Die tote Stadt; Seoul Arts Center (3)

Although I enjoy performing and watching performances based on classical music - specifically, orchestral ones - and fond of the opera performances as the audience can be immersed in a perfect combination of drama and art, the first impression of “Die tote Stadt” was somewhat alien, since its composer is well known for composing soundtracks of movie, rather than opera arias.

Yet, I was looking forward to this specific performance, since Korngold’s music was highly appreciated by some of the most renowned classical composers and the storyline of the opera seemed interesting as it elaborates on the perplexed mental status of the main character.

Fortunately, the performance held in Seoul Arts Center exceeded my expectations. First and foremost, the music itself had a various tone, enabling the audience to experience not just a music that supports the drama, but more of a complete symphony. Therefore, I could feel some kind of catharsis due to the wholeness of orchestral music which helped me to delve deeper into the acting of the singers.

Moreover, the stage directing was very fresh and creative, although there wasn’t a lot of fancy stage props or architectures. The performance efficiently delivered multiple situations simultaneously in a constant design, giving minimal but dynamic changes in the major stage prop that contained one of the main characters. Through this stage direction, the audience would definitely have been able to intuitively understand the relationship between characters and flow of the storyline, without having to spend time learning the background information regarding the opera.

Being able to watch some comical features was also impressive, since the main storyline itself is rather tragic. These features ventilated the depressive and heavy atmosphere, helping the audience focus more on the performance. 

In a nutshell, this premiere of “Die tote Stadt” was a performance that any kind of audience, regardless of their background on understanding the opera, could enjoy the beauty of the singing, acting, stage design, and orchestral music.

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