"Turandot" To Take Hollywood Bowl By Storm Under Dudamel

"Turandot, Puccini’s extravagant portrayal of a legendary China, comes to the Hollywood Bowl in a concert production. Opera star Christine Brewer stars as the icy princess who challenges her suitors to a game of riddles to win her heart. Conducting his second opera at the Bowl, Music Director Gustavo Dudamel leads this story of love, featuring some of the most beloved arias of all time, such as 'Nessun dorma.'" [Source]

Sunday, July 17, 2011, 7:30PM

ARTISTS:
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Christine Brewer, Turandot
Francesco Hong, tenor, Calaf
Hei-Kyung Hong, soprano, Liù
Alexander Vinogradov, bass, Timur
Timothy Mix, baritone, Ping
Daniel Montenegro, tenor, Pang
Beau Gibson, tenor, Pong
Greg Fedderly, tenor, Emperor Altoum
Craig Verm, baritone, Mandarin
Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, music director
Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Anne Tomlinson, artistic director
(Photos of Christine Brewer by Christian Steiner)

Hei-Kyung Hong Has Her Moment in the Sun

The soprano has sung nearly 360 performances at the MET and covered countless other evenings
(Photo: Natalie Kessyar/Wall Street Journal)

A native of Seoul, South Korea, the soprano starting studying at the Juilliard School of Music at age 15. Now a highly successful opera singer of 51, she makes her home in Bayside, New York, with her husband. They have three children: two daughters, 30 and 31, and one son that is now 17. Read the Wall Street Journal article about her decisions to make the Metropolitan Opera the central focus of her career, even if that meant not being front-and-center of fame. She also discusses what helped her find the focus that created the longevity in her singing and why the voice maintains a wonderful gleam. You'll also find out if she is really kissing her Roméo et Juliette co-star Piotr Beczala during the performance! [Source]

High Praise for Hei-Kyung Hong as Gounod's Juliette

"...the soprano Hei-Kyung Hong, one of the best and most indefatigable of these singers, has performed with the Metropolitan Opera no fewer than 348 times since her debut in 1984. Stalwart artists like Ms. Hong are the ones ready to step in when international stars call in sick. On Wednesday, the soprano Angela Gheorghiu, citing an unspecified illness, announced that she was dropping out of the Met’s revival of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, which opened Thursday evening. She was replaced by Ms. Hong, who in true Met veteran style had gone on for another ailing Juliette back in 1996. Ms. Hong rose to the occasion with an elegant, touching performance. Her voice is cool and slender, but

(Photo: Sara Krulwich/NYTimes)

the understated detail of her singing makes it feel more imposing than it is: the way she poignantly colored her farewell to Roméo at the end of the balcony scene; her dreamy murmur of his name in the bedchamber duet. Though not the most galvanizing stage presence, she is a fine, subtle actress. It’s not easy for a 51-year-old singer to impersonate a teenager, but Ms. Hong was convincing and true, resisting every temptation to overplay. When she saw Roméo for the first time, her posture changed almost imperceptibly. She stood up taller; her gestures relaxed; she seemed to mature in front of your eyes. Her performance was full of such telling touches." [Source]