Summer Concerts

Korean R&B duo Fly to the Sky will perform at Welch-Ryang Auditorium at Ewha Womans University July 12-13.

Party Away the Sizzling Nights

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

The sizzling hot season is here and for those who want to spend a refreshing time with music, summer-themed concerts can be a good way to party the night away.

Fly to the Sky (FTTS), one of Korea's favorite R&B duos, is holding summer concerts. The 26-year-old Hwanhee and 27-year-old Brian chose ``Vacation'' as the title for their concert, and the performance will indeed give people a break from the stressful and hot day.

FTTS released their new album ``Recollection'' last April. Comprised of their favorite songs of the 90s, the group refreshed the already well-known works of fellow singers with their signature deep voices and R&B tones. At the concerts, the two singers will offer songs off their new album for the first time on stage, along with numbers from their previous seven albums ― some of them rearranged with an acoustic or jazz twist.

The ``Vacation'' concerts will mark the start of an Asia tour, which will continue across China, Hawaii, Thailand and Japan.

FTTS' concerts will be held at the Welch-Ryang Auditorium, Ewha Womans University July 12-13. Tickets cost from 55,000 won to 77,000 won. Visit http://ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.

If you want a more exciting party-like concert, join MC Mong and Uhm Jung-hwa. The two energetic singers will perform on separate days at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel's outdoor pool Riverpark.

MC Mong will be the first to start the poolside party on July 12. The concert will captivate fans with the 28-year-old's trendy music, easy-to-follow dance moves and also a 30-member crew of VJs and DJs who will boost up the energy. Beside the music, there will also be fireworks, water cannons, and other fun features to enjoy.

The fever will continue the next day with Uhm Jung-hwa, one of Korea's sex symbols. Uhm will release her 10th album next month, after a two-year hiatus. According to her agency, the 36-year-old's new album will feature her distinctive songs with a hint of disco. She is expected to play songs from her new album as well as previous hits.

Uhm Jung-hwa made her debut in 1993 as a singer and gained popularity as Korea's ``Madonna.'' With sultry songs and dance moves, not to mention her sense of style, she later transformed into an actress, starring in several movies including ``Seducing Mr. Perfect'' (2006) and ``Princess Aurora'' (2005).

Tickets cost 77,000 won. There is a special package priced 125,000 won that offering a one-day pass at the swimming pool, pool buffet and concert. Visit http://ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 542-5903. Guests must be 19 years or older to join the concert.

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

Operas for Beginners, Non-Fans

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Recently, the local music scene has seen a strong lineup of operas celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Italian composer Giacommo Puccini (1858-1924). More works from the standard canon await the audience, including a modern rendition of Giuseppe Verdi's ``Rigoletto'' and Georges Bizet's ``Carmen'' for first-time operagoers.

The Seoul Opera Ensemble Company brings a hip, modern rendition of Verdi's classic, ``Rigoletto'' at Seoul Arts Center from Friday through Sunday. The original 16th century Mantua setting is transformed into a stark South Asian port city full of high-tech buildings. The young CEO of a multinational corporation reigns rather than a duke.

The classic story of woe and human suffering is reinterpreted through the hope and despair of the Asian Diaspora. Familiar urban settings take on an exotic twist as lively music and provocative dances are mixed.

The new ``Rigoletto'' premiered in 2006 as part of an international music festival in Shanghai, receiving rave reviews from critics. ``It shows the rebirth of opera. It takes what can be a repetitive repertoire and reinterprets it into a fresh, appealing show for viewers,'' wrote music columnist Jo Yun-seon.

There are two performances Saturday. Tickets cost 30,000 won to 70,000 won. In Italian with Korean subtitles. Located about 15 minutes by foot from exit 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal station on subway line 3. There are shuttle buses available. Call (02) 741-7389.

Opera lovers can also view the National Opera of Korea's rendition of Bizet's ``Carmen,'' which was a sellout last year. The passionate Spanish love story will be staged July 23-Aug. 1 at the Towol Theater, and is part of a series of productions featuring staples of operatic literature, which particularly caters to those new to the genre.

Tickets cost from 10,000 won to 50,000 won Students and children can receive special discounts up to 50 percent off, with the lowest reservation price costing 5,000 won. Call (02) 586-5282.

The National Opera has more exciting programs, including concertante (featuring only opera music with just the singers and the orchestra) performances of ``Madame Butterfly,'' ``Tosca,'' and ``Turandot.'' They celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Puccini and will be held Aug. 31 to Sep. 2 at the Seoul Arts Center concert hall.

In the fall the opera group offers vibrant productions of ``La Boheme'' at the Chang-dong Theater, Sep. 5-6. Visit www.nationalopera.org.

Asia's Largest Pipe Organ to Resound

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul houses the largest pipe organ in Asia, which will resound to the touch of French pipe organist Michel Bouvard, Thursday.

Installed in 1978, the organ is the creation of German maker Karl Shuke and has six columned manuals, 98 tones and over 8,000 pipes. The appearance was inspired by Korea's traditional six-string half-tube zither ``geomungo.'' It's topped by a series Spanish trumpet pipes that resemble the roof of a ``hanok'' or traditional house. In 2003, electronic keyboards were added.

It will be rare occasion for concertgoers to hear Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D Major (BWV 532) and Medelssohn's ``Variations Serieuses'' (Op. 53). Also included in the program are pieces by Bouvard's late father, composer Jean (1905-1996).

Bouvard is also a professor of music and plays one of the few pipe organs crafted by master French organ maker Cavaille Coll (1811-1899) in the St. Sernin Cathedral, Toulouse, France.

Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. Call (02) 399-1616. The Sejong Center is located near exits 1 and 8 of Gwanghwamun station on subway line 5.

hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr