April performances to look out for

A scene fron Don Quixote / Courtesy of UBC

By Yun Suh-young

While March is the month to kick off a new performance season for the year, April is the month to take advantage of the abundance of performances.

Starting this week ballet "Don Quixote" is offered by the Universal Ballet from April 5 through 9 at the National Theater of Korea. The ballet, based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes and choreographed by Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, returns after six years.

Whereas the novel focuses on the story of Don Quixote and his servant Sancho Panza, the ballet version focuses on the love story between the inn-keeper's daughter Kitri and barber Basilio. While on the journey to rescue Dulcinea, a woman in his dreams, Don Quixote meets the lovers Kitri and Basilio, who he helps get married.

"We chose to stage Don Quixote as our first performance this year because it's a piece everyone can enjoy," said Julia Moon, general director of the Universal Ballet Company.

"It's a ballet for the many Don Quixotes and Kitris and Basilios of today."

From April 28 through 30, the Sugi Opera will be staging "Madama Butterfly" at the Seoul Arts Center.

The story is of a Japanese woman named Ciocio-san (Ciocio which means "butterfly" in Japanese) who gets married to a U.S. Naval officer named Pinkerton. Soon after their marriage, Pinkerton leaves her and gets married to an American woman in his home country. Meanwhile, Ciocio-san gives birth to a son and waits longingly for Pinkerton's return. Three years later, Pinkerton returns to Nagasaki with his new wife Kate to take Ciocio-san's son to raise him. Ciocio-san agrees to hand over her child if Pinkerton comes to see her. When he does, he finds Ciocio-san dead, having taken her own life.

Written by Giacomo Puccini based on the novel by John Luther Long's "Madama Butterfly," the opera premiered in 1904 in Milan's La Scala theater. The Seoul performance is conducted by Carlo Goldstein and directed by Vivien Hewitt.

On April 8, violinist Kim Jae-young and pianist Son Yeol-eum will hold a duo concert at the Seongnam TLI Art Center. A long-time friend and performing partner, the two will be playing Brahms for the one-day concert. The repertoire includes Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100, Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 and Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108.

On April 21, Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero will be performing in Seoul for the first time.

Montero, known for her improvisations on stage, has released several albums on EMI such as "Bach and Beyond" and "Baroque." A recipient of the bronze prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1995, she shows strength in both classical repertoire as well as improvisation. In 2009, she was invited to the White House as the South American representative at President Obama's inauguration ceremony and played with virtuosos such as Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman.

At the LG Art Center, Montero will perform two classical repertoires _ Brahms' Intermezzo Op.117 and Liszt's Piano Sonata in b minor S.178 _ as well as her own improvisations for the second half of the performance.

Meanwhile, a traditional music performance will be available throughout this month in Seoul. From April 1 through 29, the Korea Traditional Performing Arts Foundation (KOTPA) will be showcasing royal ancestral rites music performance near the Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno-gu, Seoul, every Saturday.

The royal ancestral rites music is a type of music that was developed by King Sejong who also designed hangeul (Korean alphabet). Ancentral rites music is one of the attractions that foreign musicians are most fascinated by when they visit Korea, according to KOTPA.

King Sejong decided to create fusion music which combines the Chinese ceremonial court music and music from the Tang Dynasty in China with Korean traditional music, which came to be called the "jeryeak" or royal ancestral rites music.

The "Jeryeak with a Story," which will take place on Saturdays at 10 a.m., will feature theatrical performances alongside the traditional music. Actors, including Lee Min-woo, will act out the story behind King Sejong's motive to create the fusion music genre and what the historical, political situation was at the time.

Jeryeak was designated as the first Important Intangible Cultural Asset when the system was created in Korea and was also the first to be designated as part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.