'Lohengrin' resonates with Korea's political turmoil

A scene from opera “Lohengrin” where the Knight of the Grail Lohengrin valiantly appears on stage to save Elsa. / Courtesy of Korea National Opera

By Yun Suh-young

I must confess. This is the first time I watched an opera without dozing off in the middle of it.

Opera Lohengrin was that interesting and even exhilarating to watch, considering how masterfully its story blended in with the current political situation in Korea.

It wasn’t intended of course, yet the timing of the release of the modern day version of the Richard Wagner opera reinterpreted by Venezuelan director Carlos Wagner fits in perfectly with the story of Korea’s recent “Choi Soon-sil gate,” a result of the unquestioned power of the authority of the president, which left the nation feeling fooled and fuelled by anger.

“Lohengrin” is a story of the knight of the Holy Grail “Lohengrin” who comes to save a troubled maiden, Elsa of Brabant, under the condition that she does not ask his name or origin. If she violates this, he must leave her. Elsa agrees to this condition and lets Lohengrin fight on her behalf against her politically ambitious uncle Telramund and his wife Ortrud who accuses her of killing her own brother to inherit her father's principality. However, Elsa's brother Duke Gottfried, who is the successor of the principality of the late Lord of Brabant, the sibling's father, was actually turned into a swan by Ortrud’s magic. Ortrud and Telramund see opportunity when the Lord of Brabant dies and try to seize his principality by getting rid of the Brabant siblings. In the end, Elsa asks the forbidden question to Lohengrin out of doubt seeded by Ortrud, and Lohengrin leaves, after defeating Telramund and returning Gottfried back to being human.

The story is initially intended as a religious synopsis where the forbidden question of “who are you?” must not be directed to Jesus, or the messiah that comes to save the earth. The plot is meant to create a contrast between Christianity and paganism, symbolized by earthly Elsa and the heavenly Lohengrin. It is meant to send the message that the earthly humans are ignorant to ask such a question and faces the consequence of not receiving God's protection.

However, the reinterpreted version by Carlos Wagner (staged at the Seoul Arts Center through Nov. 20) has an entirely political take on it. It approaches Lohengrin as a powerful, charismatic leader who suddenly appears in a time of chaos and says he will make everything right again. However, there's a condition that must follow: no one should question his identity. But when Elsa asks the forbidden question, she is freed from doubt, despite giving up her comfort and love.

Carlos Wagner writes in his director's notes, “So far no charismatic leader has led any company out of chaos towards a better world, on the contrary, unquestioning loyalty and obedience have until now always led to much large disasters. In times of great crisis, we always need an Elsa who just in the right moment sacrifices her dream of deliverance, to ask the charismatic leader at the right moment who he actually really is.”

Do not interpret this opera in a religious way as was originally intended, because if you’re a Christian, you might be offended or confused about faith. This must be solely taken as a political drama where you compare the stage scenario with the current political situation - and it fits surprisingly well with both the U.S. and Korea.

Korea's recent political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye was all about unquestioning power. No one questioned her eligibility or ability to be a president. The question of “who are you?” should have been asked before she took the helm of this country and none of this would have happened or she would not be sitting at Cheong Wa Dae.

Then, much like Ortrud and Telramund who try to extort power from others for their own benefit, there's the greedy Choi Soon-sil and her clan who manipulate the political system to pull strings and attract investment for their personal gain.

When Elsa asks the question, “How can you demand the upper place?” to Ortrud, it resonates with the question that Koreans want to ask Choi, her daughter and sister for requesting a higher demand and position for which they do not rightly deserve. They can turn people into a swan by "magic" (political connection) if things don’t go their way.

“There are always those who see through the weaknesses of the system and exploit it to their own advantage. They exploit it to the brink of collapse. No one knows how it has come to this, but when you suddenly realize it, it's almost always too late,” says director Carlos Wagner.

Yes, this time around, it’s already too late. But for the next time, much like Elsa, who says, “Tell me where you’re from, your name, your lineage,” we should rightly question our leaders to come, if we haven’t properly done so until now. And Carlos Wagner’s Lohengrin puts it right into perspective.