[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "I chose an opera aria by Korngold that had not been performed before. During the preliminaries, the judges shed tears, which became a hot topic locally, and now, ahead of the finals, I have gained confidence."
On the 19th (local time), Kim Ki-hoon (30), the first Korean to win the aria category at the 'BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2021' broadcast live by the UK BBC, shared an episode in an interview with a media outlet on the 20th.
This competition has produced renowned baritones such as Bryn Terfel and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who are considered among the world's top three baritones. Koreans have only won twice in the art song category (baritone No Dae-san in 1999 and bass Park Jong-min in 2015).
Kim Ki-hoon said, "Since the performance and image in the first round continue into the finals, I felt the pressure of whether I could deliver the same level of emotion. I felt that my first piece in the final was not as good as expected, so I was surprised when my name was called as the winner."
In the finals, he sang three pieces in order: Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' aria 'Largo al factotum,' Wagner's 'Tannh?user' aria 'O du mein holder Abendstern,' and Giordano's 'Andrea Ch?nier' aria 'Nemico della patria.'
Kim Ki-hoon gained recognition by placing second in the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, one of the world's top three competitions, and also second in the prestigious international competition 'Operalia 2019.' He is currently active mainly on the European stage.
He said, "There are many foreigners with outstanding physical attributes, so it is not easy for Koreans to establish themselves as baritones on the world stage. To beat foreigners, Koreans need something special. I think I am lacking, so I tend to work harder."
He also emphasized, "I often experience slumps. Overcoming each slump has given me insights and opportunities to grow. Deciding to turn slumps into opportunities seems to help my performances."
Kim Ki-hoon said that among composers, he likes the Italian composer Puccini the most when it comes to music itself. However, he jokingly added that Puccini did not compose arias for baritones, so personally, he does not like him that much.
He has mainly played good characters in operas but expressed a desire to challenge villain roles in the future. He hopes to play the mature role of Scarpia in Puccini's opera 'Tosca' in his mid-30s.
Kim Ki-hoon, who returns to Korea on the 21st, plans to meet domestic audiences with a solo recital at 8 p.m. on the 8th of next month at the TLI Art Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. He said, "I will also perform pieces I sang in this competition."
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