The Greatest Musical Journeys

When Eun Sun Kim became San Francisco Opera’s fourth music director in 2021, one of her first initiatives was a renewed engagement each season with the major works of both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. These annual encounters with some of the greatest works in the repertoire have been nothing short of revelatory. Add to that her interpretations of operas by Mozart and Beethoven’s symphonic music, and San Francisco Opera is in the midst of an exciting artistic moment. Last month, Maestro Kim’s Verdian exploration featured a powerful cast for Rigoletto, which continued an arc begun with her all-Verdi concert in 2022 and on through the new production of La Traviata, a vigorous Il Trovatore, and an acclaimed Un Ballo in Maschera. On the Wagner side, the journey so far has included Lohengrin in 2023 (preparations for which were captured in the NorCal Emmy-nominated documentary Eun Sun Kim: A Journey into Lohengrin) and last season’s monumental Tristan und Isolde. With cycles of Wagner’s four-part Ring of the Nibelung promised for the near future, Kim is eager to bring San Francisco Opera into the world of a work that is close to her heart: Wagner’s final masterpiece, Parsifal.

“When I took this job, I read about the history of this Opera House and all of the artists and conductors from the early days,” she said. “I saw there was a great tradition. I asked when Parsifal was last done and learned it was in 2000, so this year marks 25 years. For sure, some in the Orchestra have performed the opera before, but for most it will be new for them. It was the same when we performed Fidelio in 2021.” Kim says that she particularly enjoys “getting to dust off these great pieces with the Orchestra. I’m really happy about that.”

“As for the Wagner journey, I think it is going well. It is very interesting for me especially to perform Tristan and Parsifal in back-to-back seasons. Many conductors consider Tristan their favorite. Every conductor wants to conduct Tristan. Artistically and musically, it gives so much of a satisfying feeling for conductors.”

Kim believes Tristan is not alone as a work that conductors tend to covet. “Parsifal is another goal—a big goal—for conductors. It is Wagner’s last piece, and every note, every measure, is just perfect. I was an assistant conductor for Parsifal when I was very young, and whether I was assisting and learning the piece, or actively conducting, I was always so full of admiration for this score.”

“The last time I conducted Parsifal [Houston Grand Opera, January 2024] was before our Tristan here in San Francisco. I am very excited for how my own interpretation has evolved since those performances.”

When asked about that other journey, the Beethoven journey she initiated with Fidelio—Beethoven’s only opera—and continued last season with a sold-out mainstage concert of the composer’s Ninth Symphony, Kim became even more animated. On November 1, she will conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony and works by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. “Of course we have been talking about Wagner, but I can’t deny that I have to say—loud—every time I conduct Beethoven: Okay, Beethoven was the greatest. And as I said during Fidelio, his motto was ‘Per aspera ad astra’—or in English, ‘To the stars through hardship.’ He was a visionary who dreamt of utopia. And I probably do too. I really understand that idea and his ability to put all those ideas into his work. It is just extraordinary.”

For the concert’s Spanish selections, Kim says that early in her career, she lived in Madrid and worked as an assistant conductor at the Teatro Real. “At the time, it was not the plan I envisioned for my life, but I learned the language and culture through my friends, and now I feel very close to Spanish culture.” She also points out that there is a musical through line between the Beethoven and Falla works. “In Tres Picos, the ballet not the suite, there is a musical quote from Beethoven 5 in the second movement. We’re performing Falla’s Suite, but for the second movement I swapped in part of the original ballet so we can play that quote.” Kim’s adaptation of Falla’s suite adds about three minutes of music.

Last spring, Kim unveiled a new concert format called SoundCheck at San Francisco’s Saint Joseph’s Arts Society where the audience was invited to move around while the Orchestra was playing. Where did this idea come from and what insights did she hope audiences might gain from mobile listening? “Last year, I was in London to conduct Tosca. While I was on a very loud street near Covent Garden talking with a friend, I heard someone call out to me from behind. When I looked, I was surprised to see that it was one of our patrons from San Francisco. I said, ‘How did you find me?’ and they said, ‘Well, I was just walking by and I thought I heard your voice.’”

This chance encounter provided a spark. “If you can recognize a voice, you can also recognize an instrument’s voice. You don’t need a musical education or any instrumental skills. You just have to get used to the sound and the color, just like it was the voice of someone you know.” At the SoundCheck performance, Kim encouraged the audience to get close to the musicians while they were playing music by Wagner, Beethoven, and Britten. After some initial trepidation, attendees began seeking new visual and aural vantage points around the performance space. A few of the younger listeners eased into seats next to Principal Bassoon Rufus Olivier to enjoy the deep tones coming from his instrument and the woodwinds close by.

“I think that worked really well,” Kim said. “Many of my close friends are not musicians. One of them is a computer program engineer who does not know anything about classical music. After the concert, he said. ‘That bamboo—he meant bassoon—what is that? I am so impressed by the sound of that instrument.’ He didn’t even know the name of the instrument, but he was captured by it. Now, every time he comes back, he recognizes that instrumental voice, even though the pieces we play are different.” Kim believes increased familiarity with the sounds of different instruments adds immeasurably to the experience of opera. “You may recognize a singer’s voice immediately, but add to that, let’s say, an oboe solo or string accompaniment. This makes the experience even richer.”

Public Relations Director and program editor Jeffery S. McMillan is a writer on opera and jazz. He is the author of Delightfulee: The Life and Music of Lee Morgan.