[On Stage] Soprano Park Hyesang Gains New Album 'Sum' on the Santiago Pilgrimage Route

Deutsche Grammophon Releases Second Album 'Sum'
Deep Reflection on Life and Death During COVID-19 Pandemic
Inspired and Comforted by Seikilos Inscription
Recital at Lotte Concert Hall on the 13th

Soprano Park Hye-sang, who performs on the world stage including the New York Metropolitan Opera and Berlin State Opera, decided the title of her second album "Breathe" released on the 2nd by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) during her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It was also on the Camino de Santiago that she decided to shoot the album cover photo underwater.

Park Hye-sang walked the Camino de Santiago in August 2022. She walked 20 to 30 km a day for 25 days. During the pilgrimage, she experienced a lucid dream one day. It was a dream of being drawn by a mysterious energy, coming down from the mountain peak, and entering the water. She felt the fear of death. After Park Hye-sang actually entered the water, suddenly flowers and trees shone and a rainbow appeared in the sky. Park Hye-sang watched this scene comfortably breathing underwater.

Soprano Park Hye-sang [Photo by Universal Music]

At a press conference held on the 5th at Cosmos Hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Park Hye-sang explained this dream, saying, "At the most fearful moment when I held my breath underwater and could have died, I felt most alive." She chose the album title as Breathe and, with the idea of shooting underwater, went to Thailand to complete a freediving course.

She began planning the album two and a half years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Park Hye-sang said it was a dark and difficult time as she lost many people she loved due to COVID-19. It was a time when she was overwhelmed by questions about the meaning of life and what lies beyond death. As her worries grew, she felt the need for time alone and headed to Santiago.

"I had various spiritual experiences and felt intense loneliness. But I also realized through the gifts that nature gives freely that many things are not necessary in life. And I felt that human beings have remarkable resilience and willpower. I felt a lot on the Camino de Santiago that there is peace given by the world when you let go rather than trying hard to have a lot, and true happiness lies within that."

The theme of the album is "Shine while you are alive." She was inspired by the Seikilos epitaph found in the ruins of ancient Greece. "Seikilos was a figure who lived around the 1st to 2nd century and wrote an epitaph after losing his wife. The phrase 'While you live, shine. Do not be sad at all' gave me an instant feeling of healing."

Thus, she included music on the theme of existential questions and answers about death and life in the new album.

Soprano Park Hye-sang [Photo by Universal Music]

The first track, "While You Live," is a piece Park Hye-sang commissioned from contemporary composer Luke Howard. It is an arrangement that adds the lyrics of the Seikilos epitaph to Howard’s existing work.

She also included Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" by Polish composer Henryk G?recki (1933?2010). This piece, consisting of three movements, features soprano solos in each movement. Especially, the lyrics of the second movement are the prayer of a girl engraved on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp cell. Park Hye-sang said, "During World War II, an 18-year-old girl wrote this to her mother from prison. She tells her mother not to worry and that Mary will protect her. The 18-year-old girl shows strong resilience. Even while recognizing the fate approaching her, she spoke to her mother without fear. I felt deeply the great power of believing in something."

She also included "Eoi Gari" by Korean composer Woo Hyo-won, notable for its ajaeng melody. "I always want to sing many Korean art songs. I am not a particularly patriotic person, but when I sing Korean songs or wear hanbok, I somehow gain strength. I thought a lot about which Korean song to include, and by chance, I connected with Mr. Woo Hyo-won and was able to record it. I was happy. It is truly an honor and a blessing to play a role in showing where I come from and my roots."

Park Hye-sang will hold a recital commemorating the release of her new album on February 13 at Lotte Concert Hall.