Time 19:00
The Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw
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The Haunted Manor by Stanisław Moniuszko was produced by the Polish Royal Opera at a very special moment. On the one hand, the premiere of this patriotic opera was the finale of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. On the other hand, it was the opening of 2019, which, by the Resolution of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, was named the Year of Stanisław Moniuszko. The performance directed by Ryszard Peryt features outstanding soloists, the Chorus and the Orchestra of the Polish Royal Opera.
The only things that make me happy are my good health and my work, to which, as the only true comfort after everyday defeats, I enthusiastically returned after a long rest… This is what Moniuszko wrote to his friend, resuming his work on the manuscript of The Haunted Manor, which he began in 1861. Shocked by the defeat of the January Uprising, the composer created a work to uplift the Polish spirit, similar to the epic poem Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz.
The premiere of The Haunted Manor took place in Warsaw on the 28th of September 1865. Despite the enthusiastic reception by the audience, the opera was banned after only three performances. Tsarist censorship quickly noticed the captivating atmosphere of Polishness hidden both in the libretto prepared by Jan Chęciński and in the music itself. Moniuszko used not only rhythms characteristic of Polish dances but also a number of other musical techniques. The arias and choruses contain references to native folklore and lyrical traditions of the romantic song. How touching must those memories of the old rituals have been during a time of captivity… How meaningful was the famous Chimes Aria, in which the longing for the deceased mother conceals inconsolable weeping over the fate of the enslaved Motherland…
STAGING, SET DESIGN, DIRECTION RYSZARD PERYT
COSTUMES AND PROPS MARLENA SKONECZKO
LIGHTING DESIGN PIOTR RUDZKI
VIDEO PROJECTIONS MAREK ZAMOJSKI
CHORUS MASTER JAKUB SZAFRAŃSKI
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KAROL SZWECH
I ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
II ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
STAGE MANAGER AGNIESZKA ORLIKOWSKA
CAST
MIECZNIK WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ
HANNA GABRIELA KAMIŃSKA
JADWIGA MONIKA LEDZION-PORCZYŃSKA
DAMAZY MATEUSZ ZAJDEL
STEFAN JACEK SZPONARSKI
ZBIGNIEW PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK
CZEŚNIKOWA ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ
SKOŁUBA SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
MACIEJ PIOTR KĘDZIORA
MARTA MAŁGORZATA BARTKOWSKA
GRZEŚ ANDRZEJ KLEPACKI
STARA NIEWIASTA EWA MIKULSKA
THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
CONDUCTOR DAWID RUNTZ
