November brings an interesting bag of opera productions that offer a cross-section of what’s happening in Korea’s opera scene.

A 19th-century Italian classic to be staged later this week by an international cast and creative team promises epic grandeur, while a short Donizetti comedy has been tailored for opera beginners.

A psychological thriller based on a real crime story is reborn as a contemporary opera, showcasing efforts of Korean producers and creators to come up with something that can be described as a Korean opera. 


For opera lovers ― ‘Otello’

For those who want to revel in the grandeur and epic scale of a grand opera, “Otello” is the one to watch.

Based on the Shakespeare play of the same title, the opera is Verdi’s penultimate work and is considered one of the pinnacles of 19th-cenutry Italian opera.

The upcoming production by the Korea National Opera may show just why.

For the Nov. 6-9 production, the country’s top opera company has brought together an international cast and creative team led by director Stephen Lawless and conductor Graeme Jenkins. 

The opera tells how Otello, a Moor who seems to have everything in Venetian society, is undone by the psychological manipulation of Iago, who begrudges the black man’s seemingly endless luck.

Iago turns a simple handkerchief into proof of the unfaithfulness of Desdemona, Otello’s loving wife, and the deceived Otello ends up killing her and himself.

“You will be hard pressed to find a cast as good as this one anywhere in the world,” said Lawless, adding that the difficulty of casting the three lead roles, particularly Otello, prevents the masterpiece from being staged as often as it should be.

“We’re lucky to have the two Otellos. (Clifton) Forbis is a very experienced Otello, while Rudy Park is a very young one.”

Forbis will sing opposite soprano Serena Farnocchia as Desdemona, while Korean tenor Park will pair up with Korean soprano Kim Eun-joo.

The KNO production of “Otello” will be staged at the Opera House of Seoul Arts Center from Nov. 6-9.

Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 150,000 won. For details, call (02) 586-5284.


For beginners ― ‘Rita’

After witnessing an explosive growth of musical theater in Korea over the past decade ― the Korean market for musicals was worth 300 billion won ($280 million) in 2013, a threefold increase from a decade ago ― it might seem natural to think, why not operas?

It was precisely that idea that brought together musical actor Yang Jun-mo and other musical performers and creators.

Carrying out the self-imposed mission of introducing musical fans to the world of operas, they will present Donizetti’s one-act farce “Rita” at Chungmu Art Hall, a popular venue for musicals, from Nov. 8-9. 

Rita, played by soprano Jang Yu-ree, is a tyrannical and temperamental woman who gets married for the second time to Peppe, mistakenly thinking that her first husband Gaspar is dead. But Gaspar returns and the husbands agree to play a game, with the winner having to remain with her. Both try to lose.

Yang directs the three-hander in his opera directing debut while two musical actors will try opera singing for the first time as the husbands.

Yang says his priority is to make the show a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all.

“People think opera is boring. They think opera is no fun. We’re trying to counter that perception with this production,” Yang said during a rehearsal session.

To make it fun, easy and enjoyable, the opera, originally in French, will be performed in Korean.

“Rita” will be staged at the intimate 327-seat Black Theater of the Chungmu Art Hall in central Seoul from Nov. 8-9.

Tickets cost 40,000 won and 60,000 won. For details, call 1544-1555 or visit www.cmah.or.kr. 


For adventurous minds ― ‘Arriving on the Waters like the Moon’

There are not many original Korean operas being produced, and most of them tend to tell a traditional Korean folktale.

Breaking that mold is “Arriving on the Waters like the Moon,” an opera based on a real-life crime story in 21st-century Korea. The Seoul Metropolitan Opera will premiere the work at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Nov. 20.

The story begins with Gyeongja, nine months pregnant, stabbing to death her stepmother and stepsister in revenge for her unfortunate childhood. Sunnam, her husband, submits himself to the police, trying to take responsibility for the killings for the sake of his loving wife and their unborn child. A psychological drama unfolds when it is revealed that Gyeongja had planned the whole thing. 

Playwright Ko Yeon-ok wrote the libretti, while Seoul National University music professor Uzong Choe composed the score. The opera company’s chief Lee Geon-yong produced it.

“Arriving on the Waters like the Moon” will be staged at the 630-seat M Theater of Sejong Center from Nov. 20-23. Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 70,000 won. For details, call (02) 399-1783.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)