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Arts & Theater

'Woyzeck' to get Korean spin in London

By Kwon Mee-yoo More Korean theater producers are looking to take their workld abroad. A reading of the musical "Woyzeck" at Charing Cross Theatre in London on June 29 has this aspiration. The 300-seat theater was filled with theater executives and staffers, who came to see a workshop for the show subtitled "The Ruby Necklace." It was produced by Korean theater company Acom International, led by Yun Ho-jin of "The Last Empress" and "Hero." The 40-minute reading included highlights of the musical, focusing on the love of Woyzeck and Marie with live music. "Woyzeck" is an unfinished play by Georg Buchner that premiered in 1913. The stage play revolves around German soldier Woyzeck and his lover Marie and describes how he suffers in the army and ends up killing his wife. With its simple yet contracted storyline, the work has spawned numerous adaptations from opera to movies. The company said “The Ruby Necklace” has received much attention from West End producers and the theater industry, as it beautifully portrays a philosophical messages amid in vogue retro-style movie-

Jul 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

New prima ballerina at American Ballet Theatre

Korean soloist Seo Hee attains rank of principal dancer By Do Je-hae There was always something special about ballerina Seo Hee, who joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 2006. Even when she was still member of the corps de ballet in 2009, the company gave her a lead role in “Romeo and Juliet” and “La Sylphide.” As a soloist, she has been one of the most active ballerinas at the elite U.S. troupe this season, taking the lead roles in “La Bayadere,” “Onegin” and “Giselle,” pairing with David Hallberg of the Bolshoi Ballet. Following the ABT’s official announcement of her appointment as a principal last week, she now joins the ranks of star dancers like Julie Kent, Paloma Herrera and Polina Semionova, renowned principal of the Berlin State Opera Ballet who will join the ABT in September. There are 17 principals at the ABT, and Seo is the only Asian and first Korean dancer in the top rank of one of the world’s foremost ballet troupes since its founding in 1937. There is one Korean dancer in the 62-member corps de ballet. “Beyond her ballet-friendly physique, she

Jul 8, 2012By Do Je-hae

Korean artists make their way overseas

By Kwon Mee-yoo With the local art scene thriving, more Korean artists are also being recognized overseas. In June, Korean artists Yang Hae-gue, Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho were invited to dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, Germany, one of the largest contemporary art events in the world, for the first time in 20 years and more offers are coming from the other side of the globe. Artists Park Young-Sook and Yee Soo-kyung are participating in the 18th Biennale of Sydney themed “All Our Relations.” The two artists presented a collaborative work “The Moon Project” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney. The project combines Yee’s “Translated Vase — the Moon” and Park’s 12 “Moon Jar” pieces. Park’s work reinterprets Korea’s traditionally round white porcelain jar while Yee’s “Translated Vase — the Moon” is a large sphere created from ceramic trash from Park’s failed works for over 10 years. The piece presents the ceramic artists’ yearn for perfection through contemporary art as well as the beauty of Korean porcelain. Queensland Art Gallery in Brisban

Jul 6, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Around Town

Classical Concerts Maksim Mrvica Concert Seoul Arts Center* July 6 Maksim Mrvica, a Croatian pianist nicknamed “The Piano Player,” is also a composer. Mrvica rose to fame immediately after the release of his first album and has since become a leading electric pianist of his generation. Some of his best known compositions are “The Bumblebee” and “Croatian Rhapsody.” Tickets cost 55,000 to 121,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6292- 9370. Great Mountains Music Festival & School Alpensia Concert Hall Through Aug. 5 The Great Mountains Music Festival & School will be held in the mountainous province of Gangwon. Renowned cellist Chung Myung-hwa and her sister violinist Chung Kyung-hwa serve as artistic directors of this chamber music festival. This year, the annual festival will explore the relationship between dance and music. Tickets cost 40,000 to 250,000 won. For more information, call (02) 725-3394. Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica Seoul Arts Center* Oct. 16 Gidon Kremer, a Latvian violinist and conductor, will perform with Kremerata

Jul 5, 2012By Do Je-hae

Laughter and tears in 'Brothers Were Brave'

By Kwon Mee-yoo Chang You-jeong, 35, was already a star director in 2008 with such hits as “Finding Kim Jong-wook” and “Oh While You Were Sleeping.” The two works are staged as open-ended runs in Daehangno, and Yeongdeungpo, in Seoul, respectively. But in 2008, she put forth a musical of two sons’ conflicting relationship with their father, “Brothers Were Brave.” Interestingly, she infused elements of Korea’s rituals such as a traditional funeral with a variety of music from tango to rap and matching choreography. Four years later, the musical returns with stronger characters and funnier details. It opened last week at Coex Artium in southern Seoul. In the musical, the two brothers see each other for the first time in three years while attending the funeral of their father. Going through the funeral process, the brothers get into a big fight over a winning lottery ticket and a mysterious, beautiful woman. “It took about four years to stage the musical from an idea,”Chang said in an interview with The Korea Times last week. Chang, 35, said “Brothers Were Brave” b

Jul 4, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Friendlier face graces National Museum

By Kwon Mee-yoo The National Museum of Korea is busy revamping exhibition design and organizing educational programs to be more accessible and easier on the eye for Korean and international visitors. At the forefront of these efforts is Kim Young-na, the director of the museum. After taking the position in February 2011, Kim has been working hard to take care of the museum’s internal and external affairs while making trips to benchmark. “I went to Cheongju National Museum yesterday and visited an excavation site of an iron-making site in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, dating back to the 2nd century,” Kim said at a recent interview with The Korea Times. The museum has more than 150,000 artifacts in its collection, but the displays are somewhat dull and not engaging enough to the design-savvy younger generation. As an art historian with a background in archeology, Kim thinks it is important to view artifacts in context. “Our displays might be a little bit old-fashioned compared to the top museums in the world,” the director said. “Most of the artifacts were displayed

Jul 3, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

KF takes Korean music on tour

By Kwon Mee-yoo The Korea Foundation (KF) will take the essence of Korean music and share it with audiences in Central America and the Caribbean. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, the Korea Foundation will host joint performances by Noreum Machi and Gorilla Crew throughout next week. Noreum Machi is a Korean percussion group that engages in traditional music with a modern twist. Established in 1993 by artistic director Kim Ju-hong, the band shot to stardom after playing in the soundtrack in the hit movie “King and the Clown” (2005). At this occasion Noreum Machi will present “Binari” (Blessing) and “Pan Gut.” Gorilla Crew is one of the top b-boy teams in Korea and is known for dynamic choreography and excellent breakdance skills. The team premiered “B-boy and Ballerina,” a popular non-verbal performance here. They will present hip-hop music and popping dance, which is an original funk style of dance that came from streets in California during the 1960s-70s. There will also be a joint perf

Jul 2, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Clubs

Clubs The Octagon Nonhyeon-dong Located near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong, this venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area in a hip and modern setting. Take exit 4 at Hakdong Station on subway line 7. Call (02) 516-8847 for more information. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume is the finest venue for themed weekly events and world-class DJs. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635. Le Nuit Blanche Cheongdam-dong Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is a high class restaurant, theater and club. Located in front of the Hotel Prima in Cheongdam-dong, Le Nuit Blanche offers Cirque du Soleil-type performances. World-class DJs from all over the world perform at the club. For more information, call (02) 514-4311. W.E. Listen Samcheong-dong This cafe reinterprets traditional Korean desserts. The menu not only offers American-style coffee but also sweet potato, sweet bean latte, a “hotteok” pancake

Jun 28, 2012By Do Je-hae

Classical music

Classical Concerts Maksim Mrvica Concert Seoul Arts Center* July 6 Maksim Mrvica, a Croatian pianist nicknamed “The Piano Player,” is also a composer. Mrvica rose to fame immediately after the release of his first album and has since become a leading electric pianist of his generation. Some of his best known compositions are “The Bumblebee” and “Crotian Rhapsody.” Tickets cost 55,000 to 121,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6292- 9370. Great Mountains Music Festival & School Alpensia Concert Hall Through Aug. 5 The Great Mountains Music Festival & School will be held in the midst of nature in the mountainous province of Gangwon. Two renowned artists — cellist Chung Myung-hwa and her sister violinist Chung Kyung-hwa — serve as artistic directors of this renowned chamber music festivals in Korea. This year, the annual festival will explore the relationship between dance and music. Tickets cost 40,000 to 250,000 won. For more information, call (02) 725-3394. Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica Seoul Arts Center* Oct. 16 Gidon Kremer,

Jun 28, 2012By Do Je-hae

Imprints of Gonzalez-Torres' search for eternity

By Kwon Mee-yoo Two round wall clocks, two rectangular mirrors and two pillows on an empty bed — the two identical shapes evoke a sense of similarity, but they can never be the same. The first retrospective of Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) in Asia, an artist who explored the fear of death and sought eternity, “Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Double” is going on show at Plateau in central Seoul. Gonzalez-Torres was born in Cuba and grew up in Spain and Puerto Rico before moving to New York City in 1979. He was an immigrant, homosexual and AIDS patient, but instead of remaining as a minority, he used the mainstream to establish his world of art. Though he passed away at the early age of 38, his influence on contemporary art is eminent. This exhibit features 44 of Gonzalez-Torres’ works, which are minimal and reflect his private life. “Untitled” (North) greets visitors in the lobby, opposite Auguste Rodin’s “The Gates of Hell.” It is composed of strings of incandescent light bulbs and glows warmly in the middle of the gallery. The piece reminds one of finite human life, ju

Jun 27, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
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