Time 18:00
Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu)
Che lieto giorno! What a joyful day! The opening words of the opera La finta giardiniera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart perfectly set the tone for the light and cheerful character of the entire concert. We will also hear humorous arias from the same work: Nardo will try to impress Serpetta with his erudition, while the tardy Belfiore will try to win back his resentful fiancée. The program would not be complete without at least a fragment from Le Nozze di Figaro, written by the Viennese master more than a decade later. The duet of barbed courtesies between two rival ladies (Che lingua!… Via, resti servita) is an excellent example of Mozartian elegance and his dramatic sensitivity in ensemble scenes.
But what would opera buffa be without Gioachino Rossini! Exceptionally gifted, superbly educated, and widely acclaimed already during his lifetime, the composer left behind works that elevated Italian opera to a new level and set new directions for the development of French music. His comic operas delight with their brilliantly sketched characters and inventive musical solutions. Outstanding soloists of the Polish Royal Opera, together with pianist Dagmara Dudzińska, will perform excerpts from The Barber of Seville, abounding in twists beyond the musical; from the half-serious, half-playful fairy-tale Cinderella; from the adventure-filled L’Italiana in Algeri; and finally from the utterly whimsical and subversive tale of Il signor Bruschino. The concert will conclude with expressive dialogues of the characters from L’elisir d’amore by Gaetano Donizetti. This work, which captivated audiences in Milan in 1832 and soon afterward in other Italian cities, continues to triumph on opera stages around the world. Like other comic operas of the 18th and 19th centuries, it also serves as an excellent source of pieces that impress with their artistry not only in their original orchestral version but also in intimate chamber arrangements.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Introduction from the opera La finta giardiniera
Aria (Nardo) Con un vezzo all’Italiana from the opera La finta giardiniera
Recitative and duet (Susanna and Marcellina) Tutto ancor non ho perso…, Via resti servita… from the opera Le nozze di Figaro
Aria (Belfiore) Che beltà, che leggiadria from the opera La finta giardiniera
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)
Recitative and trio Orsù: la tua nipote… Pappataci! from the opera L’Italiana in Algeri
Duet (Isabella and Mustafa) Oh, che muso… (Andantino, scena XI z finału I) from the opera L’Italiana in Algeri
Aria (Berta) Il vecchiotto cerca moglie… from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Recitative and duet (Don Magnifico and Dandini) È un certo arcano…, Un segreto… from the opera La Cenerentola
Aria (Rosina) Una voce poco fa from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Duet (Almavivy and Bartolo) Pace e gioia… from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Recitative and duet (Rosina and Figaro) Ma dite, signor Figaro…, Dunque io son… from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Aria (Basilio) La calunnia from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Recitative and aria (Rosina) Che vuol cantare…?, Contro un cor che accende amore… from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Recitative and trio (Gaudenzio, Bruschino, and Florville) Per bacco…, Per un figlio già pentito… from the opera Il signor Bruschino
Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Cavatina (Belcore) Come Paride vezzoso…, Or se m’ami… from the opera L’elisir d’amore
Recitative and duet (Nemorino and Adina) Caro elisir… from the opera L’elisir d’amore
Trio (Adina, Dulcamara, and Nemorino) Tran, tran, tran… from the opera L’elisir d’amore
PERFORMERS
JUSTYNA STĘPIEŃ SOPRANO
ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ MEZZOSOPRANO
SYLWESTER SMULCZYŃSKI TENOR
WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ BARITONE
PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK BASS-BARITONE
DAGMARA DUDZIŃSKA GRAND PIANO
Duration: 1h 10 mins (no intermission)
Co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the “Inspiring Culture” Programme 2026–2027.
Sufinancira Ministarstvo kulture i nacionalne baštine Republike Poljske u okviru programa „Inspiring Culture 2026-2027“.
Project: Presentation of Gioachino Rossini’s opera L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI and the chamber concert Opera buffa, performed by the Polish Royal Opera at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, within the framework of the “Inspiring Culture” Programme 2025–2026, implemented in cooperation with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu) and with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Zagreb.
Photo: Materials of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
