Time 19:00
The Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw
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The 1946 opera The Rape of Lucretia marks a turn in Benjamin Britten’s (1913-1976) body of work towards more chamber-like and intimate musical forms. A small cast – both vocal and instrumental – demonstrates the artist’s genius in shaping the sound of the ensemble. The individual arias are not only highly suggestive but also varied – the moving delicacy of the chords in the night scenes is contrasted with the expressive power of the more emotionally marked fragments.
The theme of the opera is the semi-legendary story of Lucretia, whose beauty and fidelity were tainted by the despicable act committed by Sextus of the Etruscan family of Tarquini. The ancient story of love, honour and betrayal prompts a psychological approach to the act of violence and the fate of the victim, the inequality in relationships between men and women and their different outlook on the world. The tragedy of Lucretia also symbolically reflects the situation of Rome, decaying under the Etruscan dynasty. What is more, Britten’s work is also an attempt to place this story in a Christian context. The multidimensionality of the work gives plenty of room for interpretation – both to directors and performers, among whom not only every singer but also every instrumentalist is a soloist.
The task of directing the staging of the work at the Polish Royal Opera was undertaken by Kamila Siwińska – an artist who has repeatedly touched upon topics related to the role of women in culture in her performances. We cordially invite you to experience her interpretation of the ancient story framed by the music of one of the most important British composers of the 20th century.
MUSIC DIRECTOR LILIANNA KRYCH
DIRECTOR, SET DESIGNER, VISUALIZATIONS KAMILA SIWIŃSKA
CHOREOGRAPHY TOBIASZ BERG
LIGHTING DESIGN PAULINA GÓRAL
STAGE COSTUMES TOMASZ ARMADA
FILM COSTUMES MARLENA SKONECZKO
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KAROL SZWECH
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
STAGE MANAGER TATIANA HEMPEL–GIERLACH
LANGUAGE CONSULTANT SEAN PALMER
CAST
MALE CHORUS RAFAŁ ŻUREK
FEMALE CHORUS JOANNA TALARKIEWICZ
COLLATINUS SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
JUNIUS WITOLD ŻOŁĄDIEWICZ
TARQUINIUS SZYMON MECHLIŃSKI
LUCRETIA ANNA RADZIEJEWSKA
BIANCA MAŁGORZATA BARTKOWSKA
LUCIA MARIA ZŁOTEK
THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
CONDUCTOR LILIANNA KRYCH
