National Opera Company’s New Production 'Red Shoes' Also Live-Streamed Online

On September 5th on Naver TV... 'Red Pants' Online Live Broadcast on the 28th

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The National Opera Company will live stream its new opera "Red Shoes" (composed by Jeon Ye-eun) on Naver TV at 3 p.m. on September 5.

The National Opera Company originally planned to perform "Red Shoes" on September 4-5 at the CJ Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center, but explained that to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19, the performance will be held as a no-audience video performance.

The opera "Red Shoes" is a newly adapted opera based on Andersen's fairy tale "The Red Shoes." The story begins when a character named Madam Shoes, dressed in flamboyant clothes, returns to a village full of unremarkable people. Madam Shoes was expelled from the village as a child for wearing red shoes and enchanting people. Now middle-aged and harboring resentment, she returns to the village and deliberately approaches Karen, the pure daughter of a pastor, stimulating and tempting Karen's desires through the red shoes. The pastor, who once loved Madam Shoes but betrayed her, forces his daughter Karen to grow up as a modest woman. As the conflict between Madam Shoes, the pastor, and Karen intensifies, Madam Shoes is eventually killed by the pastor. Karen, wearing the red shoes, is put on trial, and the villagers push once again to cut off her legs that dance endlessly, driving another girl to the brink.

Before "Red Shoes," the National Opera Company will also live stream the original opera "Red Pants" (composed by Na Sil-in) on Naver TV at 7:30 p.m. on August 28. "Red Pants" was originally scheduled to be performed on August 28-29 at the Daloreum Theater of the National Theater, but due to the spread of COVID-19, it was replaced with an online live broadcast. "Red Pants" is a black comedy satirizing the hottest issue facing Korean society in 2020, the "real estate frenzy." Set in the 1970s and 1980s in Gangnam, Seoul, the protagonist is Jin Hwa-sook, a major player in the real estate world known as "Red Pants."

Both "Red Pants" and "Red Shoes" deal with the unstoppable intense desires of humans. Unlike previous Korean original operas that mainly dealt with historical events or heroic figures, these two works transcend time and space and use contemporary musical sensibilities to explore themes that audiences can fully relate to.

Park Hyung-sik, director of the National Opera Company, said, "I hope these two works presented this time can suggest a sustainable new model for Korean opera," adding, "I hope Korean opera will be loved by many audiences and continue to be staged and develop, not just as a one-time event."

"Red Shoes" was reinterpreted and directly scripted and composed by the rookie composer Jeon Ye-eun. The production is directed by young opera director Byun Yong-jin, who has been spotlighted for works such as "The Magic Flute" and "Turandot," and conducted by Kim Joo-hyun, former music director of the National Opera Company.

The role of Karen, who endlessly dances wearing the red shoes, is played by soprano Lee Yoon-kyung. Madam Shoes is performed by mezzo-soprano Baek Jae-eun, the pastor by tenor Yoon Byung-gil, the young man by baritone Na Geon-yong, young Madam Shoes by soprano Jo Hanna, and young pastor by tenor Kim Seung-jik. Both established and emerging Korean vocalists participate.

"Red Pants" is a collaboration between composer Na Sil-in, who has been actively working across various genres such as musical theater, ballet, and opera, and writer Yoon Mi-hyun, who gained attention for her impressive libretto in the 2019 original opera "Garden Killer."

The conductor is young maestro Ji Jung-bae, former principal conductor and deputy music director of the Trier Municipal Opera in Germany, and the production is directed by Choi Yong-hoon, a leading director in the Korean theater scene. Soprano Jung Sung-mi plays the original Red Pants Jin Hwa-sook, and tenor Eom Sung-hwa plays Jin Hwa-sook’s lover Sung Do-su. Soprano Kim Sung-hye plays Mok Su-jeong, who ambitiously approaches Red Pants with the aim of becoming a wealthy woman. Mezzo-soprano Yang Gye-hwa and baritone Boodoo-nam play the suspicious characters Yoo Chae-kkot and Boodoo-nam, respectively. Bass Jeon Tae-hyun appears as Choi Gisa, the knight of Red Pants.

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