Lifestyle - The Korea Times

’Doctor Zhivago’ staged in musical

By Kwon Mee-yoo A musical version of Boris Pasternak’s “Doctor Zhivago” will be staged in Korea in January 2012 at the Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul. Best known for the 1965 movie adaptation featuring Omar Sharif as Doctor Yuri Zhivago, the story revolves around Zhivago’s life and love amid the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War. The musical began as a tryout at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2006 as “Zhivago”; and the first major production — “Doctor Zhivago” — premiered after revision at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia in February 2011 with Anthony Warlow as Zhivago and Lucy

Dec 5, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Garden artist presents DMZ

Hwang Ji-hae goes to UK Chelsea Flower Show to win again By Noh Hyun-gi GWANGJU — Hwang Ji-hae, an environmental artist, said that if she were an alien looking at the Earth to find the most beautiful place, she would pick the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. Speaking in her studio in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Hwang, 35, explained how the strip of land that separates South and North Korea has all the conceptual qualities of a garden. “It is a result of a war but now it serves to block war. It is a paradoxical place that contains both conflict and peace,” she told The Korea Times. Hwang was the gold-medal winner at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show, one of the most prestigious horticultural events in the world hosted by the London-based Royal Horticultural Society every May. She turned a traditional Korean bathroom into a garden titled woo-so” (Emptying One’s Mind), for the Artisan Garden section. Hwang’s recreation of the DMZ titled “Quiet Time: DMZ Forbidden Garden” will enter for the 2012 show. She chose the DMZ as her inspiration because i

Dec 5, 2011

Artists-in-residence researches urban issues

By Kwon Mee-yo Eight artists present their perspective on city and urban life at the "Reflections of an Outsider on Outsiders" exhibition, which will continue through Dec. 13 at Seoul Art Space Geumcheon in Doksan-dong. The title of the exhibit comes from a 1971 article of the same name written by Gregory Pai and published in the Journal of the Korean Urban Management Association. Instead of displaying cliches of urbanity such as photos of apartment complexes and landscapes of the city seen from a road, the exhibition looks into social and cultural issues. Seoul Art Space Geumcheon was a printing factory, but reborn as an artists' residence with 19 studios and five rooms. The institute exchanges artists with overseas organizations including Arts Chiyoda 3331 in Tokyo, Japan; RuangRupa in Jakarta, Indonesia; Gertrude Contemporary in Melbourne, Australia; and Hangar in Barcelona, Spain. "We had set the theme of urban research and asked the institutes to send us artists who have researched city issues," Seoul Art Space Geumcheon manager Kim Hee-young said. "Interestingl

Dec 2, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Lagerfeld features creative energy in photos

By Do Je-hae Karl Lagerfeld is best known as the iconic creative director for some of the world's most famous fashion houses such as Chanel and Fendi. He is also a photographer with sensitivity and innovative vision, a talented painter and a designer not just in fashion but for all kinds of products, whether it be a new Coca-Cola bottle or a fountain pen. At the moment, it is Lagerfeld the photographer that is capturing the attention of local fans, as a photo exhibition of his is currently being held in the nation's capital for the first time. The Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in central Seoul is holding a showcase of his own photography through March 18, 2012. Lagerfeld is a professional photographer who has staged exhibitions worldwide since 1987. "Besides being one of the world's top fashion designers, Lagerfeld is an undisputed 'multi-creator,' who has been passionately involved in various fields, including photography and publishing," Kwon Min-jung, a curator at the museum said. "This will be a rare opportunity for the visitors to get to know in depth Lagerf

Dec 1, 2011By Do Je-hae

Clubs, art exhibitions and sports games

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai, located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae. Located near the main entrance of Hongik University. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Boutique Club 52 Itaewon Once called Function inside Macaroni Market, Club 52 boasts a chic and modern interior with the DJ spinning the beats for the hippest crowd from the center of the dance floor. Featuring top DJs from both home and abroad, two bars inside the club serving the coolest cocktails including some made with Hendrick’s gin, and a high-class interior, Club 52 is always the place for good times. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for unforgettable nights of dancing and debauchery. Reborn after extensive renovations to maintain its reputation as a quality club with a superior sound system, luxurious setting and stylish peopl

Dec 1, 2011

Concerts, museums and theater

Classical Concerts Romantic Concert Sejong Center for the Performing Arts* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Dec. 4 Maestro Geum Nan-sae will conduct the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, performing “La Boheme” by Puccini and “Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 64” by Tchaikovsky. Soprano Seo Hwal-ran and tenor Eom Seong-hwa will also take part in the performance. Tickets cost 5,000 to 30,000 won. For more information, call (02) 399-1789. Kyung-Wha Chung Violin Recital ’She is Back’ Seoul Arts Center* Dec. 26 Violin virtuoso Chung Kyung-wha will hold a series of recitals in December for the first time since 2002, performing sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart, Franck and Brahms. Chung’s recitals will start on Dec. 19 in Incheon, followed by Daejeon on Dec. 21, Chuncheon on Dec. 25 and finally in Seoul on Dec. 26 at the Seoul Arts Center. Tickets cost 30,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 518-7343 or 02)547-5694. The Little Singers from Paris Christmas Concert Sejong Center for the Performing Arts* Seoul Art Center* Dec. 9, 20

Dec 1, 2011

K-pop translation on smartphone app

By Kwon Mee-yoo Responding to the demand for more information on K-pop, Pop!gasa, a website with translations of K-pop song lyrics, has released a mobile application. It is one of the fastest sources for English translations of K-pop lyrics, having already posted a version of IU’s new album “Last Fantasy.” The site is operated by two young college graduates who love K-pop — Sung-eun Grace Lee, 23, and Jenny Kim, 23. Lee went to Syracuse University in the United States and met second-generation Korean-American Kim there. “Kim was interested in Korean culture, especially K-pop. She suggested establishing a site translating lyrics of K-pop songs to English, as the demand for K-pop was rising, and I thought it was a good idea. There are a few blogs providing the Romanization of K-pop songs, but there was a shortage of English lyrics translation,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times. After having opened on June 17, the website already has an archive of more than 1,000 K-pop lyrics translated to English. Lee majored in biophysics and Kim now works at an

Nov 30, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Chung Myung-whun to lead RCO’s Asian tour

Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to highlight 2012 season By Do Je-hae Next February is the most exciting month for local symphonic music lovers. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) of the Netherlands, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra are scheduled to perform in Seoul in February. The forthcoming concerts of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) of the Netherlands are the most anticipated classical music events here in 2012. Orchestras usually embark on foreign tours with their own music directors, as in the case of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle in Seoul last month. For two concerts at Seoul Arts Center in February, however, the RCO will be led by renowned conductor Chung Myung-whun. He will lead the Amsterdam-based ensemble during an Asian tour that will also include Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The Korean maestro will be leading a program of Kodaly’s “Dances of Galanta,” Mendelssohn’s violin concerto and “Concerto for Orchestra” by Bartok. Violinist Janine Jansen will

Nov 30, 2011By Do Je-hae

Invitation to theater for boys and girls

‘The Stones,’ ‘Good Morning School’ portray youth’s struggle By Kwon Mee-yoo There are fun, educational plays and musicals for children and more glamorous or serious ones for adults. However, teenagers are somewhat excluded from the theater scene, as adults tend to guide them instead of thinking from a juvenile perspective. This winter, two theatrical works — “The Stones” and “Good Morning School” — bring teenagers’ growing pains to the stage ‘The Stones' The Korean rendition of “The Stones” is being staged through Dec. 4 at the Baik Soung-hee and Chang Min-ho Theater in Seogye-dong, central Seoul. The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) opened a subsidiary Research Institute of Theater for Young Audiences in May and adapting “The Stones” for Korean audience is its first project. It is a two-man show written and directed by Stefo Nantsou and Tom Lycos from Zeal Theatre of Australia and has received critical acclaim in some 20 countries since its premiere in 1996. The play, inspired by the 1994 trial of two teenagers who killed a passing mot

Nov 29, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Portrait Koo Bohnchang: seizing the moment

This is the seventh and last in a series of interviews with international pioneers among Korean artists that marks the 61st anniversary of The Korea Times, which fell on Nov. 1, and is sponsored by the Korea Press Foundation. — ED. By Lee Hyo-won BUNDANG, Gyeonggi Province — A single phone call can sometimes make all the difference. Koo Bohnchang, much too humble about his credentials, had initially refused to be included in this series via email, but gave in after some persuasion over the phone — perhaps it was because the 56-year-old photographer never forgot what it is like to ring up a seasoned artist. “One phone call altered my fate,” Koo said, recounting his student days in Germany some 30 years ago when he decided to ask esteemed photographer Andre Gelpke to critique his work. “I am very shy but I can be quite bold when it comes to photography,” he continued, chuckling softly. “I wanted to know where I stood as an artist and worked up the nerve to call Gelpke. The next thing I knew I was on a train to Dusseldorf.” Gelpke instilled him with

Nov 24, 2011

Arts & Theater