Megabox to broadcast Salzburg Festival live in theaters for the first time in Asia


It is true that live classical music is a luxury to many. Ticket prices have risen dramatically in recent years, making it hard for many to appreciate the emotional sound of a classical music performance.

To offer such a chance at modest prices, Megabox will hold a special event starting this Sunday.

The local movie theater chain in partnership with Kevin & Company will broadcast five live concerts and operas from Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Two concerts and three operas from the festival will be broadcast live at four Megabox branches ― at COEX, Central Gangnam, Mokdong and Busan Haewoondae ― for six days from July 29 to August 7. 

“The festival is scheduled to be broadcast live to 39 countries around the world. But Korea is the first Asian country to present the festival on big screen,” said Kevin Lim, head of Kevin & Company that distributes audiovisual recordings of classical music performances by European firm Unitel.

“For classical music-lovers, a local agency offered a nine-day travel package to the festival priced at 15.9 million won. But there won’t be many who can afford it. For only 30,000 won, the audience can enjoy the sound of high-quality classical music live,” said Lim.

Starting with an opening concert by Vienna Philharmonic led by Valery Gergiev on July 29 at 6 p.m., Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” starring star soprano Anna Netrebko will be screened on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. Another concert by Vienna Philharmonic led by Mariss Jansons playing Strauss’ “Don Juan,” Op. 20 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 will be broadcast on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. Two other operas, Ariadne on Naxo composed by Richard Strauss, and Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” will air at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6 and 7, respectively. 

The Salzburg Festival is one of the world’s most famous music festivals, and has been bridging traditional and modern music since it was founded in 1920. It is held every summer for five weeks, starting in late July, in Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and famous for movie “Sound of Music.” Every year, the festival invites internationally acclaimed musicians from all over the world. It is also known as one of major arts festival in Europe along with Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the Bayreuth Festival in Germany.

Putting audiovisual recordings of classical music performances on the big screen is common in Europe.

Unitel, founded by Herbert von Karajan and Leo Kirch 50 years ago, has developed and produced a wide range of classical music audio-visual content. Karajan, former chief conductor for Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, had a vision for “music to watch” and wanted to produce audiovisual recordings of leading artists, opera houses and orchestras, Lim explained.

The European company produces high quality audiovisual recordings of major music festivals including Salzburg, the Bayreuth, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Rossini-Festibal Pesaro in Italy. The company has a close partnership with artists such as Placido Domingo, Lang Lang, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Cecilia Bartoli as well as leading orchestras like the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Lim plans to bring more high-quality classical music contents to Korea and expand distribution channels not only through theaters but also cable TVs.

Tickets for “2012 Salzburg Festival at Megabox” are priced at 30,000 won each. For more information, visit www.megabox.co.kr or call 1544-0070.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)