Gwanghwamun Square to light up with 'Cavalleria rusticana' opera performances

Fans of “The Godfather” (1972) and its sequels will be able to hear the famous intermezzo that was played in the finale of the third film live at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on June 11 and 12.

A scene from ″Carmen,″ a free outdoor opera held by the Seoul Metropolitan Opera at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul in 2023 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN OPERA]

Fans of “The Godfather” (1972) and its sequels will be able to hear the famous intermezzo that was played in the finale of the third film live at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on June 11 and 12.

The intermezzo is part of “Cavalleria rusticana,” a classic verismo, meaning "realism," opera created by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni, which was premiered in 1890.

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ Seoul Metropolitan Opera is set to raise the curtain outdoors on this one-act piece for two days, and is free for all. It’s the second outdoor opera show that the center and opera have held since putting on French composer Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” last year.

“With this project, we want to make operas easily accessible to citizens who are unfamiliar with the art form,” Park Hye-jin, artistic director of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, said during a press conference at the Sejong Center on Tuesday.

The producers and cast of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera's ″Cavalleria rusticana″ speak during a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on Tuesday. From left: tenor Lee Seung-mook, soprano Cho Sun-hyung, Kim Hye-soon of the Citizen Art Group, video director Jung Byung-mok of Tmonet, Seoul Metropolitan Opera artistic director Park Hye-jin, director Eom Sook-jeong, Hu Kyung-seok of the Citizen Art Group, mezzo-soprano Jung Se-ra and baritone Park Joung-min. [YONHAP]

“Cavalleria rusticana” follows the love affair between three characters: the young villager Turiddu, his fiancée Lola and a peasant girl Santuzza. Supporting characters Alfio, Lola’s husband, and Lucia, Turiddu’s mother, also feature.

This show stars tenors Jeong Ui-geun and Lee Seung-mook as Turiddu, soprano Cho Sun-hyung as Santuzza, baritones Yoo Dong-jik and Park Joung-min as Alfio, mezzo-sopranos Song Yun-jin as Lucia and Jung Se-ra as Lola.

The performances also feature the amateur choir Citizen Art Group, the Maestra Opera Choir and the Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra.

A scene from ″Carmen,″ a free outdoor opera held by the Seoul Metropolitan Opera at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul in 2023 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN OPERA]

Though reservations for the show's 2,000 seats booked out completely within three minutes after release on May 27, passersby at Gwanghwamun Square are still welcome to watch from afar. The stark contrast in the program’s popularity this year shocked the producers and singers, as it took five hours to book out seats in the last edition.

The plot of “Cavalleria rusticana” may not be exactly family-friendly, but it’s packed with drama — from a love triangle and infidelity to plotting revenge and murder. “There’s never a dull moment,” Park said. “Everything is extremely fast-paced during the 80-minute run.”

As part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s zero waste campaign, the stage's backgrounds are completely provided by an LED screen to reduce waste from stage equipment. The church-like setting inspired by celebrated masterpieces has been sponsored by Tmonet, the company behind media art museums Bunker des Lumières in Jeju Island and Theatre des Lumières in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.

The plaza space boosts up the scale of the show, as the area is larger and more expansive than a regular opera theater, said Eom Sook-jeong, director of the show.

“It’s bound to better showcase the charm of the opera to the audience more naturally,” she said.

“Cavalleria rusticana” starts at 7:30 p.m. on both days.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]