World-class tenor Lee Yong-hoon took the stage at Busan Concert Hall on January 19-20, playing the male lead Don José in the concert opera "Carmen" conducted by Chung Myung-whun, moving Busan audiences to tears.
Local audiences gave overwhelming praise, and the few remaining tickets for the second day's performance sold out completely after the first night.
In an interview ahead of the final rehearsal on January 18, Lee said, "I heard that Maestro Chung Myung-whun was preparing with his utmost dedication, so I cleared my European schedule to perform on a Korean stage. That rarely happens, but I judged this was not an opportunity that comes along often, so I made an exception this time."
The "Carmen" program was selected in respect of Lee's wishes. "Busan Concert Hall asked what work I wanted to perform, and I expressed a preference for either 'Carmen' or 'Tosca,' which I had never performed in Korea," he explained. "Maestro Chung chose 'Carmen' from those options."
Lee is a world-class tenor far better known abroad than in Korea. He has performed leading roles at the world's top opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London, and the Vienna State Opera. With his career centered overseas, Lee returned to the Korean stage in 2023 with "Aida" at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts—his first domestic performance in 20 years since his professional debut. He has now visited Korea for three consecutive years through this year. Last year, he took the lead role in Verdi's "Otello" at Seoul Arts Center.
Given the pairing of a world-renowned conductor and tenor, the schedule was tight, with intensive rehearsals conducted over approximately two weeks. "We rehearsed almost every day, continuing practice until the day before the performance," Lee said. "All the participating artists and staff are preparing with one heart, so expectations for the performance are high."
This concert opera is characterized by staging that incorporates costumes and acting to such a degree that it could be called a "mini opera." While typical concert operas feature vocalists in formal attire singing major arias in front of an orchestra, this production went beyond that framework. "Initially, we approached it as a conventional concert opera, but as we considered how to help audiences become more immersed, it naturally expanded to include acting and costumes," Lee explained. "We added staging elements without going overboard."
This "Carmen" was structured with performers in full costume and props, singing while utilizing the entire stage, creating a production that allows even audiences unfamiliar with opera to become naturally immersed. Joining Lee on stage were Michele Losier (Carmen, mezzo-soprano), Kim Ki-hoon (Escamillo, baritone), and Kara Shay Thomson (Micaëla, soprano), harmonizing in both song and dramatic performance.
The role of Don José in "Carmen" holds special meaning for Lee. During his studies in the United States, this was the first role he performed on stage as a student. It was a small-scale production in Middlebury, Vermont, staged not in a formal opera house but in a church. He recalled being deeply captivated by opera's narrative and characters through this work. After his professional debut, when he took on the role of Don José again, he even read the original novel, gaining a deeper understanding of the character's inner world.
"Don José commits murder because of choices he makes at every crossroads in life, ultimately killing Carmen, the woman he loved most," Lee said. "At first, he is a proper soldier and a good son, but swept up in the passion of love and consumed by jealousy, he gradually falls apart. I focused on conveying to the audience the various colors of Don José as a character, revealed throughout his journey toward destruction."
Although Lee is more active overseas, his desire to perform on Korean stages remains strong. However, with his schedule already full for the next two to three years, he expressed regret that domestic performance offers tend to come on relatively short notice—partly due to the domestic environment's difficulty in supporting long-term production and preparation. "I want to meet Korean audiences more often, but I'm looking for opportunities given my schedule constraints," Lee said.
He called for support and interest to enable more opera productions in Korea. "There are many excellent vocalists who are stars overseas but not well known in Korea. If the foundation, venues, and systems for continuously staging performances are established, we could create opera productions that people would deliberately travel from abroad to see. Operas featuring Korean performers are very popular overseas, and I am confident that if conditions for staging performances domestically are put in place, they would certainly be loved by Korean audiences."
