Massive Buddha painting on display

A Buddhist painting currently on display at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul inspires awe through its sheer size and grandiosity rather than its artistry. The hanging scroll from the Joseon era stands 1,317 meters tall, about the same height as a five-story building. Dating back to 1749, the artifact, designated as National Treasure No. 1269, is one of the largest gwaebul paintings in Korea.  A hanging scroll of the Buddha from Gaeamsa Temple. (National Museum of Korea)Gwaebul are Buddhist

Nov. 3, 2014

French star Bruel touches rap, Elvis and politics in U.S.

NEW YORK (AFP) ― French pop star Patrick Bruel, returning to the New York stage after seven years, embraced U.S. music from hip-hop to Elvis as he also touched gently on politics.The singer told the 3,000-seat Beacon Theater Saturday night he was overjoyed to return to New York, where he first came in 1979 to explore the city’s artistic life before he launched his career at home.Bruel at one point donned a leather jacket to strut with three hip-hop-inspired dancers ― whom, he said, he first met

Nov. 3, 2014

Three operas, three different experiences

November brings an interesting bag of opera productions that offer a cross-section of what’s happening in Korea’s opera scene. A 19th-century Italian classic to be staged later this week by an international cast and creative team promises epic grandeur, while a short Donizetti comedy has been tailored for opera beginners. A psychological thriller based on a real crime story is reborn as a contemporary opera, showcasing efforts of Korean producers and creators to come up with something that can b

Nov. 2, 2014

Blue-chip offerings at NYC fall art auctions

NEW YORK (AP) ― The fall art auctions are about to sizzle. Coveted paintings by Andy Warhol and Edouard Manet ― never before offered at auction ― and works from single-owner collections with boldface names like Mellon and Bacall are expected to fire up bidding at the sales of impressionist, contemporary and modern art beginning Tuesday. “The fall auctions represent a rare opportunity for contemporary collectors to add not only quality but also pedigree to their collections,” said Sarah Lichtman,

Nov. 2, 2014

Son to Usher: Dad, you’re not a great singer

NEW YORK (AP) ― One of Usher’s sons studies his dance moves meticulously, while the other has said to the Grammy-winning star: “You’re not a great singer.”Usher says his son Nayvid Ely Raymond, who turns 6 in December, isn’t impressed with the multiplatinum singer.“He doesn’t care about what I do as much. ... He’s like, ‘I’m the star. Who are you? You sing?’” Usher said in a recent interview.“He told me the other day, he says, ‘You’re not a great singer,’” Usher, 36, continued with a laugh. His

Nov. 2, 2014

Limp Bizkit rollin’ back to Seoul

Led by influential rap-rocker Fred Durst, platinum-selling nu metal band Limp Bizkit is making its way back to Korea for its first headline show here in five years. The American rockers ― Durst (lead vocals), Wes Borland (guitar), Sam Rivers (bass) and John Otto (drums) ― are widely credited with giving birth to nu metal by combining rap and hardcore rock and are slated to hold a concert at Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall on Nov. 12.Best known for their abrasive lyrics and thrashing heavy meta

Nov. 2, 2014

Legendary artist has grand vision for DMZ

His voice is so soft, barely audible at some points, that strong concentration is required to hear his words.Achim Freyer, a legendary theater and opera producer, stage and costume designer, installation artist, and painter ― a singular figure in the world of arts ― exudes a quiet sort of charisma with his wild silvery mane and deep-set blue eyes. He may be soft spoken but he is a tour de force in his unique way and his words carry weight.He is best known here for his 2012 production of “Mr. Rab

Oct. 31, 2014

Eyelike: Robin Gibb shines on final album

Robin Gibb shines on final albumRobin Gibb“50 St. Catherine’s Drive”(Rhino/Warner)As one third of the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb had a plaintive ache in his trembling, vibrato-filled voice that helped make such Brothers Gibb hits as “Holiday’’ and “I Started a Joke” so memorably distinctive. On “50 St. Catherine’s Drive,” his solo posthumous 17-track set, Gibbs’ searing vocal vulnerability is made all the more poignant given that it is his final album.Named after the address of the house in which Gibb

Oct. 31, 2014

Family demands autopsy of singer Shin Hae-chul

The family of Shin Hae-chul, a legendary rocker who died on Monday, demanded an autopsy, as friends and fans bid farewell to the ’90’s music icon at a funeral service Friday. “The family decided to demand an autopsy, dropping the plan for a cremation,” said Lee Seung-chul during a press conference at a memorial park where the singer was expected to be cremated following a funeral service earlier in the morning. Family members made the last-minute decision following a plea from Shin’s friends tha

Oct. 31, 2014

Ex-National Opera chief to head Seongnam Arts Center

Chung Eun-sook, former chief of the Korea National Opera, has been tapped to become the head of Seongnam Cultural Foundation, which runs Seongnam Arts Center in Bundang, south of Seoul, the foundation said Friday. The foundation’s board of directors chose Chung, 68, as the successor to Shin Sun-hi, whose term expires on Nov. 30, it said in a press release. The appointment is subject to a final approval by Seongnam City’s municipal council.  A soprano herself, Chung led the KNO as artistic direct

Oct. 31, 2014

[Herald Interview] Minzy’s sister debuts with ‘Rebirth’

Looking to continue her family’s musical background, Gong Min-young, the older sister of popular K-pop idol Minzy of 2NE1, made her official debut as a contemporary Christian music singer on Friday with the release of her first album, “Rebirth.” However, unlike her younger sister, who chose the mainstream pop music route, Gong says it was always her dream to pursue gospel music. “We grew up in a very religious household so gospel music is always something that has been a big part of our family,”

Oct. 30, 2014

Museum tells Helena Rubinstein’s story in art

NEW YORK (AP) ― Judgmental, autocratic and wholly self-made after fleeing pre-war Poland and the prospect of arranged marriage as a teen, Helena Rubinstein built a cosmetics empire on the notion that beauty is power. But the late doyenne with the tight chignon was more than a mere worshipper of commerce. Known to all as Madame, she was a collector of African, Oceanic and Latin American art, eclectic home decor and couture fashion as the face and force of her brand for seven decades. The diminuti

Oct. 30, 2014

National Gugak Center bets on ‘Gongmudoha’

Masters of Korea’s traditional music and dance have joined forces with a famed stage director to present a new theatrical production that could redefine tradition. “Gongmudoha (Don’t Cross that River),” to be staged at the National Gugak Center in Seoul from Nov. 21-30, is the culmination of the state-run center’s efforts to transform gugak from a neglected genre to the face of contemporary Korean culture.  A poster of “Gongmudoha” (National Gugak Center)“I thought that the only way to truly ans

Oct. 29, 2014

Finding the extraordinary in average Koreans

KBS’ “National Song Contest,” which has been broadcast for 34 years, is the longest-running TV program in Korea. It was the first singing audition program open to the public. The contest has visited every corner of the country, attracting more than 10 million people to spectator seats.Some 85,000 people from all walks of life, including migrant workers and immigrant wives, have auditioned, and 30,000 of them have qualified to appear on the show. Its opening theme song is all too familiar to most

Oct. 29, 2014

[Herald Interview] Mr. Big bringing ‘stories to tell’ to Sunday concert

More than 25 years since debuting as Mr. Big, bandmates Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey have managed to overcome their past conflicts ― leading the group to part ways for seven years ― and continue to perform and make new music.The ’90s American rock band is currently on a world tour and is scheduled to return to Korea for the first time in three years for a concert on Sunday. “It has been three years now and I may forget a few of their names, but I never forget a face,”

Oct. 29, 2014

[Newsmaker] Legendary rock star Shin Hae-chul dies

Iconic ’90s rock musician Shin Hae-chul, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.19 p.m. Monday at the Asan Medical Center in southern Seoul following a massive heart attack on Oct. 22, which left the singer in a comatose state for five days. Although it was previously reported that doctors were unsure of what caused the singer’s heart to suddenly fail, according to a statement from Shin’s agency, KCA Entertainment, the cause has now been determined to be the result of widespread infection in the intestine

Oct. 28, 2014

[Herald Interview] Complexity of Korean society captured through a lens

Artist Noh Sun-tag’s work resembles that of a photojournalist. He has taken pictures of tense and sometimes violent protests.Most recently, he was on the site of protests in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, against the construction of a high-voltage power transmission tower there. Over the last decade, Noh has captured highly charged scenes including protests against U.S. troops and mass labor strikes.“In the beginning, I visited those places out of pure curiosity to figure out something that

Oct. 28, 2014