“The Magic Flute,” one of Mozart’s most famous operas, is on its way to lure children at home into its fairy tale world. A new production of the masterpiece will be staged at the Seoul Arts Center on July 15, targeting families and younger viewers.
“My goal was to recreate this work and turn it into a show that can strike a chord with people from all walks of life, of every class, age and sex. At the same time, we tried to keep the original ‘feel’ intact,” said Lee Kyung-jae, the director of this new production.
The upcoming show will star world-class singers. It will also tell the story bilingually, as the singers will read their lines in Korean during the theater scenes and sing in German during the songs.
“The show involves as many as 19 singers, which makes it quite complicated. To help the audience get a better understanding of the story, we have simplified the stage settings, while the cast’s amazing singing and acting will fill the empty spaces, using also lively images projected onto the screen. It will seem like they are being drawn into a painting,” said the director.
Like some of Mozart’s other operas, “The Magic Flute” is in German. In those days, German operas could be enjoyed by the common people. "The Magic Flute" has been performed over the centuries, and is still beloved today.
The opera tells the story of Prince Tamino of Egypt, who, one day, is informed by the Queen of the Night that the Princess Pamina has been kidnapped by the evil spirits. The prince is given a magic flute and sets off to rescue the princess along with his sidekick Papageno.
Mozart embedded the tale of Prince Tamino’s journey with three strong messages: those of freedom, equality and benevolence.
Tenor Kim Woo-kyung takes on the role of Tamino. Over his career, Kim has performed with the London-based Royal Opera House and at La Scala, an opera house in Milan, Italy. Soprano Park Hyun-joo, currently working with the Korea National Opera, will play the role of Princess Pamina. Bass Jun Attila, who has earned a Kammersänger, a German honorific title given by the German government to distinguished singers of opera and classical music, will perform as Sarastro, the evil character that kidnaps the princess.
“Children in Germany are very familiar with the tale of ‘The Magic Flute,’ as they grow up reading storybooks related to the opera,” said tenor Kim Woo-kyung. “Audiences here will see a very polished performance of the opera this time.”
More information about this new Seoul production of “The Magic Flute” can be found at the link below.
http://bit.ly/1M0BI1m
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: the Seoul Arts Center
jiae5853@korea.kr
“My goal was to recreate this work and turn it into a show that can strike a chord with people from all walks of life, of every class, age and sex. At the same time, we tried to keep the original ‘feel’ intact,” said Lee Kyung-jae, the director of this new production.
The upcoming show will star world-class singers. It will also tell the story bilingually, as the singers will read their lines in Korean during the theater scenes and sing in German during the songs.
“The show involves as many as 19 singers, which makes it quite complicated. To help the audience get a better understanding of the story, we have simplified the stage settings, while the cast’s amazing singing and acting will fill the empty spaces, using also lively images projected onto the screen. It will seem like they are being drawn into a painting,” said the director.
Cast members rehearse for the upcoming production of ‘The Magic Flute,’ on July 2. The show will run from July 15 to 19 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.
Like some of Mozart’s other operas, “The Magic Flute” is in German. In those days, German operas could be enjoyed by the common people. "The Magic Flute" has been performed over the centuries, and is still beloved today.
The opera tells the story of Prince Tamino of Egypt, who, one day, is informed by the Queen of the Night that the Princess Pamina has been kidnapped by the evil spirits. The prince is given a magic flute and sets off to rescue the princess along with his sidekick Papageno.
Mozart embedded the tale of Prince Tamino’s journey with three strong messages: those of freedom, equality and benevolence.
Conductor Lim Hun-joung leads the Korean Symphony Orchestra in the upcoming production of ‘The Magic Flute’ that will open in Seoul on July 15.
Tenor Kim Woo-kyung takes on the role of Tamino. Over his career, Kim has performed with the London-based Royal Opera House and at La Scala, an opera house in Milan, Italy. Soprano Park Hyun-joo, currently working with the Korea National Opera, will play the role of Princess Pamina. Bass Jun Attila, who has earned a Kammersänger, a German honorific title given by the German government to distinguished singers of opera and classical music, will perform as Sarastro, the evil character that kidnaps the princess.
“Children in Germany are very familiar with the tale of ‘The Magic Flute,’ as they grow up reading storybooks related to the opera,” said tenor Kim Woo-kyung. “Audiences here will see a very polished performance of the opera this time.”
More information about this new Seoul production of “The Magic Flute” can be found at the link below.
http://bit.ly/1M0BI1m
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: the Seoul Arts Center
jiae5853@korea.kr
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