[On Stage] "Opera Works Are Infinite... I Want to Introduce New Works to Korea"

Former Vienna State Opera soloist bass Park Jong-min, debuted last year at New York Metropolitan Opera

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] "It was when I performed with the NHK Orchestra in Japan. On a day off from the performance, I went to see a Kabuki show. It wasn’t because I liked Kabuki, but because I was curious about what kind of performance it was. When I went, I saw that tickets were sold separately by acts (幕). Since I only wanted to understand the format of Kabuki, I watched just the first act, which was 19 minutes long, and then left. I thought that if I had the chance next time, I would like to see the entire performance."

Bass Park Jong-min (34, photo) shared this interesting experience from Japan. Would more people attend if domestic opera performances also sold tickets by act?

For famous domestic opera performances, good seat tickets easily exceed 100,000 won. This is a price that is difficult to afford unless you are a serious enthusiast. Park Jong-min said, "There are people who want to go out of curiosity, but if it costs more than 100,000 won, they can’t go. If tickets were sold by act, the price could be lowered to around 20,000 to 30,000 won, reducing the burden. To grow the opera market even a little, the most important thing is to have many audiences. In the end, it seems to be a battle of ideas." He also mentioned that in Hamburg, Germany, having a performance ticket allows free use of public transportation.

The Korean opera market is narrow. The number of people who enjoy opera can be counted on one hand. However, despite the small domestic market, Korea continues to produce world-class vocalists. Bass Park Jong-min is one of them. He won the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011. Since 2013, he has been an exclusive soloist at the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), one of the world’s leading opera houses in Austria.

The Korean opera market is narrow. The number of people who enjoy opera can be counted on one hand. Despite the small domestic market, Korea continues to produce world-class vocalists. Bass Park Jong-min is one of them. Park Jong-min won the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011. Since 2013, he has been an exclusive soloist at the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) in Austria, one of the world’s leading opera houses.

Base Park Jong-min [Photo by Etoile Classic]

Last October, he made his debut on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York, considered the world’s top stage. He played the young philosopher "Colline" in Giacomo Puccini’s opera "La Boh?me." Although he has performed on world-renowned stages such as the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, and the Bolshoi Theatre, the Met is a stage of a different dimension.

"It is a dream stage for vocalists. Among my bucket list, the Met was at the very top. Standing on the actual stage was wonderful. The treatment given to artists was the best. The stage seats 4,000, and the audience always fills every seat. The orchestra and choir are also top-notch. Because it is so perfect, even the slightest mistake is not tolerated, creating a cold atmosphere that really demands concentration. So I worked very hard. I could feel that other soloists were also biting their teeth and working hard. Famous vocalists like Luciano Pavarotti (1935?2007) and Jos? Carreras have all performed there, and since they also worked very hard, a young vocalist in their 30s making mistakes is not acceptable on such a stage."

Park Jong-min performed on the La Boh?me stage eight times. He rehearsed for two weeks before going on stage. "La Boh?me is considered one of the easiest operas. We rehearsed for two weeks and had three stage rehearsals with the orchestra. In other La Boh?me performances, sometimes there is not even one stage rehearsal. You could feel how much the Met wants to present a perfect stage."

He said that while winning the Tchaikovsky Competition was an honor, being continuously invited to world-class stages like the Met is more important. After finishing the La Boh?me performances, he had personal meetings with the Met’s general director and casting director. "We talked about roles I could perform well. I mentioned that I am confident in works like Vincenzo Bellini’s 'I Puritani' and Anton?n Dvo??k’s 'Rusalka.' The Met side said they would consider suitable works." He said, "Currently, I perform 40 to 50 times a year. That’s quite a lot. I want to become a vocalist who, instead of performing many times, is continuously re-invited and performs about 10 times a year on big stages."

Jongmin Park performing as 'Colline' in 'La Boh?me' at the New York Metropolitan.
Photo by Etoile Classic

Park Jong-min’s main performance stages are in Europe. Therefore, it is not easy to see his performances in Korea. In the 2019?2020 season, he performed roles such as Fernando in "Il Trovatore," Sarastro in "The Magic Flute," Basilio in "The Barber of Seville," Vodnik in "Rusalka," Count de Grieux in "Manon," and Figaro in "The Marriage of Figaro" at the Vienna State Opera. In April, he will also perform in "Don Carlo," conducted by Christian Thielemann, at the 2020 Salzburg Easter Festival in Germany.

He performed twice in Korea last year. The biggest difficulty in performing in Korea is scheduling. Famous opera houses or vocalists often have their schedules booked up to five years in advance. Park Jong-min’s schedule is booked until 2023. Korea’s largest national opera company is currently scheduling performances for next year. Even if he receives offers to perform in Korea, if he already has contracts for European performances, he cannot participate. There is also a structural problem.

"The Vienna State Opera does not receive its budget from the city but manages all its budget independently, allowing long-term planning," he said. "In Korea, since the budget is received externally, it is somewhat out of line with international standards. It would be good if this aspect could be improved."

He hopes to have more opportunities to perform in Korea. "In Korea, it is common to perform the same works repeatedly. This is because the classical audience is small and audiences find unfamiliar operas difficult. But you can’t eat only jajangmyeon and jjamppong every day. As a vocal major, I think it is important to perform many diverse and new works."

Although opportunities are limited, there are many works he wants to introduce. He said, "If there are 1,000 opera works, I have only performed in one or two. Opera works are infinite."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.