opera

The grand opera without a happy ending...   An elderly music enthusiast drew my attention to Samson, telling me about Voltaire's libretto; he even sketched out a preliminary scenario for my use. Thus Saint-Saëns wrote in a letter to Henri Collet, revealing at the same time his desire to reference the tradition of oratorio in Samson and Delilah. Hence, the work, not being an "action opera," in its construction contains more purely ...

THE HAUNTED MANOR is not only the most perfect work of Moniuszko from a musical standpoint, but also stands at the forefront of all Polish opera creations of the 19th century. The excellent construction of ensemble scenes, subtle yet colorful instrumentation, remarkable melodic invention, and captivating atmosphere of Polishness are indisputable qualities of this work.   Moniuszko completed his fifth opera shortly after the ...

"The Man from the Manufactory" is a tale delving into the turbulent events in the history of the multicultural metropolis of Łódź. The first act portrays episodes from the life of the 19th-century industrialist Izrael Poznański, known as the Cotton King, and reaches into a significant event, the general strike of workers against factory owners in 1892 (known as the Łódź insurrection). The action of the second act takes place about ...