Korean Envoys Attend Opera in Paris in 1901
On June 11, 1901, Kim Man-soo, the Korean ambassador to France, along with fellow diplomats Lee Beom-jin (Russia), Min Yeong-don (UK), and Min Cheol-hoon (Germany), attended a performance at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Kim noted in his diary that the opera was merely a spectacle designed to captivate the audience's senses.
The evening began with musicians playing several pieces as the lights illuminated the stage, creating a dazzling scene. As the curtain rose, two elegantly dressed women and a man appeared, singing together.
Kim Man-soo, who had recently taken up his post, played the role of host for the evening. The weather, initially cloudy, cleared up by the afternoon. At 8:30 PM, he led a group of 20, including three ambassadors and their staff, to the theater, likely as part of a cultural experience of Western civilization.
Founded in 1714, the Opéra-Comique is located just a short walk from the Palais Garnier, the setting for the musical 'The Phantom of the Opera.' It is renowned for premiering significant works such as Bizet's 'Carmen' (1875) and Offenbach's 'The Tales of Hoffmann' (1881). The following year, Debussy's opera 'Pelléas et Mélisande' would also have its debut there.
In his diary, Kim referred to the opera they attended as '희대' (Heidae), explaining that it was a musical interpretation of a traditional marriage story. The tickets were quite expensive, costing 150 francs for all 20 attendees, and they secured a box seat, a unique feature of opera theaters.
The performance concluded around midnight, with Kim describing the spectacle as a series of dramatic scenes where dozens of men suddenly appeared to dance and sing, dressed in costumes reminiscent of 100 years prior. He observed that the opera was merely a means to enchant the audience with tales of spirits and otherworldly beings.
The exact nature of the opera '희대' remains unclear, as Kim's descriptions do not provide enough detail to identify it. An inquiry to the Opéra-Comique regarding the performance schedule for June 1901 yielded no definitive answers.
Prior to Kim's visit, another Korean diplomat, Yoon Chi-ho, had attended Gounod's 'Faust' in 1896, describing it as a marvel of science and art. Kim Man-soo, a prominent bureaucrat from Seoul, began his career in 1884 and served in various high-ranking positions before his appointment as ambassador to France in 1901. He documented his experiences in a diary that has since provided valuable insights into the life of Koreans in France over a century ago.
