The Secret Life of Paintings

Watch on vod.teatrwielki.pl and the Youtube channel of the Polish Royal Opera.

The Secret Life of Paintings is a musical collage of fragments of baroque operas that have been patched up together to create a series of short tales revolving around the epoch's painting masterpieces. Elevated to the status of high art, once popular, especially among the aristocratic circles, the intellectual game is an excellent opportunity to gain stage experience for young singers.

The young and exceptionally talented members of the Opera Academy are accompanied by the Capella Regia Polona Early Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera under Krzysztof Garstka.

Music director: KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA
Written and directed by: EWA RUCIŃSKA
Video: PIOTR MAJEWSKI
Costumes: ELŻBIETA TOLAK
Choreography: ILONA MOLKA
Stage design: STEFANIA CHIARELLI

Piotr Beczała can be likened to a Bugatti Chiron among supercars – the only one, unique, worth every penny. He seems to have performed everywhere that is worth aspiring to, with everyone who is worth working with, and he has sung – naturally – every role worthy of his talent. This time he will perform with the chorus of the Polish National Opera chorus. We can expect works from his latest albums. We do not vouch for Moniuszko, but Wager’s Lohengrin – certainly. And of courseVincerò. The title turned out prophetic, by the way: it brought our tenor the Erwin Piscator Award 2020 (for his work on Moniuszko’s and Karłowicz’s pieces), and that is in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. The award ceremony will take place in the late autumn. Soon after the honour is bestowed upon him in New York, a great concert awaits us in Warsaw. The insiders promise ‘verismo and late Wagner’. To facilitate reception, choreography is to be kept to a minimum.

Handel

Rodelinda, overture

Monteverdi

The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, Neptune's aria Superbo è l'huom
Karol Skwara

Handel

Rinaldo, Armida's aria Furie terribili
Katarzyna Drelich

Ariodante, Ariodante's aria Dopo notte
Nataliia Kukhar

Rinaldo, Armida's aria Molto voglio, molto spero
Inna Fedoriiy

Ariodante
duet of Ginevra and Ariodante Bramo aver mille vite
Inna Fedoriiy, Nataliia Kukhar
duet of Lurcanio and Dalinda Dite spera
Inna Fedoriiy, Mykhailo Kushlyk

Orlando, Zoroastro's aria Lascia amor
Yevhen Rakhmanin

Ariodante, Lurcanio' aria Il tuo sangue
Mykhailo Kushlyk

Rinaldo, Argante's aria Sibilar gli angui d’Aletto
Paweł Horodyski

Alcina, Alcina's aria Si son quella
Paula Kluczna-Lula

Agrippina, Agrippina's aria L'alma mia fra le tempeste
Zuzanna Nalewajek

Orlando, Zoroastro's aria Sorge infausta una procella
Yevhen Rakhmanin

Ariodante
Ariodante's aria Scherza infida
Justyna Ołów
Ginevra's arioso Vezzi, lusinghe e brio
Magda Górniak

Monteverdi

The Coronation of Poppaea, duet of Poppaea and Nero Pur ti miro, Pur ti godo
Magda Górniak, Jakub Foltak

Handel

Rinaldo, Rinaldo's aria Cara sposa
Jakub Foltak

Vivaldi

Judith triumphant, Vagaus' aria Armatae face et anguibus
Katarzyna Szymkowiak

Inna Fedoriiy soprano
Magda Górniak soprano
Katarzyna Drelich soprano
Justyna Ołów mezzo-soprano
Nataliia Kukhar mezzo-soprano
Paula Kluczna-Lula mezzo-soprano
Zuzanna Nalewajek mezzo-soprano
Katarzyna Szymkowiak mezzo-soprano
Jakub Foltak countertenor
Mykhailo Kushlyk tenor
Paweł Horodyski bass
Yevhen Rakhmanin bass
Karol Skwara bass

As Mime Artist: Gregor Giselbrecht

Capella Regia Polona Early Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera:

Michał Piotrowski concertmaster, 1st violin
Ludmiła Piestrak 1st violin
Anna Nowak-Pokrzywińska 2nd violin
Marta Korbel 2nd violin
Natalia Reichert viola
Maciej Łukaszuk cello
Grzegorz Zimak double-bass
Maria Wilgos theorbo
Tytus Wojnowicz oboe
Leszek Wachnik bassoon
Alan Turonek trumpet
Szymon Gwóźdź trumpet

Krzysztof Garstka harpsichord, conductor