Opera 'La Boheme' Meets Media Art, Starting from Regional Stages

October 6-21 Performances in Jangheung, Suncheon, and Gwangju
Artistic Director Park Pyeongjun: "Enhancing Immersion with Three-Dimensional Stage"
Hosted by Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association
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"It is not easy to produce an opera with a large-scale budget in the region. Through this performance, I hope that even 10% of the audience seeing opera for the first time will feel the charm and fun of opera."

At the 2023 opera 'La Boh?me' press conference held at House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, Artistic Director Park Pyeong-jun is answering questions.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Giacomo Puccini's opera La Boh?me is touring three provincial cities to meet audiences. It will be staged on the 6th of next month at Jangheung Culture and Arts Center in Jeonnam, on the 13th and 14th at Namhansanseong Art Hall in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, and on the 20th and 21st at Suncheon Culture and Arts Center in Jeonnam.

At a press conference held on the 18th at Conference House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, Artistic Director Park Pyeong-jun revealed the goal of the performance, saying, "'La Boh?me' is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide and has a familiar story," and explained, "We plan to briefly explain how to appreciate opera before the performance."

La Boh?me is produced as part of the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association's ‘Bangbanggokgok Cultural Sympathy’ project. Gwangju Cultural Foundation is the lead organization, with Suncheon Culture and Arts Center, Jangheung Culture and Arts Center, and Halma Cine Tokki Co., Ltd. participating as co-producers. The goal is for regional cultural centers to collaborate with production companies to develop opera planning and production capabilities.

Oh Se-young, CEO of Gwangju Cultural Foundation, said, "We have held opera gala concerts on our own, but this is the first time staging a full-length opera," adding, "Producing an opera is a huge financial burden, so I think it is commendable that three regional cultural foundations have jointly produced it."

A press conference for the 2023 opera 'La Boh?me' is being held at House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jang Gil-hwang, General Producer, explained, "This is the first opera performance held in Jangheung," and added, "We tried to maximize the authentic opera flavor rather than varying the original work."

La Boh?me, Puccini's most famous opera, premiered in 1896. It tells the story of poor bohemian artists living in the Latin Quarter of 19th-century Paris and the women they loved. It is a widely beloved story that expresses passionate emotions while presenting a romantic narrative and beautiful music.

Director Park previously produced La Boh?me on the outdoor stage at Yonsei University in Seoul in 2012. He said, "Due to two consecutive typhoons before the performance, we staged a very small and sad La Boh?me," and added, "Since it is the most beloved and beautiful work, I hope this time it will be a joyful La Boh?me."

At the 2023 opera 'La Boh?me' press conference held at House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, vocalist Lee Da-mi is giving a greeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]

This time, the entire venue will be transformed into a stage by projecting images on the left and right walls of the audience seats using beam projectors and media art technology. The plan is to create the feeling that the audience has entered 19th-century Paris, the background of the opera. Depending on the flow and atmosphere of the play, the venue will become a narrow attic, a bustling street with a caf?, or snowy Paris cityscape.

Professor Kim Deok-gi of Seoul National University College of Music will conduct the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, and Yang Soo-yeon, who has directed various operas, will be in charge of directing.

Top-class vocalists active on domestic and international stages will appear as the youth of 19th-century Paris before the audience. The protagonist 'Mimi' will be played by sopranos Yoon Jeong-nan and Lee Da-mi, and 'Rodolfo' by tenors Shin Sang-geun and Kim Hyo-jong. Rodolfo's friend 'Marcello' will be portrayed by baritones Kang Hyung-gyu and Choi Byung-hyuk.

Baritone Kang Hyung-gyu said, "I debuted with La Boh?me in 1993, so this performance is even more meaningful," and expressed his determination, "I have always taken the stage with an attitude of practicing diligently rather than using flashy rhetoric. In this La Boh?me, I will sincerely approach the audience by interacting with colleagues and leading juniors."

Opera 'La Boh?me' poster. [Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Centers Association]

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