Tannh?user, Turandot... Major Opera Works Successively on Stage

National Opera Company Performs 'Tannh?user' After 45 Years
From the 17th at Seoul Arts Center Opera House
Sol Opera Company Presents Zeffirelli's 'Turandot' Until the 19th

Grand operas are consecutively taking the stage, drawing attention.

The National Opera Company is performing Richard Wagner's (1813?1883) grand opera 'Tannh?user,' which runs over four hours including intermission, for the first time in 45 years, while Sol Opera Company presents Giacomo Puccini's (1858?1924) 'Turandot,' one of the most popular works at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The National Opera Company will perform Tannh?user at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from the 17th to the 20th. Tannh?user is a rarely seen work in Korea. This is the first full-length performance since the National Opera Company’s domestic premiere at Jungang National Theater in 1979. Back then, it was performed in Korean translation, and this is the first time it will be performed in the original language in full.

Tannh?user is a work for which Wagner wrote both the music and the libretto himself. It is based on legends from Germany and a medieval German singing contest that actually took place. The opera explores the conflict between asceticism and hedonism, as well as the artist’s anguish. Wagner subtitled it 'A Romantic Opera' and showed his affection by continuously revising it. The music and drama are organically and firmly intertwined, and it is regarded as a significant Wagner opera because it breaks away from the Italian opera form of aria-recitative and anticipates Wagner’s own musical world of infinite melody.

Conductor Philippe Ogay (left) and director Yona Kim of the National Opera Company's 'Tannh?user' [Photo by National Opera Company]

Philippe Auguin, who conducted the National Opera Company’s 2016 performance of another Wagner opera, 'Lohengrin,' will take the baton again. Conductor Auguin described Wagner’s operas as "like running a marathon," emphasizing that "it is important to conserve strength well to deliver a great performance on stage." He added, "Despite the long performance time, I plan to conduct without missing a single note or text, focusing especially on the character of Tannh?user."

The production is directed by Yona Kim, a Korean director who was twice nominated for Germany’s most prestigious theater award, the Faust Award, in 2010 and 2020. This is her second collaboration with the National Opera Company since 'The Abduction from the Seraglio' in 2015.

Yona Kim gained attention in 2022 for staging Wagner’s 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' at the Daegu International Opera Festival for a week. 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' is a work with a total performance time exceeding 17 hours including intermissions, usually performed over four days. Conductor Auguin also gained recognition for conducting the full 'Ring' cycle for the first time in China at the Beijing International Music Festival.

Sol Opera Company will perform Puccini’s Turandot, marking the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death, at the KSPO Dome (Olympic Gymnastics Arena) in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, until the 19th. Unlike Tannh?user, Turandot is performed frequently every year. However, this performance is notable for being Franco Zeffirelli’s Turandot, the Italian film director and stage director (1923?2019).

Zeffirelli’s Turandot premiered at La Scala in Italy in 1984 and debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1987. Since then, it has become one of the most popular works at the Met and is performed regularly. Zeffirelli’s Turandot is famous for its grand and lavish stage. In Korea, Megabox screened the Metropolitan Opera’s Turandot performances through the Classic Society in 2020?2021, allowing audiences to see the magnificent and overwhelming stage production on screen.

The scale of the production team is as overwhelming as the grand and magnificent stage. Sol Opera Company explained that over 80 people come from overseas for this performance, about 500 people appear on stage, and including production staff, the total number of participants reaches 1,000.

The Zeffirelli version of Turandot will be brought to Korea exactly as performed at the Arena di Verona in Italy. The Arena di Verona is an ancient Roman amphitheater located in Verona, Italy. Turandot was also the opening work of this year’s Arena di Verona Festival.

From the left, Michela Linda Magri, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Korea; Emilia Gatto, Italian Ambassador to Korea; Lee So-young, Director of Sol Opera Company; Stefano Trespidi, Artistic Director of Arena di Verona; and soprano Jeon Yeo-jin, who played the role of Turandot.
Photo by Sol Opera Company

Stefano Trespidi, the director, said, "The Met still performs Turandot every two years, and it is staged very frequently in Verona as well," adding, "I thought there was no great meaning in staging other versions of Turandot, so we continue to perform Zeffirelli’s Turandot." This explains how Zeffirelli’s Turandot is a differentiated work. Trespidi expressed confidence, saying, "Because we will bring the Arena di Verona’s Turandot exactly as it is to Korea, you will find it very attractive."

Trespidi also introduced a personal connection, saying Zeffirelli was a very important person who changed his life. "Meeting Zeffirelli in Verona led me to change my career from lawyer to director," he said. "Continuing to introduce Zeffirelli’s works is very meaningful to me personally."

This is the first time a production from the Arena di Verona is staged in Korea. So-Young Lee, director of Sol Opera Company, who majored in piano and vocal music at the Verona Conservatory of Music in Italy, worked for a long time to make this performance happen. Lee said, "During my studies abroad, I closely watched performances in Verona," and shared her thoughts, "I have long dreamed and hoped that it would be wonderful if these performances could be staged in Korea."

The Turandot performance features soprano Yeo-Jin Jeon, the first Korean to be cast as the lead role Turandot in the Arena di Verona’s Turandot production. Jeon was scheduled to perform the role in June this year at the Arena di Verona but could not appear on stage due to health issues. She aims to make up for that disappointment with this Korean performance.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy, and the Embassy of Italy in Korea and the Italian Cultural Institute in Korea are sponsoring this performance.