Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Between innocence and madness

From top, Kim Su-yong playing Woyzeck, Kim So-hyang (Marie) and Kim Pub-lae (Drum Major) / Courtesy of Acom International and LG Arts CenterMusical rendition of ‘Woyzeck’ to open in October  Chris BroderickBy Kwon Mee-yoo"Woyzeck," an unfinished stage play written by German author Georg Buchner, will get a new adaptation at Seoul's LG Arts Center in October.Regarded as the first modern play, the "Woyzeck" explores social conditions such as poverty and experiments and how it tests the human limits. The 1837 play has been adapted for many movies, operas and plays and even choreographed for ballet, but no commercial producers thought of transforming it into a musical yet.Despite the dark subject matter, Yun Ho-jin, producer and director of prominent Korean musicals "The Last Empress" and "Hero," found the possibility of musical adaptation in the gruesome tale of the soldier Woyzeck. Yun brought his two previous shows onto the stage of prestigious Lincoln Center in New York, but this time he wanted to stage something more universal and the story of "Woyzeck" ca

Aug 31, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

Feast of paradise

“Being in Nature is Better Than Holding Official Rank” painted by Joseon-period painter Kim Hong-do in 1810 is displayed for “Landscapes: Seeking the Ideal Land” exhibit at the National Museum of Korea through Sept. 28. / Courtesy of National Museum of KoreaNational museum displays East Asian landscape paintings reflecting ideal worldBy Baek Byung-yeulPeople throughout history have dreamt of living in paradise.Though this goal may differ from modern people’s perception of paradise, ancient East Asians have also wondered about their ideal place and breaking free of their weary, mundane everyday lives. To express these dreams, some left literary works or paintings behind.The National Museum of Korea (NMK) is providing a rare opportunity to glimpse paintings of people’s ideal sanctuary from the days of ancient China, Japan and Korea. With help from several domestic and overseas museums, the large-scale exhibition, titled “Landscapes: Seeking the Ideal Land,” features 109 renowned landscape paintings from the three Asian neighbors giving vi

Aug 29, 2014

AROUND TOWN

Classical ConcertsSoprano Suh Ye-ree will perform at the LG Arts Center on Oct. 3./ Courtesy of LG Arts CenterSuh Ye-reeLG Arts Center*Oct. 3Soprano Suh Ye-ree will perform at LG Arts Center on Oct. 3. She will sing George Frideric Haendel’s “Lascia Ch’io Pianga,” Luciano Berio’s “Sequenza III,” and Gyorgy Ligeti’s “The Mysteries of Macabre” along with renowned pianist Holger Groschopp from Berlin Philharmonic. Tickets cost 30,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com.'Chung Myung-whun and Wagner'Seoul Arts Center*Sept. 26Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Chung Myung-whun will perform at Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on Sept. 26. The orchestra will perform Wagner’s “Das Rheingold,” first of the four operas of “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Tickets will cost 10,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call 1588-1210 or visit www.seoulphil.or.kr.'2014 Credia Park Concert'Olympic Park*Sept. 20-21 An outdoor classical music festival, "Credia

Aug 28, 2014

Buddhist meditation session to be held

The Seoul Shambhala Buddhist Meditation and Study Group will hold an open house on Sunday, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.This is a good chance for anyone who is curious about Buddhism and meditation, and specifically the Tibetan Buddhist and Shambhala teachings brought to the west by Ven. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.The meeting will provide a brief introduction to the path of Buddhist meditation and meditation instruction, followed by a question and answer session.The location is a short walk from Sadang station (lines 2 and 4) in southern Seoul; all visitors can meet at exit 4, at 1:00 p.m., and a group member will guide participants to the center. For more information, call Mark: 010-9035-9742; or Thomas: 010-3042-2434.

May 30, 2014By Do Je-hae

Psy's new song due in June

"Gangnam Style" singer Psy performs in New York. / Korea Times fileYouTube star to appear on ABC ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’By Lee Kyung-minPsy is expected to return to the stage in June with a new number, his agent said Thursday.Specifics about the exact date of his new album release are yet to be finalized, according to his agency YG Entertainment. Latest news reports say he will appear on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night.”His hit song “Gangnam Style” was a worldwide success in 2012, and has earned 1.99 billion views on YouTube so far. A year later, following “Gangnam Style,” Psy released a dance number of a similar kind, “Gentleman.”Psy said he has been is putting extra effort in making his new song to compensate for “Gentleman.” He admitted the failure of the song “Gentleman,” at the year-end concert held at Olympic Hall in Olympic stadium December last year.“‘Gentelman’ was a song that was so un-me,” he said during the concert.“I am working on new songs for my upco

May 30, 2014

AROUND TOWN II

ClubsThe OctagonNonhyeonNear the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.Club VolumeItaewon Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635.Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.Club AnswerCheongdam Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hott

May 29, 2014

AROUND TOWN I

Classical ConcertsMikhail PletnevSeoul Arts Center*June 1 Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev will perform at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul June 1. He will perform Bach’s “English Suite,” Schubert’s “Piano Sonata No.4 Op. 164” and Scriabin’s “24 Preludes.” Tickets cost 50,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-3183 or visit www.sac.or.kr.Jeong Ja-young Seoul Arts Center*June 3Pianist Jeong Ja-young will perform at the Seoul Arts Center on June 3. Jeong will play Chopin’s “Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op. 23” and Liszt’s “Grandes Etudes de Paganini No.4, No.5, No.6.” Tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6412-3053 or visit www.sac.or.kr.The Korean Chamber Orchestra, led by musical director Kim Min, will give a “Troika Concert” at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul June 4./ Courtesy of Korean Chamber Orchestra‘Troika Concert’Seoul Arts Center*June 4The Korean Chamber Orchestra, led by musical director Kim Min, will give a

May 29, 2014

Intimate music-making

Chung Kyung-wha poses with her 18th-century Quarnerius del Gesu violin. / Courtesy of PRMOnce fiery soloist Chung Kyung-wha immerses herself in First Viennese School composersBy Baek Byung-yeulRomantic-era concertos have been the cornerstone of Chung Kyung-wha’s career ever since the violinist made her 1970 London debut with the impassioned Tchaikovsky concerto in D major. Now in her mid-60s, the violinist is turning her focus toward chamber music, a genre that she visited sporadically during her peak in the 1970s and ’80s.In the past few years, fans have embraced her transition from a charismatic soloist to an active chamber musician, which has given them chances to hear her in the First Viennese School. For the first time in her career, she is on the stage performing Mozart, Beethoven and the occasional Schubert on a regular basis. She now has an official chamber music partner, pianist Kevin Kenner, who travels with her within and outside Korea for performances. She underlined their strong connection as a key reason for her newfound passion for chamber music.&

May 27, 2014By Baek Byung-yeul

Quartet re-invents Geomungo

Geomungo Factory uses a variety of improved Korean zithers — from left are cello geomungo, chulhyungeum, portable electric geomungo, steel-string gayageum and 25-stringed gayageum. / Courtesy of Geomungo FactoryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe beauty of Korean traditional musical instruments is often overlooked. A group of young musicians are bringing new relevance to "geomungo,” a Korean traditional six-string zither, for today’s audiences.Founded in 2006, world music ensemble Geomungo Factory is composed of three geomungo players — Yoo Mi-young, Lee Jung-seok and Jung Ein-ryoung — and a “gayageum” player, Kim Sun-a.“We created Geomungo Factory to share the story of the geomungo in original music,” said Lee, leader of the band. “Geomungo had been out of the limelight in ‘gukak,’ or Korean traditional music, and we geomungo players wanted to spark interest in this instrument.”The history of geomungo dates back to the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668). A geomungo has six twisted-silk strings, 16 frets and three movable

May 26, 2014

Sewol disaster changes World Cup culture

Fans cheer as they watch a Korea-Senegal friendly match on an outdoor screen at Seoul Plaza in 2006. Seoul City officials may not open the Seoul Plaza for World Cup cheering events next month as the space is being occupied with an altar for Sewol tragedy victims.  /Korea Times fileBy Baek Byung-yeulIn the post-Sewol period, cheering for the national team in the World Cup soccer championship is likely to be different from previous years. The quadrennial festival will be held from June 13 to July 14 in Brazil. The pre-World Cup fever has been dampened due to the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol, which resulted in 288 deaths with 16 people still listed as missing. An active debate is underway on Daum, with 4,500 users signing a petition to change “Enjoy it, Reds,” the official slogan of the Red Devils, the country’s largest World Cup supporters club. The petition argues that the word “enjoy” is unfitting for a grief-stricken nation.A Twitter user, ID “jun****,” said, “I won’t go out on the street for cheering during the