December 2025 Issue Contents

DECEMBER 2025
Vol.
502



GAEKSUK'S EYE

18
ISSUE & NEWS _Yunaeri

22
france
Palais Garnier: 150 Years of a Legendary Theatre _ Jeon Yun-hye

24
france
Composer Jinwook Jeong and Ma-rin Park

26
uk
Donma Warehouse's 'Maids' _Jeong Jae-eun

28
uk
Netherlands Dance Theatre 1 'Extinct Beings' _Jeong Jae-eun

32
This Month's Culture and Arts Calendar _ Heo Seo-hyeon

34
MUST GO _Editorial Department


FOCUS

44
ORGAN
Kim Sun-ah/Collegium Vocale Seoul (with Masaaki Suzuki) _Yunae Lee

46
CELLO
Kim Min-ji Cello Recital _ Choi Seong-hyeok

48
RECORDS
Album 'Corelli's Apotheosis - Trio Sonata Collection' _Editorial Department


52
COVER STORY
The Madangnori Four: Guk Su-ho, Kim Seong-nyeo, Park Beom-hun, and Son Jin-chaek
Laughter and Humor Written on the Yard _ Hong Ye-won


MEET

66
BEHIND THE MUSIC SCENE 35
Elena Lavranov, Director of the Ysaye Competition
The Blossoming Art Entrepreneurship in Belgium _ Park Seon-min

72
WELCOME 1
Conductor Daniel Harding
Song Joo-ho, the conductor who designs the course of music

76
WELCOME 2
Conductor Santo Matías Rubali
Riding the Rhythm of the Snowfield _Park Chan-mi

80
CHALLENGE
National Opera Company's 'Tristan and Isolde'
Now, here! Wagner comes to us _ Heo Seo-hyun

86
NEW YEAR, NEW CONCERT
Violinist and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Director Daniel Froschauer
Lee Seon-ok, the successor to the tradition that leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

90
INSIDE THE STAGE
? A DUO IN MOTION
Lee Ji-yoon & Moon Ji-young Recital
The Empress of the Bow, Strong and Calmly Stacked _Yunaeri

? CONTEMPORARY
National Symphony Orchestra's 3rd Composer's Atelier
The Fruit of Sound by Four Young Composers _ Seong Yong-won

? LIVE ON STAGE
Life of Pi puppet director Jeong Myeong-pil
The Magic of Breathing Life into Puppets _ Hong Ye-won


99
ARTS ON FOOT
Local art scenes visited by reporters in Gangneung, Gwangju, Gyeongju, and Daegu
Because it was special, the coverage was even more heated! _Editorial Department


GAEKSUK'S CHOICE

114
EDITOR'S NOTE
Kirill Petrenko/Berlin Philharmonic (collaborator Kim Sun-wook) _ Hong Ye-won
Camerata Salzburg (with Janine Jansen) _ Hong Ye-won
Wuppertal Tanztheater 'Carnation' _ Heo Seo-hyun
Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company's 'Mimesis' _Heo Seo-hyun

116
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Alexandre Taro Piano Recital _ Kim Joo-young
Natalie Dessay's Farewell Stage _Song Joo-ho
Lawrence Reness/National Symphony Orchestra (with Matilda Lloyd) _Yang Kyung-won
Pavel Haas Quartet Recital _ Eun-gyu Choi

120
DANCE
Korea National Dance Company of Korea's "Double Bill: Kim Sung-yong & William Forsyth" _ Han Seok-jin

121
TRADITIONAL
A conversation with the Pungryu Dongin, "The Road to Peace" _ Song Hyun-min

122
New Release of the Month _ Editorial Department

124
RECORD COLUMN
Let's ask Santa for an album this year! _Ryu Tae-hyung

127
INTO THE BOOK
The Future's Music That Came Too Soon _Choi Sung-hyuk

128
This month's live broadcast schedule


132
SPECIAL ISSUE
2025: A Comprehensive Summary of Domestic and International Performances by Genre
Classical music, plays, musicals, dance, traditional music, festivals, etc.


WORLD HOT

160
germany
Berlin Deutsche Oper's "The Bat" _ Oh Joo-young

162
uk
The Hunger Games: On Stage at the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre _Jeong Jae-eun

164
france
Paris Opera's 'Die Walküre' _ Jeon Yun-hye


FUGA

166
Norman Lebrecht's column
The shameful year 2025

170
LOCAL STAGE
National Performance News of the Month

174
GAEKSUK INFO _ Hong Ye-won, Yoo Nae-ri, Choi Seong-hyeok

180
GAEKSUK NOW
Hanbit Arts Troupe's Children's Musical Fairy Tale "A Slightly Special Pinocchio" _ Hong Ye-won


LIBRARY

184
The Life and Love of Women in the Opera 63
Wozzeck's 'Marie' _ Oh Joo-young

186
The moment music came to me
My Story in Just Three Songs _ Go Seong-hyeon

188
Hong Seung-chan's Window 117
Reflecting on the flow of the four seasons with opera

190
ARTIST'S ESSAY
Time Walked with Music _Seonwoo Yekwon

192
CINESSAY
'Bugonia' _ Choi Jae-hoon

194
Regular reader gift

200
EDITORIAL _Song Hyun-min