MAZOWSZE:
Warsaw Can Be Liked

Right at the heart of Poland's central region of Mazovia, the Mazowsze Folk Ensemble of Song and Dance will treat the audience of the Polish National Opera to a selection of songs and choreographies channeling its years-long attachment to and love for Warsaw. The ensemble has been associated with the Polish capital almost from its very inception. Its founders, Tadeusz Sygietyński and Mira Zimińska-Sygietyńska, loved the city dearly and made it their home. During its international tours, Mazowsze raised funds to help with the postwar reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw and the rest of the destroyed city. That was also when Sygietyński poured his heart into composing songs about Warsaw. This show presents a large part of this unequalled oeuvre. The compelling musical tale of the Polish capital is complemented with stunning choreographies performed by Mazowsze soloists, chorus, ballet, and orchestra under Maestro Jacek Boniecki.

Anonymous authors of medieval songs comprising the Carmina Burana cantata were not Nazis, and neither was Richard Wagner. They were born too early for that. However, zeitgeist works in mysterious ways: Orff (just like Wagner) was a favoured artists among the Nazis, and his name found itself on the Gottbegnadeten-Liste ('God-gifted list' or 'Important Artist Exempt List'). The piece had its world premiere in 1937 and was not particularly appreciated by the critics, but by the Third Reich leaders – very much so. Currently it seems to enjoy popularity among heavy metal bands. Politics aside, music remains the most important thing, after all. Thanks to Boris Kudlička’s visualizations we are transported from a theatre building into space, ready to reach universal values at superluminal velocity. Worth taking the trip!