Daegu Int’l Opera Fest Invites Fans
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The 2009 Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF) will open next month to present melodramatic, music-filled stories that will transport viewers to a different time and place.
Opera fans and those newly interested in the genre can look forward to spending weekends immersed not only in staple operatic works but also a performance rarely seen here, ``Der Freischutz,’’ and something completely original, ``Won’s Story.’’
This year’s lineup opens with Puccini’s classic ``Turandot,’’ presented by the DIOF Organizing Committee and Daegu City Opera, from Sept. 24 to 26. The following weekend, from Oct. 8 to 10, the Daejeon Culture & Arts Center, Daegu Opera House and the Goyang Culture Foundation will offer Donizetti’s ``L’Elisir d’Amore.’’ The Royal Opera Company’s rendition of Bizet’s ``Carmen’’ will close the event from Oct. 29 to 31. All three productions will feature top talents from near and far.
DIOF has invited the Karlsruhe National Theater from Germany to perform Weber’s ``Der Freischutz’’ for fans here Oct. 15-17. On Sept. 29, an audition will take place to select Korean singers to have an opportunity to star in the opera in Germany next year. Achim Thorwald, director and executive arts director of the Karlsruhe, will preside over the event. The following day, the director will also give a master class.
``This is a wonderful cultural exchange between Korea and Germany. In May 2011, the Daegu Opera House will be invited to stage a joint production with the Karlsruhe in Germany,’’ DIOF secretary general Nam Sang-wook told reporters in Seoul, Tuesday.
Another special project to be presented at the DIOF is ``Won’s Mother,’’ an original domestic opera by the Pohang Opera Company, to be staged from Oct. 23 to 24. The piece was inspired by Joseon Kingdom-era (1392-1910) artifacts found in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province in 2007 ― the mummy of a man, a letter from his wife and a pair of hemp shoes. The opera recounts a tragic love story between husband and wife and features traditional masked dances.
In addition to the full-scale operas, festival-goers can look forward to an opera-themed fashion show by Andre Kim, Sept. 18. The runway will feature 175 creations in five parts under such titles as ``Norma, Casta Diva,’’ inspired by the Bellini opera.
The following weekend, on Sept. 23, the Opera Open Concert will feature the Korean Pops Orchestra and various artists including baritone Seo Jung-hak, trumpeter Lee Kang-il and the male ensemble I Cantanti. Also notable are appearances by Japanese tenor Kunihoto Kiyohara and Kim Ho-jung, an aspiring singer who has become known as ``the teenage Pavarotti’’ through the SBS TV show ``Star King.’’ The program will include not only operatic arias but also popular songs such as ``My Way.’’
Festival-goers can also peek backstage through a guided tour, and experience what it’s like to be a diva by trying on costumes and masks and even professional stage makeup. People are also invited to watch outdoor screenings of movies featuring operatic themes or scores and sample different types of European cuisine at an open-air cafe.
Prior to the opening of the main event, the DIOF and Korail will present a special relay of guerilla performances across four cities, on Aug. 26. Beginning at Seoul Station (10:50 a.m., 2nd floor), a 70-member troupe will perform the overtures from ``Turandot’’ and ``Carmen.’’
Opera singers, disguised as train station employees, soldiers and travelers, will surprise passersby with an eight-minute performance. Then they will hop back on the train (where musical ensemble members will tune their instruments) to bring something artsy to the train stations at Daejeon (12:45 p.m., 3rd floor platform entrance), Busan (3:20 p.m., 3rd floor information desk) and Daegu (5:20 p.m., 1st floor platform entrance).
Performances will take place at Daegu Opera House, Daegu; The Kolon Outdoor Performance Stage; and Daegu Suseong Artpia. Tickets for operas cost 10,000-70,000 won and various discounts are available. The Open Opera Concert is free of charge. For more information visit www.operafestival.or.kr or call (053) 666-6111~3.