Jeremy Rifkin, a renowned global scholar famous for works such as "The End of Work" and "The End of Ownership," published his new book "Planet Aqua" last year.
In the book, Rifkin divides the Earth into four spheres: the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. He explains that the most important of these is the hydrosphere, as it is the source of life. Rifkin warns that the history of humanity has been one of exploiting the hydrosphere, ultimately leading to the climate crisis. He argues that while humanity has controlled and exploited water through dams, artificial reservoirs, levees, and embankments, it has built its foundation of life around land and achieved industrialization by utilizing fossil fuels. He claims that humanity's arrogance in ignoring the hydrosphere has brought about the climate crisis and has now placed humanity itself in existential danger.
A new original opera, "The Rising World: Spirit of Water," appears to reflect Rifkin's perspective. The production opens at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center on May 25 and is scheduled for three performances through May 29 and 31.
The opera is set in a kingdom submerged by endlessly flooding waters. The princess of the kingdom lives isolated from the world due to a mysterious illness. While the royal family struggles to find a way to save the princess and the kingdom, they seek out a master water clock maker and her apprentice, who create a water clock that changes the fate of both the princess and the kingdom.
Soprano Hwang Sumi plays the role of the princess possessed by the spirit of water, while mezzo-soprano Kim Jungmi takes on the role of the master crafting the water clock to save the kingdom.
At a press conference held ahead of the premiere, Hwang Sumi described the opera as "a work that deals with the relationship between humans and nature," and explained, "It is an opera that unravels important current issues such as climate change in a fairy-tale-like manner." She added, "The story depicts a problem being solved by someone outside the royal family, and I believe the work shows that each of us has the ability to solve major issues."
In addition to the princess and the master, the king who rules the kingdom and the master's apprentice also play significant roles in the production.
Kim Jungmi stated, "Attention should also be paid to the relationships between the king and the princess, and between the master and her apprentice." She explained, "The master's wisdom is passed down to the apprentice, and as royal authority shifts from the king, who fails to govern the kingdom properly, to the princess, the kingdom finds stability. The story shows how wisdom and power are ideally passed from one generation to the next."
"Spirit of Water" is a production that the Seoul Arts Center has ambitiously prepared for three years. In 2022, the Seoul Arts Center presented a new vision to strengthen the core function of its Opera Theater and to revitalize the opera genre, leading to the planning of original operas. As part of this, the center collaborated with the Royal Opera House in the United Kingdom in 2023 and last year to stage "Norma" and "Otello" in succession, and this year, it is taking on the challenge of an original opera.
Although it is an original Korean opera, the libretto is in English rather than Korean. The Seoul Arts Center explained that this decision was made with international expansion in mind. The center is aiming for performances at Japan's New National Theatre, Taiwan's Taichung Theater, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia between 2027 and 2028. It was also noted that representatives from all three theaters will visit Korea to attend the premiere. Among these, discussions with Taichung Theater are said to be particularly advanced.
With international expansion as a goal, the production has also partnered with Schott Music, the world-renowned music publisher based in Mainz, Germany. Schott Music has published first editions of works such as Mozart's "Don Giovanni," Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" and "Parsifal," as well as pieces by modern composers like Stravinsky and Schoenberg.
The music is composed by Mary Finsterer, a contemporary Australian composer affiliated with Schott Music. She stated, "I tried to convey the sensation of water flowing smoothly and continuously," and added, "The waterphone will be used as a representative instrument to express the flow of water."
Steven Osgood, who has garnered attention for conducting acclaimed productions such as "Dead Man Walking" and "Grounded" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, will conduct the National Symphony Orchestra.
Tenor Robin Tritschler, who has performed on leading stages such as the Royal Opera House in the United Kingdom and the Salzburg Festival, will play the apprentice to the master, while bass-baritone Ashley Riches will appear as the king, ruler of the kingdom. Countertenor Jung Minho, an early music soloist active in both Korea and Europe, will take on the role of the spirit of water, adding a sense of mystery to the production.
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