La Bella Opera Company Holds Opera Gala Concert to Overcome COVID-19

At the Opera Theater of Seoul Arts Center from the 24th to the 26th

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] La Bella Opera Company will hold the 'Cheer Up Korea Opera Gala Concert to Overcome COVID-19' at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from the 24th to the 26th.

This performance was planned with the purpose of expressing gratitude and support to the medical staff and citizens exhausted by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The concert is divided into two concepts: 'Highlight of the Opera' and 'Enjoy the Opera,' allowing audiences to choose a performance according to their preferences.

'Highlight of the Opera' is a performance featuring famous scenes from operas, while 'Enjoy the Opera' is a concert where audiences can listen to famous arias from operas.

'Highlight of the Opera' is composed of four grand operas popular among the public: The Barber of Seville, The Elixir of Love, Rigoletto, and Carmen. The Barber of Seville is considered the most popular comic opera, humorously combining the destruction of conservative social classes with the fusion of the lower class. The Elixir of Love is an opera about the love of young men and women, depicting the process of the two protagonists confirming their love for each other. The idea of searching for a potion to win the love of a beloved woman offers freshness and fun to the audience. Rigoletto is based on the French literary master Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse. It tells the story of the dissolute 17th-century King Francis I and the rebellion of Triboulet, the father of a maiden sacrificed by the wicked king and his henchmen. Carmen is set in early 19th-century Spain and tragically portrays the fateful love story between gypsies and soldiers.

The 'Highlight of the Opera' performances are scheduled for the 25th at 3 PM and the 26th at 5 PM.

In 'Enjoy the Opera,' representative pieces from Nabucco, Il Trovatore, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, Aida, Tosca, La Boh?me, Turandot, and Maria Stuarda will be performed. 'Enjoy the Opera' will be held on the 24th and 25th at 7:30 PM.

The 'Cheer Up Korea Opera Gala Concert' features a large number of vocalists representing the domestic opera scene. Tenor Park Gi-cheon, a former principal singer at Stuttgart State Theater; tenor Shin Sang-geun, a principal singer at the New York Metropolitan Opera; soprano Kang Hye-myung, the first Asian to perform the role of 'Violetta' in La Traviata at Italy's San Carlo Opera House; soprano Go Hyun-ah, the first Asian soprano to be a resident soloist at the Vienna State Opera in Austria; mezzo-soprano Kim Jeong-mi, who has won awards at the Geneva Competition in Switzerland and performs on the world stage; as well as soprano Oh Mi-seon, professor of vocal music at Sungshin Women's University; soprano Lee Hwa-young, professor of vocal music at Keimyung University; and Lee Jae-sik, professor of vocal music at Gunsan University, will appear. Also performing are sopranos Lee Jeong-eun, Lee Da-mi, Lee Min-jung, Han Eun-hye, Choi Young-shin, Kim Hyo-joo, Kang Chae-won, Hong Seon-jin, Kim Ah-reum, Kwon Hyun; tenors Seo Pil, Kim Jung-il, Won Yoo-dae, Kim Ji-min; baritones Lee Yong-chan, Jang Sung-il, Park Kyung-jun, Park Geon-woo, Choi Byung-hyuk, Kim Won, Ko Byung-jun, Lee Chi-hoon, and Seon Seung-woo.

Conductor Yang Jin-mo, a specialist in opera who serves as the permanent conductor of the Koreana Classica Orchestra and artistic director of one of the world's four major opera festivals, will conduct the La Fuse Philharmonic Orchestra. Director Ahn Joo-eun, who is an invited professor in the Practical Music Department at Dankook University and actively works in the domestic music scene, will provide commentary.

Tickets can be reserved through Interpark and the Seoul Arts Center website.