[On Stage] Countertenor Lee Dong-gyu "I Want to Conquer the Role of Carmen as a Soprano"

New Solo Album 'Dream Quarter' Released After 18 Years
Featuring a Wide Range from Baroque to Contemporary Music

'Habanera' is one of the representative arias from Georges Bizet's opera 'Carmen' and is also widely known to the public. The heroine Carmen seduces the innocent male protagonist Don Jos?, singing that 'Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame.'

Countertenor Lee Dong-gyu included Habanera in his new album 'Dream Quilter,' which will be released on the 13th.

At the press conference for the new album held on the 12th, he said, "Countertenors have wondered why they cannot perform soprano roles," adding, "I have the desire to conquer Carmen once." He also expressed his wish to seduce Don Giovanni, the libertine protagonist of Mozart's opera 'Don Giovanni.'

Countertenor Lee Dong-gyu is introducing his new album 'Dream Quilter' at a press conference held on the 12th (local time) at the Credia Classic Club Studio in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Credia]

Countertenor Lee Dong-gyu, who wants to show more diverse colors than anyone else, is releasing a new solo album after 18 years. He explained about the new album, "I had a dream to create an album with songs that cross all genres." As he wished, the album covers a wide range of eras, including works by Baroque composers Henry Purcell (1659?1695) and Antonio Vivaldi (1678?1741), as well as pieces by modern composer Kurt Weill (1900?1950).

He said, "Modern composers write many pieces for countertenors. Countertenors should naturally excel in Baroque genres, but they also need to be good at contemporary music."

Lee Dong-gyu has won awards at the Vi?as International Singing Competition in Spain and the George London Competition in New York, and has performed leading roles on world-renowned opera stages such as the Royal Opera House in Madrid and La Scala in Milan, Italy. Last year, he gained widespread public recognition by participating in JTBC's 'Phantom Singer 4' as part of 'ForteNa,' a group of four tenors, finishing as the runner-up.

The album appropriately balances widely known pieces such as Habanera and Schubert's 'Erlk?nig' with songs that Lee Dong-gyu personally wanted to include. Among the songs he was eager to include is Kurt Weill's 'This Is the First Time for Me.' "It's a really wonderful piece. Weill's works are not often performed in Korea, but I thought if I sing it a lot, it might gain some popularity, so I included it in the album."

'Dream Quilter' will be released under the prestigious classical label 'Erato,' a subsidiary of Warner Classics. This is Lee Dong-gyu's debut album with Warner Classics. Speaking about his childhood memories, he said he was deeply moved that his album would be released under the Erato label.

"When I was young, I collected many Baroque albums at second-hand CD stores, and many of them were released by Erato. Handel's operas were almost all released by Erato. When I was in Canada, Sumi Jo's 'Virtuoso' album was released by Erato, and I loved that album so much that since then I bought all of Sumi Jo's albums. Her albums continued to be released by Erato, and I was very envious. So I really wanted to be with Erato, and it's ecstatic to be able to release an album with them."

To commemorate the album release, Lee Dong-gyu will hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on the 28th. Contralto Austin Kim, a fellow member of ForteNa, will also perform to brighten the stage.