THE SECRET LIFE OF PAINTINGS

 We invite you to a unique event that blends the beauty of Baroque music and painting – an extraordinary encounter between excerpts from operas by Monteverdi, Handel, and Vivaldi and the masterpieces of art of that era.

Arias and ensembles from operas such as Rinaldo, Ariodante, and Alcina, removed from their original context, will serve as the foundation for a story told through paintings. We will step into the worlds depicted on canvas to uncover their hidden narratives and emotions.

What has the Woman Reading a Letter by Vermeer just learned? What thoughts occupy The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt? Who will catch the slipper of the young woman in Fragonard’s The Swing?

Answers to these and many other questions that intrigue art lovers will be revealed during the concert The Secret Life of Paintings.

This production is a collaboration between the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and the Polish Royal Opera. The performance will feature soloists from the OPERA ACADEMY of Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera and the Period Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera CAPELLA REGIA POLONA, directed by Krzysztof Garstka.

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PROGRAM

GEORG FRIEDRICH HAENDEL

Ouverture to the opera Rodelinda 

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI

Aria (Neptune) Superbo è l’huom from the opera Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK bass-baritone (soloist of the Polish Royal Opera)

GEORG FRIEDRICH HAENDEL

Aria (Armida) Furie terribili from the opera Rinaldo
KATARZYNA DRELICH soprano (guest appearance) 

Aria (Ariodante) Dopo notte from the opera Ariodante
EMILIA RABCZAK mezzosoprano 

Duet (Ginevra and Ariodante) Bramo aver mille vite from the opera Ariodante
IZABELLA FABRYCKA soprano
MARTA WIKTORZAK mezzo-soprano 

ANTONIO VIVALDI

Aria Ah ch’infelice sempre from the cantata Cessate, omai cessate
NATALIIA TEPLA mezzo-soprano

GEORG FRIEDRICH HAENDEL

Aria (Alcina) Si son quella from the opera Alcina
JUSTYNA KHIL soprano

Aria (Morgana) Tornami a vagheggiar from the opera Alcina
GABRIELA STOLIŃSKA soprano

Duet (Armida and Argante) Al trionfo del nostro furore from the opera Rinaldo
IZABELLA FABRYCKA soprano
NAZAR MYKULYAK baritone

Aria (Agrippina) L’alma mia fra le tempeste from the opera Agrippina
IRYNA MELNYK soprano

Aria (Ariodante) Scherza infida from the opera Ariodante
EMILIA RABCZAK mezzosoprano

Aria (Cleopatra) Piangerò la sorte mia from the opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto
IZABELLA FABRYCKA soprano 

Arioso (Ginevra) Vezzi, lusinghe e brio from the opera Ariodante
GABRIELA STOLIŃSKA soprano 

Aria Pena tiranna from the opera Amadigi di Gaula
ENES AKSU countertenor (guest appearance) 

Aria (Apollo) Come rosa sul la spina from the cantata Apollo i Dafne
NAZAR MYKULYAK baritone

ANTONIO VIVALDI

Sinfonia from the opera L’Olimpiade (1. Allegro)

Aria (Vagaus) Armatae face et anguibus from the oratorium Juditha triumphans
MARTA WIKTORZAK mezzosoprano

KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA MUSIC DIRECTION
EWA RUCIŃSKA SCRIPT AND DIRECTION
ILONA MOLKA CHOREOGRAPHY
PIOTR MAJEWSKI VIDEO PROJECTIONS
MACIEJ IGIELSKI LIGHTING
ELŻBIETA TOLAK COSTUMES AND MAKEUP

PERFORMERS

PARTICIPANTS OF THE OPERA ACADEMY OF THE TEATR WIELKI – POLISH NATIONAL OPERA

THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA

KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA – CONDUCTOR

CONCERT CO-ORGANISED BY: