Korea’s music market already has a wealth of “popera” singers, but Ensemble Rottini are aiming to take the genre to the next level.In the past several years, men with charms and sweet voices have been drawing not only classical music lovers but also pop fans seeking something different. Rottini, which released its first mini album “Vita Mia” on Sept. 10 is the latest product from Credia, an influential classical music artists’ agency, who joined the growing throng of hopefuls looking to become t

Sept. 15, 2013

‘Coup D’etat’ no revolutionG-Dragon “Coup D’etat”(KT Music)G-Dragon’s second studio album “Coup D’etat” is chock-full of colorful songs and features big-name artists, but are the songs really “revolutionary?”Title track “Coup D-etat,” is actually one of the weakest songs on the album. Featuring Diplo and Baauer, the same beat and melody plays throughout the whole song, making it repetitious and boring. “Niliria,” featuring Missy Elliot, has a unique sound consisting of an interesting mix of trad

Sept. 13, 2013

The Korea Herald is publishing an interview series on some of the world’s most creative minds who have been invited to Korea to share their design philosophies and vision during the Herald Design Week 2013, Oct. 7-11. ― Ed. It is not always easy to create. It is even more difficult to be creative in that process. Maggie Macnab, who teaches design theory at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Institute of American Indian Arts, University of New Mexico and Santa Fe Community College, has been c

Sept. 12, 2013

Artist Kong Sung-hun paints landscapes, which is considered a rather outdated genre by the contemporary art scene. He takes a traditional approach to painting: he takes pictures of images, draws the second images filtered through his inner self and paints on canvas. He prefers subjects surrounding him ― dogs in his front yard, artificial tree sculptures and love motels he sees on his way to his studio and the stormy sea. The traditional practice in painting, however, has been neglected amid incr

Sept. 12, 2013

After a five-year hiatus Drunken Tiger is finally coming out with a new album on Friday, titled “The Cure.” The legendary hip-hop group began performing in the United States in 1990 and consists of artist Tiger JK, who usually has prominent underground hip-hop artists such as Bizzy and Paloalto joining him when performing. The upcoming album will feature Bizzy and Yoon Mi-rae, established female rapper and Tiger JK’s wife. This will be the first album produced by the label FeelGhood Music, which

Sept. 12, 2013

The 10th annual Jarasum International Jazz Festival will start its festivities on Oct. 3, featuring notable jazz musicians from around the world. The festival, held on Jaraseom Island in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, launched in 2004 with 30 bands from 12 countries. More than 100,000 people attend the festival every year. In the past decade, it has invited more than 500 artists from more than 41 countries. This year’s lineup will include local jazz band the Jo Young Deok Trio ― winner of the

Sept. 12, 2013

Feminist media artist Jung Eun-young was awarded the 2013 Hermes Foundation Art Award for her five-year project that delves into the Korean masquerade actresses from a traditional Korean theater that was popular in the 1950s. Jung was selected among the three finalists, including Na Hyun, Noh Sun-tag, whose works are on exhibit at the Hermes Atelier on the third floor of the Maison Hermes Dosan Park in Seoul. “Jung’s new project is in line with the traditional Korean song and dance performance i

Sept. 11, 2013

Korea National Opera’s staging of Wagner’s “Parsifal” at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House on Oct. 1, 3 and 5 will be a highlight for Wagnerians here celebrating the 200th anniversary of the German composer’s birth. It is the Korean premiere of the master’s last piece and perhaps the longest production in the history of the state opera company ― the show starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. with an hour allotted for dinner between the acts.  Internationally acclaimed Wagnerian bass singer Youn Kw

Sept. 10, 2013

AMSTERDAM (AP) ― A painting that sat for six decades in a Norwegian industrialist’s attic after he was told it was a fake Van Gogh was pronounced the real thing Monday, making it the first full-size canvas by the tortured Dutch artist to be discovered since 1928.Experts at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam authenticated the 1888 landscape “Sunset at Montmajour” with the help of Vincent Van Gogh’s letters, chemical analysis of the pigments and X-rays of the canvas.Museum director Axel Rueger, at a

Sept. 10, 2013

In commemoration of the release of his second solo album “Coup d’Etat” and his first solo world tour, Big Bang leader G-Dragon is holding a weeklong art exhibition at the Cais Gallery in Seoul, from Sept. 10-17. Entitled “Space 8,” which opened exactly eight days after the release of “Coup d’Etat,” the exhibition represents what the artist believes is his lucky number, the number 8. Because G-Dragon was born on Aug. 8, 1988, he has always had a special attachment to the number. “There has been n

Sept. 10, 2013

CJ E&M certainly wanted its tribute to hip-hop to be big. In addition to bringing in foreign acts Tyga and Nelly, One Hip-Hop Festival ran from 2 p.m. to nearly 5 a.m. at KINTEX in Ilsan, just outside of Seoul, on one of the biggest hip-hop stages in the country.The long hours made it possible for Korean hip-hop’s heavy hitters to take the stage. Everyone from rookies to top hip-hop agencies Hi-Lite Records, Illionaire, Brand New Music and Standart Music Group performed, with Jay Park even stopp

Sept. 10, 2013

The Korean Craft and Design Foundation is holding an annual crafts exhibition, aimed at reviving public interest in craftworks and promoting applicability of traditional Korean craftwork in modern lifestyles.The exhibition, which started on Monday at a gallery run by the state-funded institution in Insa-dong, showcases the aesthetics and practical use of Korean craftworks that still work in modern settings. “It’s really hard to tell where many of the craftworks we see at craft biennales belong.

Sept. 9, 2013

Park Jin-young, a singer, music producer and CEO of one of the nation’s leading talent agencies JYP Entertainment, has released his 10th studio album, titled “Halftime.”The album’s two lead tracks ― “Love is Best,” which was pre-released on Sept. 2, and “Had Enough Parties” ― were released along with the rest of the album on Monday.  The artist’s new six-track album contains songs that share the stories of the artist and his trials and tribulations as a longtime member of the entertainment indus

Sept. 9, 2013