Two Original Operas on 'Life and Family' Performed at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

'The Death of Manager Kim' at S Theater from 5th to 8th... 'Kkamagwi' at M Theater on 7th and 8th

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Two original operas dealing with the universal themes of life and family are consecutively staged at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

Opera Bank's Kim Bujang-ui Jugeum (The Death of Manager Kim), inspired by Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, will be performed from the 5th to the 8th at the Sejong Center S Theater. La Bella Opera Company's Kkamagwi (The Crow), based on playwright Ko Yeon-ok's play When I Was a Crow, will be performed on the 7th and 8th at the Sejong Center M Theater.

Both works were selected for the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service's creative support project, "2019 Performing Arts Creation Workshop New Works of the Year." Each piece reflects a facet of contemporary Korean society, prompting reflection on our families and lives.

Kkamagwi portrays the pain and hope of a family who, after enduring hardships during the IMF crisis, reunites with their lost youngest child after 13 years. Composer Gong Hyerin reinterpreted Ko Yeon-ok's play When I Was a Crow into an opera. Director Lee Hoisoo, praised for his sensitive and precise dramatic development, leads the production, with conductor Koo Moyoung directing the New Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

At a press conference on the 29th of last month, director Lee Hoisoo explained, "It tells the reality of family that modern people face. Families often hurt each other too easily in the name of family, and they think those wounds will heal, but this opera invites us to reconsider the meaning of family in that regard. It is an opera that embodies the meaning of family reconciliation and forgiveness."

Creative Opera 'Kkamagwi' [Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Education Service]

Soprano Kang Hyemyeong and bass-baritone Yang Seokjin, who delivered impressive performances in La Bella Opera Company's domestic premiere of Maria Stuarda last November, along with actively performing sopranos Han Eunhye and Lee Jeongeun, tenor Seo Pil, baritone Jang Seongil, sopranos Choi Youngshin and Hong Seonjin, tenor Kim Jimin, and bass Jeon Taehwa, will appear in the production.

Kim Bujang-ui Jugeum is a new work presented by Opera Bank, which has specialized in producing small theater operas since its founding in 2013. The story follows Manager Kim, born in 1965, who is overjoyed after acquiring his dream apartment by the Han River but gradually faces death due to an unexpected accident, reflecting on his past life.

Director Hong Minjeong introduced the work, saying, "An ordinary family man, whom we can easily see around us, falls while hanging curtains at home one day. Due to the injury from the fall, he suffers from unexplained pain and eventually dies. The opera captures the family's perspective and consolation. We thought a lot about how to handle the heavy theme of death. We tried to present it lightly in the form of black comedy. Ultimately, it is a work that questions life."

Composer Oh Yesung, director Hong Minjeong, and playwright Shin Youngsun collaborated on the project, realistically and satirically portraying a facet of Korean society through Manager Kim and the people around him.

The Death of Manager Kim
Photo by Korea Arts Council

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