion times on YouTube.Apr 21, 2017
Lee Hae-ri of Davichi debuts as soloist Lee Hae-ri of Davichi / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heunLee Hae-ri of the popular ballad duo Davichi has debuted as a soloist, releasing her first mini-album.Lee appeared on the K-pop scene in early 2008 with singer Kang Min-kyung, releasing the single “I Hate You, I Love You,” which won her the Rookie of the Month title from the Cyworld Digital Music Awards. Since then, the duo has achieved many commercial successes, with six singles topping local music charts. Lee, particularly, was in the spotlight for her exceptional vocal ability that perfectly suited the ballad genre and many of her fans have waited a long time for her first solo album.“I’ve long thought about releasing my solo album, but it took me some time because I am a perfectionist and I had to consider a lot before I finally made the decision,” Lee said during a press conference at Stradeum in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. “I wasn’t sure if I had settled down with Davichi yet. And suddenly I realized it would be too late to stand alone if it were not now.”LApr 21, 2017
Review 'Boris Godunov' re-imagines Russian dark period A scene from opera “Boris Godunov” / Courtesy of KNOBy Yun Suh-young At first glance, “Boris Godunov” does not look like an attractive opera. Not from the name, not from the plot.As heavy as it sounds, the Russian opera that was staged for the first time in Seoul, from Thursday through Sunday by the Korea National Opera (KNO), is indeed a recount of a dark period of Russian history, the "Time of Troubles" following the reign of the notorious Tsar Ivan IV "The Terrible." The KNO staged the version composed by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) based on the drama written by Russian poet and playwright, Aleksandr Pushkin.The opera begins with Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar (1598-1605) replacing Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich, the son of the late Tsar Ivan IV, after Dmitry mysteriously. Godunov is suspected to be behind the prince's death, but with the support of the aristocrats, he is nevertheless crowned. That's when the nightmare begins. A monk named Grigory Otrepyev, who claims he is the "risen" Dmitry, gathers an army from Poland and marches toward MoscApr 21, 2017
