Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Telepresence inspires new cross-border music-making

By Lee Hyo-won ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province ― Cross-border music-making traditionally meant artists embarking on worldwide tours to reach audiences or musicians from different corners of the world gathering in one place to collaborate. But in this digital age, a live rock concert in London can attract full-house audiences in Sydney via satellite transmission (just as David Bowie did in 2003) or the principals of telepresence videoconferencing, widely practiced for international business transactions, can be applied to the performing arts. It was 10 a.m. on Monday in Ansan ― or 9 p.m., Sunday in New York ― but for audiences at both ends it was time for a concert. Yet this was no ordinary performance; the other half of musicians due to perform appeared in real time via an in-person video solution. Think of a super sophisticated version of Skype applied to the live stage: three large screens were installed before the players to transmit what was going on in New York and audio from both sides were heard simultaneously through speakers. The program began with “Watermill” by Teiji

Sep 27, 2011By Do Je-hae

Jarasum Fest beckons jazz lovers

By Kwon Mee-yoo “Around the world of jazz in three days.” That’s what’s on offer at the eighth Jarasum International Jazz Festival starting this weekend on Jara Island and the Gapyeong area in Gyeonggi Province. Started in 2004, the autumn jazz festival has grown to become the largest jazz fest in Asia, drawing some 755,000 visitors over the last seven years, including 168,000 last year. With the opening of Gyeongchun railway line passing through Gapyeong and the long weekend with Monday being National Foundation Day, the organizers expect an even bigger crowd this year. The three-day jazz festival will feature 81 jazz groups ― 36 of them feature top-notch players from 21 countries including the United Kingdom, France and Brazil along with 45 groups of amateur musicians. This year's line-up includes jazz from various parts of the globe. Latin jazz band Cubano Be, Cubano Pop will heat up the mood, while Norwegian pianist Ketil Bjornstad presents the essence of lyrical pianism reflecting Northern Europe. American jazz pianist Geri Allen will play a repertoire c

Sep 27, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Exhibit reveals secret of portraits

By Chung Ah-young Peer into some interesting faces as the National Museum of Korea is currently displaying some 200 portraits by master painters such as Kim Hong-do and 16th-century Dutch artist Peter Paul Rubens. Titled “The Secret of the Joseon Portraits,” the exhibition also features works by Yi Myeong-gi, Kim Hong-do, Park Dong-bo, Kim Hee-gyeom, Yi Han-cheol and Chae Yong-shin, who were representative painters of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Consisting of four sections — “Heaven & Earth,” “Humaneness, Rightness, Propriety and Wisdom,” “Individual Expression” and “Photography, a New Way to View the World,” a wide variety of expressions can be viewed. The first two sections include portraits produced by the royal court, the major force behind the development of portraiture at the time. Works that reflect the relationship between the king and his subjects under the concept of the “three bonds and five relationships” of Confucianism are incorporated. The “Portrait of King Taejo (1335-1408),” which was repainted in 1872 by royal artists such as Jo Jung-muk, P

Sep 26, 2011

Magic of ’Cats’ returns to Seoul

By Kwon Mee-yoo It has been 30 years since “Cats” was first staged and the second Korean production raised its curtain earlier this month at the Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul. Based on T. S. Eliot’s poems, the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber portrays the feline world in an affectionate way. Stunning performances by Korean actors whisk the audience to the cats’ world, where they can meet a variety of characters from the narrator Munkustrap and ladies’ cat Rum Tum Tugger to former-actor Gus and cat-burglar duo Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. This year’s production cast three divas, singer Insooni, actresses Park Hae-mi and Hong Ji-min, as Grizabella the former Glamour Cat. Insooni said she is grateful that she has the chance to sing the famed song “Memory.” “I thought Grizabella just sings ‘Memory,’ but the character has more complexity than that. I have to communicate with other ‘cats’ through eye contact and it was not easy,” Insooni said at a press conference. “‘Cats’ is not just a musical about cats. It is a philosophical work and I think forgiveness, reconciliation

Sep 25, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Star soloists, renowned orchestras in Korea

By Do Je-hae A number of sizzling classical music concerts are scheduled for the remainder of the year. For piano lovers, the highlight is sure to be the return of Russian virtuoso Evgeny Kissin to the local stage. The 40-year-old has given recitals here in the last few years, but it is the first time he will be performing a concerto in Korea, partnered by another Russian virtuoso pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy who leads the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Together, they will perform Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” at Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 16 and 17. The occasion marks the first visit of Australia’s best symphony orchestra. The SSO will also perform Rachmaninoff’s “Symphony No. 2,” Brahms’ “Symphony No. 1” and the Shostakovich’s “Cello Concerto No. 1” with Mischa Maisky. A former child prodigy, Kissin is widely recognized as one of the foremost classical pianists of our time, known for his hard work and versatility. “He is a born musician and a born great pianist,” remarked Ashkenazy on Kissin’s unique gifts. ““Without complete devotion, you cannot ac

Sep 25, 2011By Do Je-hae

A slice of Seoul on exhibit in London

By Kwon Mee-yoo "My Shopping Bag: Allegories of Seoul 2011" will provide a glimpse of Seoul to Londoners through a shopping columnist's purchases this summer. JW Stella, also known as Gu Jung-won, an independent curator based in Seoul and London, organized the exhibition and it was invited by the La Scatola Gallery as a part of the London Design Festival 2011. "Contemporary is the art of today and the importance of cultural and regional context is growing bigger and bigger. ‘My Shopping Bag’ aims to bridge two contemporary cultures in Seoul and London," Gu said in an interview with The Korea Times. Bae Jung-hyun, former editor-in-chief of Nylon magazine in Korea and the first shopping columnist for the nation, joined the project by exhibiting her list of purchases. As a former staffer of an international fashion magazine, she has a broader understanding of the contemporary esthetics of diverse cultures from metropolitan cities such as London, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo. Bae purchased and collected the objects and asked people about Seoul in August and Gu and

Sep 23, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

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, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized mirror ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you hang out at the bar or in classy private rooms. 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

Sep 22, 2011

Concerts, museums and theater

Classicial Concerts Berliner Philharmoniker with Simon Rattle Seoul Arts Center* Sejong Performing Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Nov. 15 and 16 Berliner Philharmoniker will again visit Korea. In 2005 when the orchestra held a concert in Korea for the first time in 20 years, the ensemble promised it would hold a triennial concert for Korean fans. “Symphony No. 9 in D major” by G. Mahler and “Symphony No. 9 in D minor” by A. Bruckner will be played under the guidance of conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Tickets cost 50,000 to 450,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6303-7700 or (02) 580-1300 (Seoul Arts Center). Trio Owon LG Arts Center* Nov. 6 Cellist Yang Sung-won and his classical group Trio Owon will make its first official debut in Korea on Nov. 6 at the LG Art Center. The trio — Yang, pianist Emmanuel Strosser and violinist Olivier Charlier — borrowed their name from legendary Korean painter Jang Seung-up (1843-1897) best known as the character in the film “Painted Fire” (2002) by South Korean master Im Kwon-taek. The g

Sep 22, 2011

Exhibition shows Tagore as a painter

By Chung Ah-young Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, is known for his landmark collection of poems titled “Gitanjali” in 1913. For many Koreans, his poem “A Light of the East” is widely known. But he was, in essence, a Renaissance man who excelled in various fields. He showed great interest and talent in painting, which reflected his thoughts in his late career. To showcase his late period as an artist, the National Museum of Korea is holding an exhibition titled “Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore — The Last Harvest,” featuring 49 works and related books through Nov. 27. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Tagore’s birth and the 80th anniversary of his death. In India, nationwide commemoration events are being held and the exhibition is part of them. Organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art in India and the Indian Culture Ministry, the exhibition will move to the United Kingdom after Korea. His paintings were highly appreciated not only in his home country but also in Western nations and continue t

Sep 21, 2011

Suh explores essence of Korean culture through ’hanji’

By Kwon Mee-yoo Small pieces of rolled and cut “hanji,” or traditional Korean mulberry paper, create the universe of artist Suh Jeong-min, 49. But Suh doesn’t just use any paper; he uses scrap hanji paper used for calligraphy. Once rolled up, the paper is cut horizontally, vertically or diagonally to produce light and shade on canvas as the existing calligraphic letters form black lines on the surface. “I make my artworks by compressing thrown-away paper, but they generate new energy through me,” Suh said in an interview with The Korea Times at Jongienara Paper Art Museum in Seoul, Monday. Suh majored in Western painting and worked with oils and watercolors for decades. “I felt limits in such Western methods. As an artist, I wanted to do original, unique works,” he said. “I sought the line of Korea and went through experiments with lines drawn by ‘meok,’ or Korean ink. One day, the growth ring-like lines of rolled paper struck me.” The artist said his works are the result of coincidence and inevitability. “Instead of drawing my own lines with meok, I find the lines

Sep 21, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater