A season ripe for tragic melodramas

By Lee Hyo-won

Offering a symphonic blend of vocal power, theatrical bravura and live orchestral melodies, operas continue to serve as a medium apt for exploring various aspects of the human condition.

The summertime lineup of operas for children has ceded its place to an array of more weighty, atmospheric pieces befitting the mellow fall season, and fans can look forward to something classical as well as new that rings with tragic melodrama.

From Wednesday through Saturday at Seoul Arts Center, the Korea National Opera (KNO) will stage ``Mefistofele’’ for the first time in the country. The Faustian drama is the only opera to be completed by the 19th-century Italian composer Arrigo Boito, who is better known here as the librettist for Verdi’s works such as ``Otello.’’ Though eclipsed by his contemporaries, Boito was only 26 when he wrote the intellectually and musically stimulating piece and is said to have inspired the elderly Verdi to start composing again.

The story follows Goethe’s approach to the legend of Faust and unfolds from the perspective of the Devil. Mefistofele appears amid angels (to be depicted by a batch of choristers) and declares that he can easily tempt man. God accepts his challenge, and he descends upon the elderly and desperate Dr. Faust, who agrees to sell his soul in exchange for worldly pleasures.

Having regained his youth, Faust enjoys affairs with beautiful women, but his innermost existential cravings remain unsatisfied in this world of illusion. In the end, he asks for salvation and Mefistofele is forced to accept his defeat while the angels rejoice.

This particular rendition is directed by David

Livermore and the famous opening and closing scenes will feature the booming voices of 100-plus choristers. Ottavio Marino will conduct the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra while baritone Francesco Ellero d’Artegna will play the lead role of Mefistofele and tenor Park Seong-gyu will appear as Faust.

Fans can look forward to seeing another Korean premiere next month by KNO. The troupe gave the local premiere of Alan Berg’s ``Wozzeck’’ three years ago in 2007, and will showcase another one of his works, ``Lulu,’’ from Nov. 25 to 28 at Seoul Arts Center.

The opera follows the bloody flight of a murderous femme fatale, to be played by soprano Park Eun-joo, a lead singer at Germany’s Dortmund National Theater. The score is considered a hallmark of modern classical music and is particularly noted for depicting psychological states of the characters through repeating rhythms.

Tickets for both KNO operas cost from 10,000 to 150,000 won. Call (02) 586-5282.

If philosophical musings or serial murders are not your cup of tea, you can turn to something more romantic but not lacking in heavy melodrama. Puccini’s ``La Boheme’’ may be one of the most frequently staged operas but the charms of youthful love and bohemian ideals in 1830s Paris never seem to grow old.

Two art centers have joined hands to offer what is expected to be a top-notch production at Daejeon Culture & Arts Center from Thursday through Saturday and Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 29 to 31. This marks the third collaboration between the two that began in 2008 to critical acclaim, for offering quality performances at a relatively affordable price.

Chang Soo-dong, the head of Seoul Opera Ensemble, took part in the project as director. Kim Duk-ki will conduct the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets cost from 10,000 to 70,000 won. Call 1577-7766.

The charms of opera can also be appreciated on the silver screen. Newly released in theaters is ``I, Don Giovanni.’’ Elegant and rollicking, the film is a beautiful re-imagination of the world of Mozart as it goes behind the making of one of his operatic masterpieces. This is not a simple restaging of the opera; it recreates the glitz and glamour of 18th-century Europe as well as the larger-than-life drama offstage with scheming divas, court composers and jealous lovers.

The film moves the spotlight from Mozart to the overlooked librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. Lorenzo Balducci plays the role of the decadent young man who is sent into exile in Vienna. There, he becomes entangled in a power struggle between Salieri, the king’s favorite composer, and Mozart, the new enfant terrible. Salieri tricks Mozart into hiring da Ponte but the composer ends up being inspired by the libertine to write one of his most powerful compositions.

In December, fans can look forward to the unveiling of an original homegrown opera, ``Yeonseo’’ (Love Letter). Commissioned by Seoul City to promote the performing arts, the opera features an original score by Seoul National University professor Choe Uzong and libretto in Korea to facilitate the listener’s understanding.

Non-Korean speakers, however, should have no trouble understanding the story, which features the universal theme of love. It traces the tragic, unconsummated romance between two lovers that reoccurs over three different periods in Korean history: a star-crossed manservant and lovely ``gisaeng’’ (female entertainer) during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) are reunited in the next life, only to be separated by tumultuous events of the colonial period (1910-1945) and finally meet again as fashion designers in present-day Seoul.

The preview showcase staged in February invited positive review, and the opera will finally see its official world premiere from Dec. 1 to 4 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets cost from 10,000 to 70,000 won. Call (02) 399-1114.