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Intense, Moving and Above All, Relevant Madrid
Teatro Real
02/12/2026 - & February 13, 17, 18, 2026
Francisco Coll: Enemigo del pueblo
José Antonio López (Dr Stockmann), Moisés Marín (The Mayor), Brenda Rae (Petra), Isaac Galán (Mario), Marta Fontanals-Simmons (Marta), Juan Goberna (Morten), José Angel Florido, Nacho Ojeda (Peasants)
Coro Titular del Teatro Real (Coro Intermezzo), José Luis Basso (choir director), Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real (Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid), Christian Karlsen (conductor)
Alex Rigola (stage director). Patricia Albizu (sets, costumes). Carlos Marquerie (lighting), Alvaro Luna (videography)
J. A. López, M. Marín (© Javier del Real/Teatro Real)
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is famously Norway’s greatest playwright. While Freud placed him on par with Shakespeare and Sophocles, the great George Bernard Shaw (1856‑1950) considered him superior to Shakespeare. His influence on Shaw, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde was huge. His most notable works are Brand (1865), Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll’s House (1869), Ghosts (1881), An Enemy of the People (1882), The Wild Duck (1881), Romersholm (1886) and Hedda Gabler (1890). Unlike Shakespeare, Schiller or Hugo, the plays of Ibsen have not been sources of inspiration for operatic composers. Only Peer Gynt, the early play for which fellow Norwegian Edvard Grieg (1843‑1907) had written incidental music, inspired German composer Werner Egk (1901‑1983) to write his eponymous opera Peer Gynt (1938).
A century later, Ibsen again has been chosen to be the source for a new opera. Spain’s Francisco Coll (born 1985) chose to score An Enemy of the People as a ninety‑minute opera, which was first presented at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts last November. Its Madrid premiere at Teatro Real is a major musical event. The music of Coll, a student of British composer Thomas Adès (born 1971), shows the influence of such composers as Stravinsky, Ligeti and Nancarrow.
Thirteen decades after its creation, repurposing Enemy as an opera may be surprising, but it’s in fact entirely à propos. We live in strange times; narrative matters more than reality. Politicians—and the media that serve them—tell us black is white and white is black. The majority, sadly, believe what they’re told.
An Enemy of the People recounts the story of a spa town where the doctor, Dr Stockmann, a man of science, discovers the spa’s waters are being contaminated by waste from farms upstream from the town. The alarmed town mayor, the doctor’s brother, the ambitious newspaper man Mario and councilwoman Marta turn against Stockmann, eventually galvanizing the whole town against him. Only his daughter, Petra, is steadfast in her support for her father.
The opera proposes several provocative ideas, and most are quite controversial. For example, if the masses are so easily manipulated by politicians and media, how relevant are the opinions of the majority? Another theme is the sagacity of being a lone voice in a crusade that one knows is lost from the start. Might the notion of right or wrong benefit from some dilution to enable the majority to swallow the bitter pill?
Director Alex Rigola, who years ago directed Ibsen’s play, is obviously passionate about the story and an ideal choice for this collaboration. Here the setting is transposed from Nordic spa to Mediterranean beach town, more pertinent to Spain for which such tourism is a lifeline. The town resembles Spain’s southern coast (e.g. Marbella) or the Mediterranean coast (Alicante, Torremolinos, Sitges). One can relate to the potential upheaval such a contamination would cause in beachside resorts dependent on tourism. Patricia Albizu’s setting was appealing, emphasizing the blue sea and sky. Carlos Marquerie’s lighting was also effective, especially when the sky darkens, auguring catastrophe at the opera’s finale.
Coll’s music effectively blended Spanish musical elements, specifically the pasodoble, with avant‑garde music. The vocal writing was reminiscent of Adès and at times, Alban Berg (1885‑1935). Vocally and dramatically, the work focused on three characters: baritone José Antonio López as Dr Stockmann; tenor Moisés Marín as The Mayor; and soprano Brenda Rae as Petra.
Baritone López had impressed as the villainous Melchor in Tomas Bretón’s La Dolores in Madrid in 2023. Endowed with a powerful low register, he believably portrayed the detestable seducer. In the very different role of Dr. Stockmann, he made this man of science less dour than he could have. His low notes and imposing stature gave the doctor ample gravitas, although he had noticeable difficulties with his upper register.
First heard last summer as Aminta in Berlin’s production of Strauss’s Die schweigsame Frau, American lyric soprano Brenda Rae is endowed with a pretty timbre and bright soprano that can dazzle in her stratospheric upper register. In this work, the role of Petra requires more charisma than technical bravura. Rae has both in spades, and impressed as both a serious young woman and a devotedly loving daughter. Though the only non‑native Spanish speaker in the cast, her diction was more than adequate.
The most interesting role vocally and dramatically is the Mayor, brilliantly interpreted by tenor Moisés Marín. Heard two seasons ago in the minor role of Pang in Barcelona’s production of Turandot, here Marín was a revelation. The Mayor, who is not necessarily an evil character, is nonetheless a source of discord and dissent, as he’s the town’s most prominent figure of authority and the brother of the whistleblower. To convey this dissonance, Coll wrote sudden ascents into the high register into the role, reaching a high F on one occasion. Marin handled these jumps with ease. Moreover, he managed to imbue ambiguity on the character rather than letting him appear as one-dimensionally evil.
More ignoble were two supporting roles, Marta the councilwoman and Mario, the ambitious young journalist. Both represent the banality of evil and the ease with which most people choose the safe way out rather than maintain their principles. Mario is especially despicable; before Dr Stockmann’s revelation, he called himself the “scrounge of the powerful.” However, like many, he’s for sale to the highest bidder—the town’s rich and powerful. As for Marta, she’s simply a politician. Need I say more?
Coll was scheduled to conduct his opera but was unable to for health reasons, and was therefore replaced by Swedish conductor Christian Karlsen, who successfully led the Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real in navigating a rarely-performed musical style. He deftly highlighted the score’s many folkloric influences and proved himself a competent vocal maestro, especially during the Mayor’s treacherous ascents in the stratosphere.
The composer and director were smart to present the three‑act work in one go, thereby allowing for a more natural musical flow. The performance culminated in a euphoric audience, deeply stirred by the drama of the score and the sheer intensity of the interpretation. Despite the work’s challenges, they were neither bored nor fatigued—only profoundly moved. Bravo!
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