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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Musical dramas to hit stage

By Chung Ah-young LG Arts Center has announced a line-up of four musical dramas, three Korean productions and one foreign show, as part of its CoMPAS (Contemporary Music and Performing Arts Season) beginning March 13 to Nov. 27. To kick start the special series, Heiner Goebbels’ new musical drama, “I Went to the House, But Did Not Enter” will be staged on March 26 and 27. The Hilliard Ensemble, one of the finest vocal chamber groups in the world, will perform composer and theater director Goebbels’ recent production in German. The eccentric production by Goebbels is made up of three parts based on literary texts by T.S. Eliot, Maurice Blanchot and Samuel Beckett. After its world premiere at the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival and a world tour, the play is holding its Asian premiere in Korea. “The Chorus: Oedipus” directed by Seo Jae-hyung will be on stage from April 26 to May 1. Following his successful drama “Tournament,” Seo is bringing to life this new work in collaboration with scriptwriter Han A-rum. It is a revamped format combining sound, movement and image

Mar 6, 2011

Colorful patterns induce imagination

By Kwon Mee-yoo From pink flowers to blue pentagons, the color palette and patterns of Hong Jung-hee, 66, captivate visitors entering Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Apgujeong, southern Seoul. Her first solo exhibition in six years is now ongoing at the gallery located amid office buildings in southern Seoul. The two-floor exhibition is filled with some 60 pieces of Hong's latest works since 2005. The series is called "Nano," coming from the smallest particle in physics. Just as the smallest unit can transform into anything, she wants unlimited interpretation on her pictures. Hong has been dedicated to color field abstraction since the 1970s and has established a solid world of color and pattern. The geometric patterns in Hong's paintings can be interpreted in various ways; triangles for a mountain or an arrow and five-cornered shapes for a house. Some patterns are even, while the others are irregular. Her signature four-leaf clover or modified cross pattern has recently changed into irregular patterns like blooming flower shapes. Her drawings do not have a

Mar 4, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that’s also in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area, Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Check www.ohoo.net. Cafe Mou Sinsa-dong This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations that its owner got from travels to such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. It’s located at the edge of Dosan Park. 650-9 Park View Building, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, near the Cine City Theater in Apgujeongdong. Call (02) 3444-6069. Club Heaven Yeoksam-dong

Mar 3, 2011

Concerts, museums & theater

Classical Concerts Korea National Opera’s ‘Faust’ Opera Theater, Seoul Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on right for more information) March 16 -20 Under the direction of artistic director Lee So-young, the Korea National Opera will present Charles Gounod’s “Faust” with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Tenor Kim Woo-kyung, the first Korean to become part of the New York Metropolitan Opera Association, will appear in the title role. Tickets cost 30,000 to 150,000 won. For more, call (02) 586-5282. Maksim Mrvica Live Concert Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center* March 6 Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica, known for playing fast rhythms to techno-electronic sounds, will hold a solo concert in Seoul. The program will feature a classical selection as well as his signature pieces and new tracks from his latest album, not yet released in Korea. Tickets cost 44,000 to 110,000 won. Call (02) 6377-1250 for more information. El Sistema II Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center* March 27 The Caracas Youth Orchestra from Venezuela will hold a concert under the direction of conductor Christian Va

Mar 3, 2011

Re-crafting traditions

Korean artists are redefining traditional aesthetics By Chung Ah-young Porcelain made of clay from New Zealand by a Korean artist in a kiln in Germany — can we call it traditional Korean? Such a question has lingered for a long time, dividing Korean craftsmen into traditionalists and revisionists. But the problem is how to transmit craft skills to the next generation in changing circumstances, where traditional methods are affected by outside or modern influences. Crafting is not only a particular way of making an object but reflects the structure, value, history and identity of the society in which it is practiced. Is it possible to strike a balance between the preservationist view of craft as an intangible heritage and its true status as a living tradition including contemporary practices? The recent international summit presented by the World Crafts Council (WCC), which took place from Feb. 4 to 6 in New Delhi, India, offered an opportunity to share views on the preservation of the craftsmanship and rich heritage of jewelry design and crafts, and opened

Mar 3, 2011

Art meets fashion to gain world ground

By Ines Min Art and fashion: they each carry an equal undercurrent of aesthetics, so what would be better than the marriage of the two? Hermes and Comme des Garcons have opened exhibitions that bridge the expanse between the two industries while utilizing the international network of their bases. ``H Box: Loops’’ from Hermes is on display at Art Sonje Center while Comme des Garcons’ ``Time Train’’ can be seen at its Seoul store, both of which will run through May 1. H Box, a traveling screening unit for artists, finally made its way to Korea after touring the world since 2006 from the Centre Pompidou, Tate London, Yokohama Triennale and other sites. The collapsible structure, designed by architect Didier Faustino, screens eight works at a time, four of which are rotated out annually to allow new commissioned pieces to be exposed. The mini-theater provides an intimate setting for each work, viewers perched atop benches and bean bags. The current run features artists from Korea (Nam Hwa-yeon) to India (Nikhil Chopra and Munir Kabani), while previous participan

Mar 2, 2011

Trite plot dwarfs music, set in Tears of Heaven

By Kwon Mee-yoo “Tears of Heaven,” a musical of love and loss, betrayal and forgiveness with music composed by Frank Wildhorn, raised its curtain in Seoul last month, aiming to reach Broadway. However, the much-anticipated musical seems to be lost somewhere between “Miss Saigon” and “The Joy Luck Club,” although the music hauntingly resonates through the extravagant set. The musical starts from where Tianna, a Vietnamese-American singer visiting Korea, meets Joon, a middle-aged Korean novelist who fought in the Vietnam War. Joon tells her how he met Linh, a night club singer in Vietnam, and how they fell in love, wandering around the beautiful city of Saigon. As a writer-to-be, he tells the story of a tiger and a dove to Linh, reflecting his love for her. In the scene, Joon grabs a paper tiger and performs a shadow play which soon moves on to projections on a backdrop. The number "The Tiger and the Dove" is repeated throughout the show, portraying the tragic love of Joon and Linh. Still, their love lacks persuasive power and the audience has to imagine why they fell

Mar 1, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

From Paris to Seoul, Giselles han enthralls fans

By Lee Hyo-won It could well have been a horror tale with a vendetta theme a la “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” — a lovely maiden, seduced by a philandering aristocrat in disguise, dies of despair and appears before him as an apparition. But love triumphs over the bitterness of betrayal, and Giselle chooses to save her Albrecht with a heartbreaking pas de deux. The sold-out Seoul performances over the weekend demonstrated why the 19th-century French Romantic ballet endures — the tale resonates strongly with Korea’s own iconography of “han”-ridden, white-clad virgin spirits that seek bloody revenge, but in the end Confucian values of harmony and the virtue of forgiveness prevail. Moreover, the cross cultural similarities aside, the enthralling beauty and grace of the piece simply captivates — and the Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC) succeeded in reviving the sweeping romanticism of the classic ballet. From Thursday through Sunday at Seoul Arts Center, the KNBC staged “Giselle” for the first time in nine years with the local premiere of the Paris Nationa

Feb 27, 2011

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’s also in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area, Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Check www.ohoo.net. Cafe Mou Sinsa-dong This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations that its owner got from travels to such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. It’s located at the edge of Dosan Park. 650-9 Park View Building, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, near the Cine City Theater in Apgujeongdong. Call (02) 3444-6069. Club Heaven Yeoksam-dong

Feb 24, 2011

Concerts, museums and theater

Classical Concerts Korea National Opera’s ‘Faust’ Opera Theater, Seoul Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on right for more information) March 16 -20 Under the direction of art director Lee So-young, the Korea National Opera will present Charles Gounod’s “Faust” with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Tenor Kim Woo-kyung, the first Korean to become part of the New York Metropolitan Opera Association, will appear in the title role. Tickets cost 30,000 to 150,000 won. For more, call (02) 586-5282. El Sistema II Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center* March 27 The Caracas Youth Orchestra from Venezuela will hold a concert under the direction of conductor Christian Vasquez. El Sistema is a musical education program that has inspired thousands of children around the world, and the concert will feature Saint Saens’“Symphony No. 3” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 100,000 won. Beautiful Thursday Concert Kumho Art Hall March 10, 17, 24 Two pioneers of classical music in Korea, violinist Kim Min and pianist Lee Dae-wook, will hold a series of duet performance

Feb 24, 2011
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