Time 19:00
The Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw
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L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) first impressed the public during the Carnival of 1643 in Venice. The perfectly constructed libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busonelli, accompanied by the brilliant music of Master Monteverdi, fits perfectly into the carnival atmosphere of subverting social order. This applies not only to the narrative of the opera (after all, the courtesan becomes the empress) but, above all, to its socio-cultural overtone. The creators opposed the convention of idealizing reality, which was dominant in opera at the time, choosing to present reality as it was.
There are no role models worth imitating among the main characters of this masterpiece. The motivations and actions of Poppaea, Nero or Ottone do not arouse sympathy, yet the dramatic and musical elements reflecting the psychological depth of these characters both amaze and delight. The argument between Fortune, Virtue and Cupid that opens the opera foreshadows the devastating game in which passion – having little to do with love – will not shy away from any wicked act in order to achieve its goal. However, could the divine creator of L’Orfeo leave the viewer immersed in dark thoughts about the vile nature of man? After all, the choice of historical figures as protagonists, certainly innovative at the time, was not accidental, and the awareness of their tragic fate – although the whole story is not told during the performance – means that Cupid’s victory over Fortune and Virtue is not as obvious as it might seem.
MUSICAL DIRECTION KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA
DIRECTED BY NATALIA BABIŃSKA SET DESIGNER MARTYNA KANDER COSTUMES ALEKSANDRA REDA CHOREOGRAPHY KAROL URBAŃSKI LIGHTING DESIGN MACIEJ IGIELSKI LIGHTING PIOTR RUDZKI VIDEO PROJECTIONS JAGODA CHALCIŃSKA CHORUS MASTER JAKUB SZAFRAŃSKI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK II ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER MAKSYMILIAN MAC STAGE MANAGERS AGNIESZKA ORLIKOWSKA
CAST
POPPEA MAŁGORZATA TROJANOWSKA NERONE KACPER SZELĄŻEK OTTONE JAN JAKUB MONOWID OTTAVIA ANNA RADZIEJEWSKA SENEKA SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK ARNALTA/NUTRICE DOROTA LACHOWICZ AMOR/DAMIGELLA MARTA SCHNURA DRUSILLA PAULINA HORAJSKA FORTUNA MARTA BOBERSKA VIRTU/PALLADE/VENUS IWONA LUBOWICZ LITTORE/MERCURIO ROBERT SZPRĘGIEL LUCANO/PRIMO SOLDATO SYLWESTER SMULCZYŃSKI LIBERTO/SECONDO SOLDATO JAKUB A. GRABOWSKI VALETTO JAKUB FOLTAK DANCER KAROL URBAŃSKI MIMES JERZY KLONOWSKI, MACIEJ JAN KRAŚNIEWSKI
THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
CONDUCTOR KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA
Duration: 3h 10 mins (with one intermission)
The seats in the auditorium are not numbered.
PLEASE NOTE: the entrance to the Royal Theatre in the Łazienki Park is located in Agrykola street.
