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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 12 November 2019
Soprano Hei-Kyung Hong extends her run of Mimis at the Met

By MIKE SILVERMAN which she has sung nearly
Associated Press three dozen times.
Soprano after soprano has And this season she took
knocked on the door of on a new role, Euridice in
Rodolfo's garret over the a revival of Gluck's "Or-
years in Franco Zeffirelli's feo ed Euridice." Critic An-
production of Puccini's "La thony Tommasini wrote in
Boheme" at the Metropoli- The New York Times that
tan Opera. But none as of- "though there were mo-
ten as Hei-Kyung Hong. ments of patchy tone and
The Korean-born lyric so- shaky pitch in her singing,
prano has portrayed the the radiance of her voice
role of Mimi 66 times since came through."
her first outing in 1987. Dur- Over the years she's turned
ing that period, more than down many offers of roles
a dozen different tenors she felt would be too
have opened that door heavy for her voice. "The
for her — including one or day I realized I couldn't be
two she hadn't expected Aida and Tosca, I had a
to see. moment of 'Awww ...'" she
"Of course we rehearse, but said. "But the soprano is a
sometimes somebody gets blessed category. I had to
sick and you don't know find what voice I had and
Rodolfo until you enter. So This Nov. 16, 2011 photo released by the Metropolitan Opera shows Korean-born soprano Hei- make peace with that."
it's, 'Oh, OK, you're my Ro- Kyung Hong during a rehearsal for the role of Mimi in Puccini's "La Boheme" at the Metropolitan One role she especially re-
dolfo,'" Hong recalled in an Opera in New York. grets wasn't right for her is
interview at the Met last Associated Press Puccini's "Madame Butter-
month. fly." "Last year I said, 'I'll wait
"Those times are scary and youthful sound Hong traces singing, too much partying, home, living in Queens and until I'm ready to retire and
wonderful," she added, back to the very begin- too much pressure" — plus raising three children while I have no fear of losing my
"because you really feel ning of her career. She taking on roles that were quietly building a reputa- voice and I'll just go and
like you're meeting some- had come to America to too big for their voices. tion as one of the Met's do it, I'll go blazing out,'"
body for the first time and study at The Juilliard School Hong vowed not to go most valuable assets. Since she said. "But no, I tried, it
you can use that moment. at age 15 and remained down that path, and af- her debut in 1984 as Servilia stressed me so much, I got
It's very impromptu." there for nine years, during ter getting married at age in Mozart's "La Clemenza sick."
Now, at age 60, Hong is high school, college and 24, "I didn't have to sing to di Tito," she's performed Although Hong holds the
about to add to her total postgraduate work. make money," she said. nearly 400 times in a wide mark for the most Mimis in
with a performance on No- "I would go to the New York "My husband said I could variety of roles. Other than the Zeffirelli production,
vember 14 as the young City Opera and hear these quit whenever I wanted. I Mimi, her most frequent she's far from the all-time
seamstress who falls in love phenomenal young sing- had that luxury that I didn't portrayals have been as Met leader. Frances Alda
with the poet Rodolfo only ers, but within three years have to chase so desper- the slave girl Liu in Puccini's sang it 80 times from 1909-
to die of consumption in they would lose their voic- ately to succeed." "Turandot" and as Micaela 1929 and Lucrezia Bori sang
the final scene. Her sad es," she said. "Too much She mostly stayed close to in Bizet's "Carmen," both of it 72 times from 1912-1936.q
story will again play out in
the richly detailed Zeffire-
lli production, which pre- Winfrey picks 'Olive, Again' for her next book club read
miered in 1981 and has be-
come the most performed By HILLEL ITALIE nership with Apple. Her first in so few words."
production of any opera in Associated Press pick, Ta-Nehisi Coates' nov- "Olive Kitteridge" is a series
Met history. NEW YORK (AP) — Author el "The Water Dancer," was of connected stories based
How has her approach to Elizabeth Strout, whose "Ol- announced in September in Crosby, Maine. The book
the role changed over the ive, Again" is Oprah Win- and quickly topped the sold more than 1 million
decades? frey's latest book club pick, Apple and Amazon.com copies and was adapted
"The more you live, you add has a pretty good idea bestseller lists. "Olive, Again" into an Emmy-winning HBO
a little more pepper and about how the plainspo- was already off to a strong miniseries starring Frances
seasoning because you ken Olive Kitteridge would start, debuting at No. 6 on McDormand as the title
understand life," Hong said. have responded. The New York Times' hard- character. "Olive, Again" is
"When you're starting out, "Olive would say, 'Godfrey cover fiction bestseller list. also a book of stories, fol-
you just sort of imagine. But Mighty!'" Strout told The The Guardian has praised lowing Kitteridge through
as you grow older, you see Associated Press in a re- the book as a "tour de her courtship with fellow
people die from diseases, cent email. "But even Olive force." widower Jack Kennison
all this stuff happening." would be impressed with "Olive, Again" is the follow- and her tense relationship
Hong's husband of more Oprah onboard with her up to Strout's Pulitzer Prize with her son, Christopher.
than 20 years died of can- story. Olive — who would winning "Olive Kitteridge," "I think people care about This image released by Ran-
cer in 2008. not admit to it publicly — which came out in 2008. Olive because she is enor- dom House shows "Olive.
Her interpretation may would be really pleased "Ah, Olive. She teaches us mously complicated," Again," by Elizabeth Strout.
have deepened with age, that Oprah finds her life so so much about loneliness, Strout told the AP. "And Oprah Winfrey has chosen
but "your voice has to stay worthy of respect." judgment, aging, and loss. frankly, most of us are. We Strout’s novel as her next book
young," she said. "If your Published last month by And empathy, too," Winfrey try and keep these differ- club read. Associated Press
voice is old, it doesn't quite Random House, Strout's said in a statement Thurs- ent aspects of ourselves
match." book is Winfrey's second day. "I'm in awe of Strout's damped down, but Olive many pieces of her that
The secret for keeping that selection for her new part- ability to convey so much is so out there — there are people can relate to."q