[Herald Review] Two Victor Hugo stories unfold on musical stage

Two musicals based on works by French author Victor Hugo are attracting audiences in Korea: “Les Miserables” and “Notre-Dame de Paris.” Both musicals are inspired by stories written by the prominent French writer, poet, and playwright and utilize a sing-through format, where the majority, if not all, of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken. The musicals include melodies that are iconic numbers worth enjoying on a live stage. “Belle (Beautiful),” sung by Q

March 13, 2024

[Indie spirit] With gentle comfort, Kim Sawol portrays raw emotions

Singer-songwriter Kim Sawol is a sincere yet mysterious figure, a quality that is often reflected in her music. Not much is known about the soft-voiced musician, including her real name and age. She uses the stage name "Sawol," the Korean word for April, which is the month of her birth. Kim explained that she began her musical journey without disclosing any of her personal details because she is shy. "I am a musician, which means I need an audience. But paradoxically, I didn&rsquo

March 13, 2024

'The Best Sopranos' concert highlights Maria Callas' life through familiar tunes

A tribute to American and Greek soprano Maria Callas took place Monday at Lotte Concert Hall. The concert, titled “The Best Sopranos” brought together five sopranos, whom the artistic director Ha Man-taek of the concert and CEO of Korea ARTS Group, said “are the best sopranos to me, even though they are so far less-well known to the world.” The sopranos -- Park Mi-ja, Kim Ra-hee, Shin Eun-hye, Lee Yun-jeong and Veronica Yoo -- were joined by two tenors Ha and Son Ji-hoon

March 12, 2024

Rock band Sanullim's music to regain life in Europe

Legendary Korean rock trio Sanullim's songs, which marked a big milestone in the Korean music scene, will be officially released in Europe as four separate LPs. The rerelease project started when Guerssen Records, a record label group based in Spain, requested licenses for a rerelease. The four Sanullim LPs are rereleases of the first album, "Already Now," second album "Spread Silk on My Heart," third album "My Heart (My Soul Is a Wasteland)" and the compilatio

March 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] Pianist Lang Lang celebrates French music, female composers in latest album

In bringing to life a long-envisioned French project, celebrated pianist Lang Lang stumbled upon a wealth of intriguing discoveries, spanning from the works of five female French composers to even the world of Taekwondo, a Korean martial art. He said he wanted to do a French project for a long time, but it wasn't until he encountered Saint-Saens' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, “which is underrated despite its excellence,” that he decided to mak

March 11, 2024

Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra visits Korea on 10-day tour

The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, the oldest symphony orchestra in the US, is returning to South Korea for the first time since 2015 in a tour of three cities. The HRO, comprising Harvard students and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was founded in 1808. The 110-member ensemble led by music director and conductor Federico Cortese will perform music by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Bernstein, making three stops across the country -- Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul on March 13, Moak Hall in Jeonju, Nort

March 10, 2024

[Herald Review] Slowdive captivates Korean fans with hypnotic performance

British shoegaze star band Slowdive presented absorbing hours to Korean fans with its first stand-alone concert in Seoul, Saturday. About 2,000 audience members gathered at the Myunghwa Live Hall, in west Seoul, to enjoy Slowdive's sold-out concert. The performance was held in a free, festive mood, with a small snack bar next to the venue entrance which sold beer and simple snacks. Slowdive, a representative band of the shoegaze genre, was formed by Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell in 1989.

March 10, 2024

Dystopian musical 'The Origin of Evil by Darwin Young' returns for 4th run

The Seoul Performing Arts Company kicks off the fourth season of its original production, "The Origin of Evil by Darwin Young," on Friday. Adapted from the novel by late writer Park Ji-ri, the play is set in a meticulously segregated society based on caste, spanning from the privileged first district, where residents have to adhere to strict standards of behavior to maintain their status, to the slum-like ninth district, where an uprising was suppressed 60 years earlier. The musical pl

March 8, 2024

[Herald Review] 'Bea' challenges perspectives on life, death

In a vibrant dress, Bea (a nickname for Beatrice) dances joyfully to Madonna's "Ray of Light" and then, addressing the recently arrived Ray, implores him to write a letter on her behalf. She says, "I want to die." Ray and Bea's mother, Katherine, are taken aback, with Katherine painfully choosing to ignore the letter. The scene is part of stage drama "Bea," which kicked off its run on Feb. 17 at the LG Art Center in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul. Contrary to t

March 8, 2024

Changgeuk 'Lear' reimagines Shakespeare with traditional Korean splendor

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea's "Lear" is set to make a comeback after two years. Affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, the company will perform the changgeuk adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" at the Daloreum Theater from March 29 to April 7. Changgeuk is a genre of Korean opera. It derives from pansori, a traditional narrative singing form involving a solo singer and a percussionist that is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cu

March 6, 2024

[Indie spirit] Singer-songwriter I’ll ventures to broaden his reach

Like the positive and brave image conveyed by his name, the singer-songwriter I’ll is bright and cheerful. The name, which evokes the feeling that anything can be accomplished, came from the singer’s birthday. “After contemplating various names before my debut, I created the name out of my birthday. Using the number 3 like an apostrophe, the date Nov. 13 became a stage name 'I’ll.' I liked the idea that it signifies 'I'll do something' when follow

March 6, 2024

Controversy surrounds ‘pro-Putin’ ballerina ahead of Seoul performances

Renowned Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova’s upcoming shows in Seoul have become embroiled in a pro-Putin controversy, with the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea expressing strong opposition to her performances here. The embassy issued a press release Monday, in which it deemed Zakharova’s performances in Seoul as “unacceptable.” The press release said: "Against the background of escalating hostilities, mass murders and destruction in Ukraine, showcasing the perfor

March 5, 2024

Classic ballet ‘Swan Lake’ signals arrival of spring

The classic ballet “Swan Lake” is set to grace stages across the country this month, as South Korea’s two major ballet companies -- the Korean National Ballet and Universal Ballet -- embark on nationwide tours, presenting two different versions of the popular ballet piece. The ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s music, tells the story of Odette, a beautiful young princess cursed by the evil sorcerer Rothbart, who condemns her to transform into a swan during the day. She encounte

March 4, 2024

Lucy to kick off first world tour in March

Lucy will meet global fans on the band's first world tour. Agency Mystic Story announced the upcoming world tour with a poster, dubbing it "Written by Flower," via Lucy's official social media channels. The poster features colorful flowers surrounding a globe, evoking memories of the band's debut song, "Flowering." A puppy and the smiley face symbolize the Lucy's fans and the bandmates, respectively. Lucy will kick off its world tour at the Olympic Handbal

March 4, 2024

EDM festival 'Don't Let Daddy Know' returns to Korea in April

The celebrated international EDM festival "Don't Let Daddy Know," featuring famous overseas DJs and music producers, will mesmerize Korean audiences in April. DLDK Korea will take place April 20 at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the performance agency BEPC Tangent said Wednesday. The festival was first held in the Netherlands in 2012 and has traveled to 21 countries, including Austria, Germany, Poland, Spain, Turkey and Japan. The first DLDK in Korea took place last Ap

March 2, 2024

NewJeans, Silica Gel win 3 prizes at KMAs; Beenzino nets album of the year

The winners of the 21st Korean Music Awards have been revealed, with K-pop girl group NewJeans and rock band Silica Gel tying for the most prizes with three categories each. Rapper Beenzino clinched album of the year with "Nowitzki." The 21st KMA Awards ceremony was held Thursday at Prism Studio in southern Seoul. NewJeans won song of the year and best K-pop song for "Ditto," and also won the best K-pop album prize for "Get Up." The group had also won three awards a

March 1, 2024

'Burnt Offering III' takes top prize at Seoul Arts Awards

The dance performance “Burnt Offering III” by the 99 Art Company has won the top prize at the Second Seoul Arts Awards. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture presented the award, which was accompanied by a prize of 20 million won ($1,498), during the award ceremony at the National Theater of Korea’s Haneul Round Theater on Wednesday. Choreographed by Jang Hye-rim, the artistic director of the 99 Art Company, "Burnt Offering III" draws inspiration from the movement

Feb. 29, 2024

Actor Sung Hoon makes stage debut in comedy 'Art'

When Marc visits the home of his friend Serge, he is taken aback by a recent acquisition -- a large and very expensive "blank" painting with a few fine white lines etched onto a white canvas. This peculiar artwork becomes a source of concern for three longtime friends -- Serge, Marc and Yvan. Their friendship is strained by their differing opinions on art, leading to heated bickering, estrangement and then reconciliation. The comedy play, titled "Art," filled with delightful

Feb. 28, 2024

Rush of male singers' concerts, fan meetings marks spring

This spring will see a rush of male singers, both members of groups and solo artists, holding concerts and fan meetings. Singer-actor Hwang Min-hyun, who is also a member of the boy band NU'EST and Wanna One, will hold three days of fan meetings March 8-10 at the Shinhan Card Artium in COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hwang will perform his new single, to be released in March, at the fan meeting, Pledis Entertainment, Hwang's agency, said. Daesung of Big Bang will hold his first-ever solo fa

Feb. 28, 2024

‘A Dance of Spring’ brings leading contemporary dance choreographers to National Jeongdong Theater

Leading contemporary dance choreographers are set to captivate audiences in a dance series at the National Jeongdong Theater in Korea in April. The series entitled "A Dance of Spring" will showcase the creative brilliance of Ahn Eun-me, Ahn Ae-soon and Ahn Sung-soo on April 3, 5 and 7, respectively. “A Dance of Spring” is a sequel to last year’s "A Midsummer Night's Dance," which featured works by choreographers in the traditional dance genre. The serie

Feb. 28, 2024