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Opera Performance Summary, Reviews & Media

2013

GIOVANNA D'ARCO

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Credit Dynamic opera and classical music YouTube

Giovanna d'Arco was staged as part of the Verdi/Wagner Bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of both composers, at Martina Franca - Palazzo Ducale during the 39th Festival della Valle d’Itria. Julian Kim debuted in the role of Giacomo, Giovanna's father, in this production.

A DVD/Blu-ray recording and digital download of the performance were later released by Dynamic srl in 2016, generating a substantial number of reviews, as detailed below. Notably, this role has previously been recorded by renowned baritones such as Rolando Panerai, Sherrill Milnes, Renato Bruson, and Plácido Domingo.

Note: Julian Kim auditioned in front of Plácido Domingo in 2009 and later served as his cover for Giovanna d’Arco at Teatro Real, Madrid in 2019. Although Domingo performed all three scheduled shows and Kim did not appear on stage, he remarked that he would be honored if Domingo remembers his voice. Domingo’s 2013 Deutsche Grammophon release marked the fifth commercial recording of the role of Giacomo, followed by Kim’s 2016 recording with Dynamic as the sixth.

2013
Jul 28 - Jul 31
Giuseppe Verdi
주세페 베르디

GIOVANNA D'ARCO

- 조반나 다르코 -

Conductor

Riccardo Frizza

personaggi e interpreti

Giovanna

Jessica Pratt

Carlo VII

Jean-François Borras

Giacomo

JULIAN KIM

Delil

Roberto Cervellera

Talbot

Emanuele Cordaro

Libretto

Temistocle Solera

Stage Director

Fabio Ceresa

Costume Designer

Massimo Carlotto

Lighting Designer

Giuseppe Calabrò

Teatro Grande, Brescia.png

Palazzo Ducale, Martina Franca, Italy

Produced by

XXXIX Festival della Valle d'Itria

"Mentre una gradevolissima scoperta si è dimostrato Julian Kim nel ruolo di Giacomo. Il baritono coreano soltanto ventiseienne e qui alla sua prima opera, dopo aver concluso il servizio di leva, obbligatorio nel suo paese, ha sfoggiato una bella voce con un ottimo fraseggio ed anche a dispetto della giovane età una certa maturità che ne fanno presagire un grande futuro."

"Meanwhile, a very pleasant discovery was Julian Kim in the role of Giacomo. The 26-year-old Korean baritone, making his opera debut here after completing mandatory military service in his country, displayed a beautiful voice with excellent phrasing and, despite his young age, demonstrated a certain maturity that suggests a great future ahead."

Giovanna D´Arco. Verdi. M. Franca

OPERA WORLD

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"Il baritono coreano Julian Kim presta autorevolezza scenica e imponenza vocale ad un personaggio fosco, come è Giacomo, padre di Giovanna, introdotto da ghigni mefistofelici e arcate inquietanti in orchestra e accompagnato dalle tinte cupe del Grande Inquisitore nel duetto con la figlia per sapere se ha ancora intatta la sua verginità. Dotato di ottima tecnica vocale, emerge per la bellezza del timbro, la nobiltà del fraseggio e del porgere, la lunghezza e l’ampiezza del fiato, il sostegno e la tenuta del suono, la morbidezza del canto che è sempre sul fiato nelle maestose arcate melodiche."

"The Korean baritone Julian Kim lends stage authority and vocal grandeur to the dark character of Giacomo, Giovanna's father, introduced by Mephistophelean sneers and ominous orchestral passages, and accompanied by the somber tones of the Grand Inquisitor in the duet where he demands to know whether his daughter has remained chaste.

Equipped with excellent vocal technique, he stands out for the beauty of his timbre, the nobility of his phrasing and delivery, the length and breadth of his breath support, the firmness and sustain of his sound, and the softness of his singing, which remains consistently supported in the majestic melodic arches."

Giovanna D’Arco, un’opera rara per il bicentenario verdiano

Teatrionline

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"Altrettanto squisita l’interpretazione del baritono coreano Julian Kim che ha incarnato senza la minima sbavatura un Giacomo intenso e corrusco."

"Equally exquisite is the interpretation of the Korean baritone Julian Kim who embodied an intense and dazzling Giacomo without the slightest flaw."

“Giovanna D’Arco” al Festival della Valle d’Itria di Martina Franca 2013

GBOPERA

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"Baritone Julian Kim succeeded in making credible the unlikely role of Giovanna's father Giacomo."

Early Verdi proves compelling

The Opera Critic

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"Julian Kim plays Giovanna’s father Giacomo who’s primarily concerned with the damnation of her mortal soul since he’s convinced her “angels” are demons and that she’s been compromised by the King. Oh you knew there was a baritone lurking about here somewhere. He starts a little on the bloodless side but warms up considerably as the evening progresses, so much so that by the time he’s denouncing Giovanna in the coronation scene as being one of the Devil’s own he’s bringing the Verdi baritone thunder."

Site unseen

Parterre

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Giuseppe Verdi, GIOVANNA d'ARCO

Giovanna d'Arco, Act I: Act I: So che per via di triboli (Giacomo, Chorus)

Giovanna d'Arco, Prologue: Prologue: Gelo, terror m'invade (Giacomo)

Giovanna d'Arco, Act II: Act II: Ecco il luogo (Giacomo)

Last update: June 18, 2025

© 2025 Julian Kim 

South Korean baritone, opera singer, and musical theater performer.  

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