Spend summer nights at the opera

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff reporter

``If you feel sleepy, then feel free to doze off. You’ll wake up sooner or later and indulge in a slice of beauty,’’ says Kang Hwa-ja, a veteran singer who made her name as Carmen in the Bizet opera that now heads the Beseto Opera.

For those who didn’t grow up listening to opera, and sometimes even for avid fans, the genre may initially comes off as being antiquated. But it is a synthetic art that features the hallmarks of live vocal and orchestral performances combined with theatrics and is one of the most enduring forms of entertainment.

This summer fans can look forward to some of the hottest opera stars shining in productions and opera-themed concerts.

Korea Opera Festival

Kang may have retired but her company Beseto Opera will stage ``Carmen’’ featuring another talented mezzo-soprano from July 3 to 7 at Seoul Arts Center.

The rendition to be featured had been co-produced with the Prague Opera Theater and premiered in the Czech theater. Czech mezzo-soprano Galia Ibragimova, who played Carmen over 800 times, will share the role with Choi Seung-hyun, who has performed extensively in Italy. Tickets cost from 30,000 to 200,000 won. Call (02) 3476-6224.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Opera Ensemble will also stage an opera as part of the Korea Opera Festival. Top Russian talent, including soprano Natalia Voronkina and conductor Georgy Dimitrov, will take part in the production, Verdi’s ``La Traviata,’’ from Friday through June 28 at the same venue. Tickets cost from 30,000 to 200,000 won. Call (02) 741-7389.

Young talent showcase

Fans can also look to a more intimate experience in smaller theaters.

The Seoul Metropolitan Opera has been staging small-scale works that offer big laughs at the Sejong M Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul. Ever since launching in 2008 the annual summer program has attracted packed audiences and will take place beginning Wednesday through Sunday this year.

Rising young opera singers will take part of Donizetti’s comic opera ``Don Pasquale.’’ Han Kyung-suk, a baritone from Germany’s Schwerin National Opera Theater, will play the lead role of the greedy old Don Pasquale, who schemes to disinherit his nephew Ernesto who wants to marry the lovely yet penniless Norina. Tenor Kang Sin-mo, who made headlines for sweeping awards at 17 vocal competitions in Europe, will star as Ernesto. Tickets cost from 30,000 to 70,000 won. Call (02) 399-1783.

Chung Min, who is best known as the son of Maestro Chung Myung-wun, will make his opera conducting debut with the Korean National Opera next month.

The 26-year-old will take the baton for Ravel’s ``The Bewitched Child,’’ which is the fifth of the ensemble’s ``My First Opera’’ series, a program that has been much loved by children and first-time operagoers.

Though Chung has experience conducting an amateur youth orchestra, this is his first time taking part in an opera production. In a press statement he said he asked his father, who has served as musical director for the Paris Opera, for advice.

The opera, which depicts the dreamy fantasy of a mischievous boy, will be staged from July 10 to 18 at Seoul Arts Center’s tiny Towol Theater.

Tickets cost from 10,000 to 50,000 won. Call (02) 586-5282.

Vienna in Seoul

A special seasonal treat is the upcoming tour by the Vienna State Opera. Members of the world-renowned opera group will tour Korea next month to offer a gala-style concert.

Twenty talented singers including tenor Cenk Biyik will offer highlights from staples of the operatic repertoire, including ``Carmen,’’ Verdi’s ``The Force of Destiny,’’ Puccini’s ``Madame Butterfly’’ and ``Turandot,’’ among others. Moreover it is expected to be not only aurally pleasing but visually striking as well, with singers donning original costumes showcased in the Vienna State Opera performances.

In the second half of the show the singers will offer comic parodies of operatic performances. The concert will take place on July 5 at Guro Arts Valley, Seoul. Tickets cost from 20,000 to 40,000 won. Call (02) 2029-1700.