Classical music masters are being revived one after another on musical stages this summer. Works illuminating the lives and music of three geniuses who changed the history of classical music—Ludwig van Beethoven, who left immortal works despite losing his hearing; Niccolò Paganini, who was called the "devil's violinist"; and Igor Stravinsky, who led a revolution in modern music—are meeting audiences side by side.
The greatest appeal of these works is that they present classical masterpieces newly arranged through a modern musical vocabulary. By harmonizing dramatic lives with their works, they convey a deeper understanding of and emotional connection to these musicians' lives.
The largest-scale production is "Beethoven," now playing at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Running through August 11, the show is a licensed blockbuster with a book by Michael Kunze, music by Sylvester Levay, and co-produced by EMK Musical Company.
Marking its second season after its 2023 premiere, this production focuses more on Beethoven's narrative of despair and triumph than on romance. The work's greatest competitive edge is undoubtedly Beethoven's music. Familiar masterpieces such as the "Symphony of Fate," "Moonlight Sonata," and "Pathétique Sonata" have been reborn as musical numbers combining rock and pop ballads through Sylvester Levay's hand. New songs not in the premiere were also added to enhance the drama's completeness.
Park Hyo-shin, who again plays Beethoven following the premiere, portrays the genius musician's anguish with explosive vocal power. Hong Kwang-ho, who joined newly this season, expresses the inner life of Beethoven the man in a multidimensional way through his own interpretation. The group dance of musical spirits and splendid stage machinery visualize Beethoven's inner world, completing a scale befitting a grand-theater musical.
At the Grand Theater of Hongik University Daehangno Art Center, the original musical "Paganini" is continuing its third season. Produced by HJ Culture, the work takes as its motif the true story of Paganini being denied a church burial after his death. It depicts the process in which his son Achille petitions for a religious trial to restore his father's honor and uncovers the truth.
Above all, "Paganini" is distinguished by its actor-musician format, in which the performers play the violin themselves. KoN, a real violinist, along with Hong Seok-ki, who majored in classical music, and Hong Ju-chan, the main vocalist of idol group Golden Child who possesses skilled violin-playing ability, perform "Caprice" and "La Campanella" directly on stage. The scenes of handling ultra-difficult fast-playing live are the highlight of the performance.
The violin performance that continues even amid intense rock sound and choreography revives Paganini not as a legendary figure but as a living, breathing musician. Added to this is his confrontation with the priest Lucio Amos, who defines him as a devil, posing weighty questions of art versus religion and genius versus prejudice.
Another music revolutionary can be met at Hall 2 of YES24 Art One in Daehangno. The original musical "Stravinsky," which opened on the 30th of last month, has summoned to the stage Igor Stravinsky, the composer who changed the course of 20th-century music history.
This work, one of Showplay's character musical projects, quickly secured a rerun after receiving favorable reviews right after its premiere last year. The work is set against the actual uproar that occurred at the 1913 premiere of "The Rite of Spring." Centering on the relationship between Stravinsky, who shook the order of existing music with dissonance, changing meter, and primal rhythms, and "Shoom," who helped build his artistic world together, it portrays the obsession and conflict of genius artists.
In particular, Park Sun-young handles a dual role, moving between Stravinsky and Shoom, revealing the tension and confrontation between the characters more vividly. It is regarded as an intellectual original musical that unravels experimental musical language into musical vocabulary.
An official in the performance industry said, "The common appeal of these works is that they draw on the drama and popular appeal unique to musicals, so that even audiences unfamiliar with classical music can enjoy them without burden."
