A new year always brings with it a sense of anticipation. For culture lovers in Korea, 2015 seems to have plenty of things to look out for, from a chance to see the world’s hottest conductor today in action to original productions of hit musicals getting Korean runs.

Here are some of the year’s most anticipated shows and performances in music, theater and performing arts. 


Classical music

Fans of classical music are already buzzing about the coming performances of world-class orchestras in Seoul this year.

Star-studded ensembles, including the world’s top orchestra, are to greet local fans throughout the year, with their choice of the venue being, quite predictably, Seoul Arts Center.

In one such event that is exciting local fans, the young, energetic and charismatic Gustavo Dudamel will conduct his LA Philharmonic Orchestra in two concert appearances in March in Seoul.

A prodigy born out of Venezuela’s much-hailed national music education program “El Sistema,” Dudamel is the hottest star in the classical music world now. In 2009, at age 26, he became the music director of the American ensemble. He has also performed with some of the world’s finest orchestras as a guest conductor.

Dadamel and the LA Philharmonic Orchestra will hold their concerts on March 25-26 at Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall.

In what looks like the biggest event in the Korean classical music scene in 2015, the famed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and maestro Ivan Fischer will perform the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies, spread out over four nights in April.

The project is specially designed to please Korean fans. The Beethoven symphonies are Koreans’ all-time favorites. The RCO, which topped the list of the world’s best orchestras in a Gramophone survey in 2008, is among the three orchestras most loved by Koreans.

The RCO concerts will be held from April 20-23 at Seoul Arts Center.

September brings a recital by the father-daughter duo of cellist Mischa Maisky and pianist Lily Maisky, while another of Koreans’ most beloved orchestras ― the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ― will come to Seoul in October for its first concert since 2009.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will focus on Beethoven and Brahms throughout 2015, starting on Jan. 5 with the performance of Beethoven Concerto in C for Violin, Cello and Piano with maestro Chung Myung-whun. 


Musical theater

2015 will see a rush of foreign productions, generating much buzz and excitement in Korea’s musical theater.

Starting with the French-Canadian production of “Notre-Dame de Paris” in January, the timeless Broadway hits “Cats” and “Chicago” are to greet local fans in April and June, respectively, both with an international cast and creative team. 

The Korean premieres of two big shows are also generating buzz: the French musical “Gone with the Wind” and the American musical “Phantom.”

“Gone with the Wind” will raise its curtain on Jan. 9 at Seoul Arts Center, with movie star Joo Jin-mo as Rhett Butler and Seohyun of K-pop band Girls’ Generation as Scarlett O’Hara.

The EMK Musical Company is currently tackling “Phantom,” which is based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “The Phantom of the Opera” and has been overshadowed by the success of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical for the Korean audience. The Korean rendition will unveil at Chungmu Art Hall in April.

The company is to present its first original work “Matahari” later in November with music by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn.

Another original Korean musical that is drawing attention is “Arirang” by Seensee Company, based on the epic novel of the same title by Jo Jung-rae. Its premiere is scheduled for July 11 at LG Art Center. 


Theatrical plays

A potent mix of celebrated plays from abroad and new compelling plays highlight this year’s theatrical stage.

British theater company Complicite will visit Korea for the first time to stage its sellout production “Lionboy” at the National Theater of Korea from March 5-7. From the best-selling novel by Zizou Corder, the imaginative adventure follows a boy named Charlie, who can speak the language of cats.

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s ongoing effort to introduce a new paradigm on changgeuk will continue this year as German play “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” will be told through Korean traditional opera. Helmed by Korean-Japanese playwright Jung Eui-shin, the changgeuk version will be staged at the National Theater of Korea through March 21-28.

The Korean rendition of Tony Award-winning play “Red” will be staged at Chungmu Art Hall in May. Written by American writer John Logan, “Red” illustrates abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko,

Great news for the fans of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami as his novel “Kafka on the Shore” will be transferred to the stage by renowned Japanese theater director Yukio Ninagawa. The play is scheduled for Nov. 24-28 at LG Arts Center

Korean play “On a Blue Day” will raise the curtain to tell the story of a young couple against the backdrop of the Gwangju Uprising in May 1980. It will be performed at the Namsan Arts Center from April 30 to May 31.

Doosan Arts Center, in an effort to support young artists, will showcase six performances of plays and musicals created by creative artists under 40 years old. The lineup of plays include “Chicken Game” (Jan. 8-10), “Dappertutto Studio” (Jan. 22-24), “Women Shed no Tears” (Feb. 5-7) and “Brain Control” (Feb. 26-28). 


Ballet

For ballet lovers, the New Year will be ringing in a selection of both the classics and the newly revamped. The Korean National Ballet will be kicking off its 2015 season with its opening performance of one of the ballet world’s most beloved tale of love and heartbreak in “Giselle.” The KNB 2015 season will also include performances of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” “The Seventh Symphony & The Rite of Spring,” “Swan Lake,” “Rising Star 1 Gala,” “Ballet with Commentary Don Quixote,” “Prince Hodong” and, of course, ending every year with the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.”

The Universal Ballet Korea will be veering slightly away from the stereotypical ballet must-see with its season opener of Nacho Duato’s “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness.” Duato’s original 1999 production is a homage to J.S. Bach and won the prestigious Benois de la Danse award for the best choreography in 2000.

In June, Universal will be staging the world’s first debut of renowned Australian dance choreographer Graeme Murphy’s reinterpretation of the classic tale of “Giselle.” The company’s 2015 season will also include its production of “La Bayadere,” the heart wrenching tale of love and eternal fidelity, and Christmas-must, “The Nutcracker.”

By Lee Sun-young, Ahn Sung-mi and Julie Jackson
(sahn@heraldcorp.com), (milaya@heraldcorp.com), (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)