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Arts & Theater

Korea, Japan to Honor Ahn Eak-tai

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Commemorative concerts will take place in Korea and Japan for the internationally renowned conductor Ahn Eak-tai (1906-65), who is best known for composing the country's national anthem. The 2009 Ahn Eak-tai Memorial Concert will be held Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in time for the date of his death in September 1965. Another concert will be held Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. at NHK Hall, Osaka, Japan, just before the late musician's birthday on Dec. 5. Born in Pyongyang in 1906 during the Japanese occupation (1910-45), Ahn was exposed to music through church and played the violin and trumpet. He began his formal musical training in middle school, where he took up the cello, and the prodigy's talents enabled him to study abroad in the United States, at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and later, the Curtis Institute. It was during his stint in America in the mid-1930s that he composed his masterpiece "Korea Fantasy." Koreans recognize the piece's central theme as "Aeg

Sep 16, 2009

Jeong Seon’s Paintings Brought to Life

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter To mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Jeong Seon, a prominent painter during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the National Museum of Korea is holding an exhibition titled ``The Life and Painting of Jeong Seon’’ through Nov. 22. A total of 142 paintings, including a collection of 21 pieces that were returned from Germany to Korea, are on display to shed light on his various artistic achievements. Using the pseudonym ``Gyeomjae,’’ meaning humble study, Jeong (1676-1795) was one of the most influential landscape painters in 18th century Korea with his realistic style. He was influenced by Chinese paintings in his earlier life, but later developed his own approach. Unlike abstract paintings that featured portraits of nature and character sketches, he depicted mountains and streams with fine, bold strokes in a realistic composition. Born into a noble family, Jeong died at the late age of 83. As a government official, he was a local magistrate three times, and as a painter, he was active from age 35 to 81. He traveled to variou

Sep 15, 2009

LElisir dAmore to Be Staged

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter For its fall season opening at the end of the month, the Korea National Opera will stage Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore." The troupe's director is taking the helm for the first time in two years for what is expected to be a "star-studded" performance, featuring top talents and a backdrop of stellar orbits. Donizetti's popular comic opera is essentially a romantic comedy set in an 18th-century rural Italian village. Penniless Nemorino is desperately in love with the beautiful landowner Adina, but he faces tough competition from the pompous Sergeant Belcore. He becomes convinced that he can win Adina's heart with a fake "love potion" from the traveling salesman Dulcamara. But little does he know that taking the so-called elixir of love is unnecessary, as a series of mishaps result in a happy ending as the coldhearted beauty realizes her affections for Nemorino. Artistic director Lee So-young has reinterpreted the love story, drawing out Asian values and universal themes. "I hesitated," she told reporters Monday in Seoul about directing the bel

Sep 15, 2009

Waltz’s GezeitenSheds Light on Human Nature, Disasters

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter German dance troupe Sasha Waltz & Guests comes back to Korea with ``Gezeiten," one of Waltz's best known works, to be staged at the LG Arts Center Sept 25-26. The choreographer visited Korea in 1997 with her work ``Allee der Kosmonauten'' and also in 2004 with ``Korper.'' "Gezeiten," which means tides, made its world premiere in 2005. In the work, Waltz focuses on the vulnerability of humans against disasters both natural and manmade. The work portrays how people react to and save themselves from drastic situations, through realistic settings and dramatic movements. The choreographer depicts the aftermath of a ghastly disaster through a panorama-like stage. The stage is dark and creepy, with pipes dangling and wallpaper torn from the walls. It's not just a wrecked room, but a final refuge. A disaster is destroying the world outside, and people are forced to enter the room for survival. Sixteen dancers walk onto the dark stage, looking tired. They start moving in formation and then independently, and at one point some break down in tea

Sep 14, 2009

Korea’s Biggest Art Fair to Open Friday at COEX

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter The biggest art fair in Korea opens Friday, with high hopes amid a slump in the local art market. The Korea International Art Fair 2009 will bring together galleries, collectors and art lovers for five days through Sept. 22, at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center, southern Seoul. Pyo Mi-sun, chairman of the Galleries Association of Korea, said the KIAF hopes to reinvigorate the stagnant Korean art market, which has been affected by the global economic downturn. KIAF has a much leaner line-up of galleries this year. Only 168 are participating, down from 218 last year and 208 in 2007. This includes 122 domestic galleries and 46 from countries such as Germany, Japan, Spain, Australia, France, China and India, among others. Still, KIAF includes the biggest Korean galleries Arario Gallery, Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, and Gana Art Gallery. Foreign galleries include China's TS1 Beijing, Colombia's El Museo, France's Galerie Maria Lund, Germany's Walter Bischoff Galerie and Japan's Gallery Kaze. Over 4,600 works by app

Sep 14, 2009

3rd Delphic Games Close a Day Early on Jeju Island

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter The 3rd Delphic Games, an international cultural and arts competition and festival, will close today one day earlier than scheduled. ``We've decided to close the event one day earlier on Sept. 14 when all of the contests and festivals are actually done. Also, we're expecting to relieve concerns over the possible infection of the influenza A (H1N1) among participants and visitors,'' Kim Bu-kyung, an organizer, said. The organizing committee said that there is no problem on the original schedule as no other events except for the closing ceremony are planned on Sept. 15. The modern cultural ``Olympics'' was one of the festivals which have forced to take place because it's the international event despite the central government's recommendation to cancel or downsize the event due to the flu concerns. The organizing committee has prepared sanitary staff to help visitors and participants keep safe from the influenza A with masks and hand washers that were provided on the venues. The international event kicked off on Sept. 9 under the th

Sep 13, 2009

First Winners Honored in Cultural Contest

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter JEJU ― With the third Delphic Games getting into full swing, the first awards went for the artists of one-or two-stringed instruments, and in mask dance. Mongolian Purevkhuu Temuujin won the Delphic Medal Award in Gold for playing the "morin khuur," or horse-head fiddle, in the one- or two-stringed instrument competition. A total of 16 contestants took part in the contest which was held at the Jeju Culture & Art Center on Thursday. The contestants played unique traditional instruments such as "mochang" (India), "tumbi" (India), "bhapang" (India) and "sor kapoe" (Thailand). Lee Seung-hee, from Korea, was grabbed the silver medal for playing the ``haegeum,'' while Sachi Minegishi from Japan won bronze for playing the ``ichigenkin''. The Delphic Laurel Award went to Prashanna Gogoi from India who played the traditional instrument called "bin." The award is to honor the uniqueness of an exceptional local cultural tradition as well as the unique artistic personality expressed through the performer's most current, innovative work. In t

Sep 11, 2009

Museums Show Architectural Ceramics as Art

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Gimhae ― People encounter architectural ceramics everyday, but they just don't notice it. Roof tiles, bricks, wall tiles, and floors are everywhere, but no one gives them a second thought. The Clayarch Gimhae Museum is hoping to make people appreciate the utilitarian beauty of architectural ceramics more through its new exhibition, ``Architectural Ceramic ― Now & New,'' which opened Friday. ``Through this exhibit, we would like people to become more familiar with architectural ceramics and encounter a new world of art,'' assistant curator Park Se-yeon said, during a press conference last Friday. The first section ``Into Art,'' presents architectural ceramic-based artworks such as photography, engravings, sculptures and installations by artists from Korea and abroad. Park, who curated the section, said the artists used mass-produced ceramic materials and reinterpreted these with their own creativity and personality. Canada-born sculptor Robert Harrison made an outdoor arch using bricks and ceramic insulators. His ``Clayarc

Sep 11, 2009

Clubs, Art Exhibitions & Sports Games

Clubs The Circle Cheongdam-dong Located in the upscale Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, it's notorious for turning you down unless you're dressed chic and sleek. Faithful to its name, it has a round revolving floor - looking for your "lost" table gives clubbers the perfect excuse to sit down with a sexy stranger. Located on Dosan-daero near Hak-dong intersection. Call (02) 546-5933 or visit www.thecircle.co.kr. Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that's also to be found 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 open 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 ce

Sep 10, 2009

Concerts, Museums & Theater

Classical Concerts The 2009 Ahn Eak-tai Memorial Concert Concert Hall of Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex Sept. 22 A memorial concert for Ahn Eak-tai, the composer of the Korean national anthem, will be held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province and also in Osaka, Japan. The program will feature works by Z. Kodaly and R. Strauss, in addition to Ahn's masterpiece "Korea Fantasy." Call (02) 821-8494 or (02) 581-5404. Located near exit 3 of Jeongbalsan Station on subway line 3. Opera 'Werther' Uijeongbu Arts Center Oct. 22-24 The art centers of Uijeonbu, Hanam and Nowon will stage a relay performance of their co-production of Jules Massenet's opera "Werther," which is based on Goethe's novel, beginning with Uijeongbu. It will be a rare chance for local opera fans to enjoy the piece. Tickets cost from 20,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (031) 828-5841~2. Located near Uijeongbu Station on subway line 1. Opera 'Carmen' Seoul Arts Center Nov. 5-8 One of Russia's best national theaters, Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet T

Sep 10, 2009
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