Interview: Tchaikovsky competition winners present opera 'Rusalka'
Soprano Seo Sung-young, bass Park Jong-min and tenor Son Ji-hoon to perform Korea's second-ever production of Dvorak's 1901 opera
Antonin Dvorak's ninth opera, "Rusalka" (1901), is his most successful and most frequently performed opera around the world. Yet, an upcoming production in Seoul will be only the second time it has been staged in South Korea, almost 10 years after its local premiere in 2016.
For this one-time performance Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center, three first-prize winners of the International Tchaikovsky Competition who have since become leading opera singers, will take the stage.
Bass Park Jong-min and soprano Seo Sun-young won the competition in the male and female categories, respectively, in 2011 while tenor Son Ji-hoon took home the first prize in 2023.
Both Park and Seo have each participated in three different "Rusalka" productions. Park, 38, took the role of Vodnik, a water goblin and ruler of a lake, in a contemporary interpretation of the opera by director Kornel Mundruczo, staged last month at the Staatsoper Berlin.
Soprano Seo, 41, takes on the role of Rusalka, a water creature -- the role she also played in the 2016 production in Korea.
Why is "Rusalka" so rarely staged in Korea?
The three pointed to the language of the opera -- Czech. Having learned Italian, German, French and Russian in school, classical vocalists become experts in singing these languages, but the Czech language was a challenge for the Korean singers, taking them several weeks to master the pronunciation.
Son, who is performing "Rusalka" for the first time, said that he has spent a lot of time looking for references and mastering pronunciations.
"Had it been composed in a more familiar language, I'm sure the opera would have been performed much more often,' said Son.
The vocalists explained that the complexity and abundance of consonants in the language make singing more challenging, as vowels are sustained by vocalists, forming the core resonance, whereas consonants interrupt or complicate resonance and airflow.
Despite the language barrier, the opera's music, infused with Czech folk influences, is one of Dvorak's finest, the three singers agreed.
'It's truly the beauty of the melodies that stands out,' added Son, who portrays the Prince.
'The melodies are highly lyrical, easy on the ear, and beautifully crafted, naturally complementing the language. In contrast to the vocal lines that are easy to follow, the duets and ensemble pieces are intensely dramatic," Seo said.
'Its music features extensive chromaticism, frequent modulations, and shifting harmonies to create vivid musical depictions of water, waves and the supernatural elements associated with nature,' the soprano added.
Park, who is set to debut at the Bayreuth Festival in July as Pogner in a new production of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, said that the opera also presents the characteristics of the region in which it was composed.
"While Italian composers tend to reflect their sunny climate through clearly defined intervals and straightforward musical narratives, Czech music mirrors its less predictable weather conditions, resulting in a more intricate harmonic language," Park said.
Rusalka, a water nymph, longs to become human so she can be with the Prince, whom she loves. A witch grants her wish but takes away her voice, warning of tragedy if the love fails. Initially enchanted, the Prince soon tires of Rusalka's silence and rejects her. Heartbroken, Rusalka returns to her lake, cursed forever. Later, the remorseful Prince seeks forgiveness, but Rusalka's kiss proves fatal. He dies in her arms.
The latest production is produced and supported by SeAH Woon Hyung Lee Foundation, a foundation dedicated to promoting classical music, opera and opera singers.
The production is directed by Pyo Hyun-jin with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Noi Opera Chorus led by David Yi, artistic director of the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra. All tickets are free.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
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