Seoul Opera to present 'La Boheme' for first time

Kim Jung-hoon (left) and soprano Hwang Su-mi perform during a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Thursday. (Sejong Center)

The Seoul Opera Company, celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, will present its first-ever production of Puccini’s “La Boheme” next week.

Though it is the debut performance of the classic work for the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, the production will be directed by Eom Sook-jeong, who has staged around 10 versions of the opera. The cast boasts a star lineup of Korean opera singers, including top sopranos Seo Sun-young and Hwang Su-mi, the latter of whom was “shocked” to learn the opera company had never previously produced “La Boheme.”

Seo and Hwang will alternate in the role of Mimi during performances scheduled for Nov. 21-24.

Tenor Kim Jung-hoon, who has taken part in the different versions of the opera as many as 100 times overseas, will share the role of Rodolfo with Moon Se-hoon. The Seoul Opera’s “La Boheme” will be the first time either of them have played a lead role in a production in Korea.

When asked why the opera company has never staged “La Boheme,” Park Hye-jin, the artistic director of Seoul Metropolitan Opera, speculated that the opera may not have resonated with previous directors, who either focused on original operas or had different artistic tastes.

“This year’s theme is ‘encounter.’ To be more accessible for the audiences, we decided to introduce operas with familiar music,” Park said during a press conference on Thursday.

This will also mark the opera company's first collaboration with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra.

“Because the KNSO is a state orchestra, maybe there was some prejudice that we cannot collaborate. However, since this year’s theme is ‘encounter,’ we thought performing with the KNSO fits the term perfectly,” Park noted.

Renowned conductor Choi Hee-chuhn, the artistic director of Suwon Philharmonic, will lead the KNSO.

Director Eom said that the stage will give a feeling of an old study and a huge installation of books will be used as moving objects to reflect the idea that the story is a page from the autobiographical stories of the original composer and writers.

“La Boheme” will be staged from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul.

Ticket prices range from 50,000 won ($36) to 170,000 won.

(From left) Baritone Lee Sung-wang, soprano Kim You-mi, tenor Moon Se-hoon, soprano Seo Sung-young, Seoul Metropolitan Opera artistic director Park Hye-jin, director Eom Sook-jeong, soprano Hwang Su-mi, tenor Kim Jung-hoon, Jang eun-soo and baritone Kim Tae-han pose for photos during a press conference on Thursday at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. (Sejong Center for the Performing Arts)

By Park Ga-young(gypark@heraldcorp.com)