Sopranos Seo Sun-young and Hwang Su-mi Appear in Opera Concertante 'The Marriage of Figaro'

On June 28 at Lotte Concert Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The performance planning company Art & Artist announced on the 20th that Mozart's masterpiece opera "The Marriage of Figaro" will be performed as an "opera concertante" at Lotte Concert Hall on June 28.

Opera concertante is a concert-style opera performance that reduces the theatrical elements of opera and focuses on orchestral performance and vocalists' singing.

"The Marriage of Figaro" is a four-act opera completed in 1786. Playwright Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the libretto based on Pierre Beaumarchais' play "The Marriage of Figaro," and Mozart composed the music, making it a representative opera buffa. Mozart and Da Ponte started with "The Marriage of Figaro" and together created the Da Ponte trilogy, which includes "Don Giovanni" (1787) and "Cos? fan tutte" (1790).

"The Marriage of Figaro" is set in the Count Almaviva's mansion near Seville, Spain, in the 18th century. Figaro is the clever servant of Count Almaviva. Figaro is in a romantic relationship with Susanna, a maid, and they are about to get married. Count Almaviva harbors ill intentions toward Susanna. Knowing this, Figaro plans to outwit Count Almaviva.

Through "The Marriage of Figaro," Mozart aimed to criticize the aristocracy-centered system and depict the story of ordinary people who overcome the abuse of power by privileged classes and win love. At its premiere, the opera sharply criticized aristocratic society, causing a suspension of performances, but it is now considered one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide.

Additionally, the work is filled with Mozart's exquisite arias such as "Non pi? andrai," "Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro," "Voi che sapete," "Che soave zeffiretto," and "Dove sono i bei momenti."

Two leading Korean lyric sopranos will share the stage in this "The Marriage of Figaro." Soprano Seo Sun-young, who won the Tchaikovsky Competition, one of the world's top three competitions, in 2011, will perform as the Countess, and soprano Hwang Su-mi, who won the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in 2014, will play Susanna. They will sing "Che soave zeffiretto," famously used as background music in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," together.

Baritone Han Kyu-won will appear as Count Almaviva, and bass Son Hye-su will perform as Figaro. Mezzo-soprano Oh Ju-young, who is active in Germany, will join as Cherubino. Conductor Kim Deok-gi will lead the Korea Coop Orchestra.