Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 8th Summer Festival of the Polish Royal Opera – OPERA SERIA will begin soon. Eleven evenings will be filled with moving dramatic music by outstanding composers, both Polish and foreign, from the past and present.
This exceptional celebration of music will begin on May 31 with the spectacular premiere of IDOMENEO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in a refined and imaginative staging by Marek Weiss and under the musical direction of Dawid Runtz (with a second performance on the 1st of June). For the Viennese master, the opera seria genre was merely a starting point for creating an extraordinary work in which he seamlessly combines tradition with his unique individual style. This originality in approaching this serious genre defines the entire program of this year’s Festival, and this vision could not be complete without canonical works by Baroque composers. On Saturday, the 14th of June, we will hear IMENEO – one of George Frideric Handel’s last Italian operas, followed a week later by Henry Purcell’s DIDO AND AENEAS – a work considered the first English national opera. Both performances will be conducted by maestro Krzysztof Garstka. Ancient themes will also appear in a 20th-century work – on the 11th and 12th of July, we will hear THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA by Benjamin Britten under the musical direction of Lilianna Krych. The opera is a powerful portrayal of the tragedy of the title character, but also offers a profound reflection on history and the role of women in European culture.
The tragic fate of women and the topic of social inequality are also addressed in HALKA by Stanisław Moniuszko – an opera that marked a turning point in the history of Polish music theatre. It will be performed in its Vilnius version on the 27th and 28th of June, conducted by Dawid Runtz. Contemporary Polish opera will be represented by two works commissioned by the Polish Royal Opera. On the 4th of July, we will hear Michał Dobrzyński’s latest opera HI§TORY, based on the manuscripts of Gombrowicz’s drama. Following in the footsteps of the master of grotesque, the composer and performers, led by Karol Szwech, try to “break through from Unreality to Reality” – including the reality of today. The festival will conclude on the 18th and 19th of July with two performances of NIGHT OF THE RAVENS by Zygmunt Krauze to a libretto by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk based on Ballads and Romances and Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve) by Adam Mickiewicz. The ancient intertwines with the contemporary, and what is universal remains in the foreground – love and suffering, community and loneliness.
All performances will take place in the enchanting space of the historic Royal Theatre in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw, and the Artists of the Polish Royal Opera will ensure the highest artistic standards. We warmly invite you to rediscover the ever-evolving meanings hidden in this deeply moving music and share with us the reflections and emotions it inspires.
Ruch Muzyczny is the partner of the 8th Summer Festival of the Polish Royal Opera – OPERA SERIA.
