Nat'l opera company to stage Strauss' operetta

The Korea National Opera will mark its 50th anniversary with performances of “Die Fledermaus” (The Bat) at the Seoul Arts Center from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1. / Courtesy of Korea National Opera

‘Die Fledermaus’ to be shown for first time

By Do Je-hae

The Korea National Opera (KNO) has never staged “Die Fledermaus” or “The Bat,” a popular operetta known for memorable dance tunes in the forms of waltzes and polkas.

The KNO’s first performance of the piece was organized as the finale for the troupe’s 50th anniversary celebrations which have been ongoing this year, starting with “La Boheme” in March. The national opera company will stage “The Bat” from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 at the Opera House of Seoul Arts Center.

The light-hearted mood of the operetta makes it a timely choice for opera-goers during the upcoming holiday season. “This is the first time for us to stage ‘The Bat.’ We are planning to include it as part of our regular repertoire in the future, especially during the year-end season,” KNO Executive Director Kim Eui-joon said at a press conference last week in central Seoul.

The operetta will be presented under the direction of British director Stephen Lawless, with Nicola Bowie’s choreography and Gideon Davey’s set and costume design.

“A year before The Bat premiered in Vienna in 1874, the Austrian stock market plummeted, leading to financial depression in the country. The Bat shows how some people coped with the ordeal,” Lawless said. “The piece satirizes the greed of the aristocrats and rich people which was great fun for the ordinary people.”

For the Korean audience unfamiliar with Austrian history, the background of the piece will be transferred to the 1920s and ’30s when the Great Depression swept the world.

Since its premiere, the work has been one of the most frequently performed operettas and is recognized as a trademark work of Johann Strauss.

The KNO will wrap up its season with gala performances on Dec. 29 and 30 at Seoul Arts Center.

For more information, call (02) 586-5284 or visit https://www.nationalopera.org.