opera

There is no doubt that the Polish premiere of the opera "A Streetcar Named Desire" will be a significant event in our operatic life. The composer, André Previn, received the Grand Prix du Disque for its recording back in 1998, and his soundtracks for Gigi, Porgy and Bess, Sweet Irma, and My Fair Lady were awarded Oscars. The playwright himself, Tennessee Williams, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, needs no special recommendations. His works ...

AIDA – the beautiful, monumental opera was commissioned in 1869 by Ismail Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, for the grand opening of the Suez Canal; unfortunately, it was not staged for that occasion. Initially, Verdi wasn't interested in the libretto's subject matter, but the fabulous honorarium of 150,000 gold francs and the freedom to choose the cast for all roles quickly persuaded him to collaborate. In these comfortable conditions, a ...

Bizet once wrote that if there were no adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, and supernatural powers in the world, composers would have nothing to write about in their operas. However, this doesn't change the fact that CARMEN – a tale of sexual obsession and inevitable murder driven by love – initially shocked Parisian audiences, unaccustomed to such a bold combination of comedic and tragic elements. The controversial subject matter and the ...

Opera with Chopin... Not only in the title   It is a beautiful story based on the life and unique music of Fryderyk Chopin, enriched with vocal and acting performances. This opera was created with great sympathy and admiration for the music of Fryderyk Chopin. Its creator, the Italian Giacomo Orefice, based his score entirely on the music of the Polish composer. Chopin's life also served as inspiration for the libretto, and his name ...

The concept of THE FLYING DUTCHMAN came from literary sources, and its musical and poetic atmosphere had an additional autobiographical background. Wagner modeled his work directly on a short story by Heinrich Heine, which served him to prepare its stage version. Still, Heine’s story turned into a personal and tangible experience, going back to the time when Wagner had for several weeks sailed from Riga to London on board a schooner amidst a ...

DON CARLOS – PERFECTION AND EMOTIONS   Each encounter with the works of Giuseppe Verdi is a significant challenge and an emotional experience for the theater, offering the audience an opportunity to participate in something important and extraordinary. After the March premiere in Paris in 1867, Verdi was not entirely pleased with the result of his work on Don Carlos. In a short time, he made many changes, and by October of the ...

DON PASQUALE... FOR EVERYONE!   Such indigestible confetti – Donizetti tells us to take poor Don Pasquale to the hospital. This malicious verse, published in the press after the premiere in Dresden in 1844, couldn't harm Gaetano Donizetti's excellent opera Don Pasquale – to the full approval and delight of the audience – triumphantly marched through the world's greatest opera stages. Stars like Enrico Caruso, Marcelina ...

Opera "Faust" is a tale full of magic and metaphysics for adults, where the existential dilemma of the main character is presented against the backdrop of a narrative about society during wartime, which, despite historical circumstances, still wants to play, love, and seek support and ethical guidance in simple interpretations of folk morality and religious dogmas. Our interpretation of "Faust" is based on the ambition to weave a fairy ...

While Fryderyk Chopin gained great recognition in France as a cultural ambassador of an oppressed nation, his younger contemporary, Stanisław Moniuszko, worked in the cultural field in his own homeland. Like Chopin, Moniuszko combined Western European romanticism with the spirit of Polish culture in his works. HALKA is undoubtedly an example of a successful fusion of Italian, French, and German opera traits with elements typical of ...