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Unsuk Chin returns to opera with 'The Dark Side of the Moon' in Germany

Published: 20 May. 2025, 15:02 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:14

A scene from Unsuk Chin’s new opera, “Die dunkle Seite des Mondes,” or ″The Dark Side of the Moon″ [HAMBURG STATE OPERA]

A staircase to the moon, a physicist tormented by failure and a doctor who might be the devil — welcome to Unsuk Chin’s new opera, “Die dunkle Seite des Mondes,” or "The Dark Side of the Moon," where quantum mechanics meets psychological myth in a surreal 1930s dreamscape.

The opera premiered on Sunday at the Hamburg State Opera in Germany.

The opera tells a surreal tale featuring a genius quantum physicist, a doctor with supernatural powers and a woman hovering between dream and reality. It marks Chin’s return to the operatic stage 18 years after the premiere of her globally acclaimed first opera, “Alice in Wonderland,” in Munich in 2007.

The stage design evokes an eerie mood: a massive moon suspended from the ceiling, staircases reaching toward it and a stark backdrop representing the dehumanizing reality of the 1930s. A live video feed captured by cameras on stage adds a cinematic element. Chin’s trademark use of percussion — the scraping of bows on instruments, the grinding of sandpaper — plays a prominent role, lending vivid textures to the score.

Commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera, Chin wrote the story in German herself — about the length of a short novel — and also penned the libretto. The opera draws inspiration from the life of Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli, with the presence of psychologist Carl Jung, who interacted with Pauli, also making an appearance. Chin created fictional names for her characters, such as Kieron and Astaroth, to explore the narrative with full creative freedom.

Korean composer Unsuk Chin [TONGYEONG INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL]

The opera recalls Goethe’s “Faust” (1790). Dr. Kieron, the protagonist, is a respected scientist but feels like a failure, tormented by existential questions. Master Astaroth appears to offer healing, but ultimately dominates Chiron’s mind. The subplot involving fellow scientists coercing Kieron into weapons development serves as a chilling allusion to the history of 20th-century warfare.

In a pre-premiere interview with the Hamburg State Opera, Chin said she wanted to explore what evil was, and why humans are the way they are.

She also referenced the political climate in Korea.

“I began writing the final 10th scene of the opera in November of last year,” she said. “U.S. President Donald Trump had just regained power, and a month later, Korea’s president suddenly declared martial law. I was gripped by fear.

“I lived under a military dictatorship in Korea for 24 years. It was a horrific time, and those memories resurfaced. Though indirectly, those emotions found their way into the libretto.”

A scene from Unsuk Chin’s new opera, “Die dunkle Seite des Mondes,” or ″The Dark Side of the Moon″ [HAMBURG STATE OPERA]

Following its Sunday premiere, “The Dark Side of the Moon” will be staged again in Hamburg on Wednesday and May 27 and 31 and June 5. Longtime collaborator Kent Nagano conducts, with baritone Thomas Lehman as Kieron, Bo Skovhus as Astaroth, Siobhan Stagg as Miriel and Korean artists Kim Kang-min as countertenor and Son Na-rea as a soprano.

Last year, Chin received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize — often called the Nobel Prize of classical music — and has served as artistic director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival since 2022.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM HO-JOUNG [[email protected]]