Baritone Lee Eung-kwang Makes Musical Debut in 'Napoleon'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Baritone Lee Eung-gwang (photo), who became the first East Asian principal singer at the Basel Opera House in Switzerland in 2008, will meet audiences as Napoleon in the concert "Napoleon" opening next month.

This performance is a tribute concert marking the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death, with the original French team visiting Korea to perform for five days at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It is the first Napoleon licensed performance in five years since 2017.

Lee Eung-gwang graduated from Seoul National University College of Music and the Hans Eisler School of Music Berlin's highest performance course. He has walked the path of a vocalist by winning first place in major international vocal competitions in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and other countries. After becoming a principal singer at the Basel Opera House, he has performed on major opera stages across Europe.

The performance features about 40 numbers performed together by actors, dancers, and an orchestra. For this, Lee Eung-gwang boldly abandoned the bel canto technique he had previously used. Bel canto is a vocal technique widely used in 19th-century Italian opera. The reason for abandoning the bel canto technique was to avoid looking like a musical sung by a vocalist.

The performance will be held from the 3rd to the 7th of next month.

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