New pageant transforms the Theatre des Lumieres right into a symphony for the senses
A brand new classical pageant working Aug. 8-24 at Theatre des Lumieres in Gwangjin-gu, japanese Seoul, invitations audiences to immerse themselves in music and visuals alike.
Led by soprano Hong Hye-ran as creative director, Traditional Weekends presents eight performances that marry dwell music with large-scale media artwork projections.
The venue, positioned inside the Walkerhill Lodge advanced, is a 4,958-square-meter area with a 21-meter ceiling, geared up to venture 360-degree visuals throughout its partitions and ceilings flooring. Initially designed for digital artwork exhibitions, the area has been tailored for live shows underneath the path of Hong and Jeong Tae-yang, a pianist and the pageant’s music director.
The opening weekend featured three performances by main Korean classical musicians: a trio recital with violinist Lim Ji-young, pianist Son Jeong-beom and cellist Mun Tae-guk on Aug. 9; a vocal recital by bass-baritone Samuel Youn and countertenor Lee Dong-gyu; and Verdi’s “La Traviata,” which might be staged on Aug. 16, 22 and 24 as properly.
“La Traviata” will function Hong as Violetta, tenor Son Ji-hoon — winner of the 2023 Tchaikovsky Competitors — as Alfredo, and baritone Lee Dong-hwan as Germont alongside a seven-piece string ensemble, a pianist and a 15-member refrain. Projected visuals will exchange conventional opera units.
The “Going Residence Venture” with celebrated pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Svetlin Roussev and flutist Cho Sung-hyun will happen on Aug. 15.
The pageant may also current the 12-member Cellista Ensemble on Aug. 23.
One of many pageant’s defining options is its 90-minute, no-intermission format, designed to maintain focus and immersion.
”Video projections will run on all sides of the theater for opera and instrumental performances alike, with visuals produced to match this system’s content material and temper,” Jeong, who beforehand served as an opera coach with the Korea Nationwide Opera, mentioned.
“The visuals will change relying on the environment of the piece — in some performances, it could really feel as if the viewers had been being transported to a different place.”
The organizers describe Traditional Weekends as a strategy to broaden the viewers expertise by integrating visible and musical parts, whereas including a brand new entry to Seoul’s rising roster of summer season classical festivals, which incorporates the Seoul Arts Heart Worldwide Music Competition and Lotte Live performance Corridor’s Traditional Revolution.
For Hong, the pageant is as a lot a mission as a efficiency collection.
“We speak about popularizing classical music, but alternatives for performers maintain shrinking,” she mentioned. “Right here, the viewers will really feel as if they’ve stepped contained in the work itself, increasing their senses in new methods.”
gypark@heraldcorp.com
