Francisco Coll 1985
Opera in two acts
Libretto by Àlex Rigola, based upon the eponymous work by Henrik
Ibsen
Work committed by Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and Teatro Real in Madrid
World premiere: 5 November 2025
Enemigo del pueblo, Ibsen inspiring Jaws
The Valencian composer Francisco Coll has already presented his chamber opera Café Kafka at Les Arts, a micro-drama about human isolation in the modern age. Dramatic inspiration brings him back with a drama about savage capitalism, the Leviathan of contemporary society that puts its own security above that of the people. Henrik Ibsen's play of the same name, written in 1882, highlighted squarely an issue that has been unfortunately universal since the Industrial Revolution: the prevalence of money over human, moral and health values. An Enemy of the People would inspire the 20th-Century novel Jaws by American author Peter Benchley, which was adapted for the big screen by Steven Spielberg in his landmark film of the same name in 1974. Closing the circle, Francisco Coll presents, with the help of Ibsen, his monstrous Leviathan of the 21st Century: the dehumanised capitalist known today as the financial shark.
