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The production is an innovative take on Purcell’s Baroque opera seen through the prism of contemporary dance. Natalia Iwaniec, director, choreographer and ambassador of the Gaga dance technique, seeks inspiration from Sicilian Baroque architecture and mysticism expressed through movement.
Henry Purcell
dir. Natalia Iwaniec
CAPELLA CRACOVIENSIS
Ilona Szczepańska – Dido
Magdalena Łukawska – Belinda
Piotr Kwinta – Æneas
Przemysław Bałka – sorcerer
Szczepan Kosior – first sailor
Katarzyna Brajner – spirit
Michalina Bienkiewicz, Katarzyna Brajner – witches/sopranos
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka, Łukasz Dulewicz – altos
Andrij Khorsik, Piotr Windak, Szczepan Kosior – tenors
Marek Opaska, Przemysław Bałka – basses
Agnieszka Świątkowska, Beata Nawrocka – violins
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Michał Bylina – double bass
Aleksander Mocek – harpsichord
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
The production is an innovative take on Purcell’s Baroque opera seen through the prism of contemporary dance. Natalia Iwaniec, director, choreographer and ambassador of the Gaga dance technique, seeks inspiration from Sicilian Baroque architecture and mysticism expressed through movement.
Henry Purcell
dir. Natalia Iwaniec
CAPELLA CRACOVIENSIS
Ilona Szczepańska – Dido
Magdalena Łukawska – Belinda
Piotr Kwinta – Æneas
Przemysław Bałka – sorcerer
Szczepan Kosior – first sailor
Katarzyna Brajner – spirit
Michalina Bienkiewicz, Katarzyna Brajner – witches/sopranos
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka, Łukasz Dulewicz – altos
Andrij Khorsik, Piotr Windak, Szczepan Kosior – tenors
Marek Opaska, Przemysław Bałka – basses
Agnieszka Świątkowska, Beata Nawrocka – violins
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Michał Bylina – double bass
Aleksander Mocek – harpsichord
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
The production is an innovative take on Purcell’s Baroque opera seen through the prism of contemporary dance. Natalia Iwaniec, director, choreographer and ambassador of the Gaga dance technique, seeks inspiration from Sicilian Baroque architecture and mysticism expressed through movement.
Henry Purcell
dir. Natalia Iwaniec
CAPELLA CRACOVIENSIS
Ilona Szczepańska – Dido
Magdalena Łukawska – Belinda
Piotr Kwinta – Æneas
Przemysław Bałka – sorcerer
Szczepan Kosior – first sailor
Katarzyna Brajner – spirit
Michalina Bienkiewicz, Katarzyna Brajner – witches/sopranos
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka, Łukasz Dulewicz – altos
Andrij Khorsik, Piotr Windak, Szczepan Kosior – tenors
Marek Opaska, Przemysław Bałka – basses
Agnieszka Świątkowska, Beata Nawrocka – violins
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Michał Bylina – double bass
Aleksander Mocek – harpsichord
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
Although the three works are separated by almost three centuries, they are united by a common story told in the space of Kraków’s Cricoteka. It is a tale of war and destruction, of nothingness and death, of love and longing. A story of melancholy and community. Let’s start with Marcello’s “Cassandra”: the Baroque cantata for alto and basso continuo, based on excerpts from Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ dramas, tells the story of the Trojan war through a few short settings. Next, Sciarrino’s “Vanitas” is immersed in the pure beauty of music and silence, telling the story of insignificance, passing, nothingness. Finally, Lang’s “Just” is a choral song based on selected passages from the Song of Songs, musing on the differences between you and I, coming together in the act of love. Two years ago I wrote that after centuries of wars waged by men for men’s causes, and after centuries of ignoring women’s caution and warnings, it is time to start fixing this broken world by looking at it purely through the feminine lens. Today, women’s perspective is more important than ever. Cassandra. Woman. She. Let us listen to what they have to say; to sing. Tomasz Cyz
Benedetto Marcello Cassandra 1727
Salvatore Sciarrino Vanitas 1981
David Lang Just 2014
Tomasz Cyz – director
Katarzyna Łuszczyk – lighting
Natalia Kitamikado – stage design/costume design
Alicja Czyczel – choreography
William Towers – alto
Anton Hryniewicz – bass
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Magdalena Łukawska – soprano
Katarzyna Guran – soprano
Joanna Stawarska – soprano
Zuzanna Hwang – soprano
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka – alto
Agata Flondro – alto
Aneta Dumanowska – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Rafał Tyliba – percussion
Natalia Kawałek – mezzo-soprano
Marek Bracha – piano
Michał Pepol – cello
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
Although the three works are separated by almost three centuries, they are united by a common story told in the space of Kraków’s Cricoteka. It is a tale of war and destruction, of nothingness and death, of love and longing. A story of melancholy and community. Let’s start with Marcello’s “Cassandra”: the Baroque cantata for alto and basso continuo, based on excerpts from Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ dramas, tells the story of the Trojan war through a few short settings. Next, Sciarrino’s “Vanitas” is immersed in the pure beauty of music and silence, telling the story of insignificance, passing, nothingness. Finally, Lang’s “Just” is a choral song based on selected passages from the Song of Songs, musing on the differences between you and I, coming together in the act of love. Two years ago I wrote that after centuries of wars waged by men for men’s causes, and after centuries of ignoring women’s caution and warnings, it is time to start fixing this broken world by looking at it purely through the feminine lens. Today, women’s perspective is more important than ever. Cassandra. Woman. She. Let us listen to what they have to say; to sing. Tomasz Cyz
Benedetto Marcello Cassandra 1727
Salvatore Sciarrino Vanitas 1981
David Lang Just 2014
Tomasz Cyz – director
Katarzyna Łuszczyk – lighting
Natalia Kitamikado – stage design/costume design
Alicja Czyczel – choreography
William Towers – alto
Anton Hryniewicz – bass
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Magdalena Łukawska – soprano
Katarzyna Guran – soprano
Joanna Stawarska – soprano
Zuzanna Hwang – soprano
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka – alto
Agata Flondro – alto
Aneta Dumanowska – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Rafał Tyliba – percussion
Natalia Kawałek – mezzo-soprano
Marek Bracha – piano
Michał Pepol – cello
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
Although the three works are separated by almost three centuries, they are united by a common story told in the space of Kraków’s Cricoteka. It is a tale of war and destruction, of nothingness and death, of love and longing. A story of melancholy and community. Let’s start with Marcello’s “Cassandra”: the Baroque cantata for alto and basso continuo, based on excerpts from Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ dramas, tells the story of the Trojan war through a few short settings. Next, Sciarrino’s “Vanitas” is immersed in the pure beauty of music and silence, telling the story of insignificance, passing, nothingness. Finally, Lang’s “Just” is a choral song based on selected passages from the Song of Songs, musing on the differences between you and I, coming together in the act of love. Two years ago I wrote that after centuries of wars waged by men for men’s causes, and after centuries of ignoring women’s caution and warnings, it is time to start fixing this broken world by looking at it purely through the feminine lens. Today, women’s perspective is more important than ever. Cassandra. Woman. She. Let us listen to what they have to say; to sing. Tomasz Cyz
Benedetto Marcello Cassandra 1727
Salvatore Sciarrino Vanitas 1981
David Lang Just 2014
Tomasz Cyz – director
Katarzyna Łuszczyk – lighting
Natalia Kitamikado – stage design/costume design
Alicja Czyczel – choreography
William Towers – alto
Anton Hryniewicz – bass
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Magdalena Łukawska – soprano
Katarzyna Guran – soprano
Joanna Stawarska – soprano
Zuzanna Hwang – soprano
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka – alto
Agata Flondro – alto
Aneta Dumanowska – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Rafał Tyliba – percussion
Natalia Kawałek – mezzo-soprano
Marek Bracha – piano
Michał Pepol – cello
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
Although the three works are separated by almost three centuries, they are united by a common story told in the space of Kraków’s Cricoteka. It is a tale of war and destruction, of nothingness and death, of love and longing. A story of melancholy and community. Let’s start with Marcello’s “Cassandra”: the Baroque cantata for alto and basso continuo, based on excerpts from Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ dramas, tells the story of the Trojan war through a few short settings. Next, Sciarrino’s “Vanitas” is immersed in the pure beauty of music and silence, telling the story of insignificance, passing, nothingness. Finally, Lang’s “Just” is a choral song based on selected passages from the Song of Songs, musing on the differences between you and I, coming together in the act of love. Two years ago I wrote that after centuries of wars waged by men for men’s causes, and after centuries of ignoring women’s caution and warnings, it is time to start fixing this broken world by looking at it purely through the feminine lens. Today, women’s perspective is more important than ever. Cassandra. Woman. She. Let us listen to what they have to say; to sing. Tomasz Cyz
Benedetto Marcello Cassandra 1727
Salvatore Sciarrino Vanitas 1981
David Lang Just 2014
Tomasz Cyz – director
Katarzyna Łuszczyk – lighting
Natalia Kitamikado – stage design/costume design
Alicja Czyczel – choreography
William Towers – alto
Anton Hryniewicz – bass
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Magdalena Łukawska – soprano
Katarzyna Guran – soprano
Joanna Stawarska – soprano
Zuzanna Hwang – soprano
Dorota Dwojak-Tlałka – alto
Agata Flondro – alto
Aneta Dumanowska – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Rafał Tyliba – percussion
Natalia Kawałek – mezzo-soprano
Marek Bracha – piano
Michał Pepol – cello
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. We will provide ticket information soon.
“Lyrical Suite” – window onto the world: Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Karol Szymanowski, Gustav Mahler, Oskar Kokoschka, Stanisław Wyspiański, Egon Schiele, Wassily Kandinsky, Rainer Maria Rilke, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Zofia Stryjeńska and Walter Gropius were all major authorities, architects of the future outlined through their manifestos and real, living people seeking a better life in artistic communes in Worpswede, Szklarska Poręba, Murnau and Zakopane. We also long to be there to seek a true, meaningful world imbued with the spirit of the humanities. A world expressed through questions; a world of restless spirits, criticism, quests. This is why we need art – opportunities, goals in life, relief; art which is lofty, unexpected, multidimensional, eluding words, discarding ready formulas, rigid thinking and anything outright obvious, and, most of all, art which rejects dogmas which are an affront to critical thinking. We long for more silence and relief from imposed symbolisms and meanings; we long to be enchanted by abstract beauty.
Anton Webern – Langsamer Satz
Alban Berg – Lyrische Suite
Dorota Szczepańska – soprano
Airis String Quartet
Aleksandra Czajor-Kowalska – violin
Grażyna Zubik – violin
Malwina Tkaczyk – viola
Mateusz Mańka – cello
It is one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of music, and we are releasing it upon the city to soothe us in these troubled times. Even though including such a popular work seems to go against the philosophy of Opera Rara, we are doing it intentionally: thanks to our friends and partners from the community choir and thanks to all fans of opera we are transforming “Così” into a real element of our identity. Un’aura amorosa…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
dir. Cezary Tomaszewski
Katarzyna Oleś-Blacha – Fiordiligi
Monika Korybalska – Dorabella
Sebastian Szumski – Guglielmo
Przemysław Borys – Ferrando
Marzena Lubaszka – Despina
Jacek Ozimkowski – Don Alfonso
Capella Cracoviensis
Jan Tomasz Adamus
Izabela Perez, Szymon Dobosik, Oskar Malinowski – dancers
Paula Grocholska – stage design
Aleksander Prowaliński – lighting
Małgorzata Chruściel – costume design
Krakowski Chór Mieszczański – community choir
prepared by Joanna Stawarska & Ilona Szczepańska
The date of the show will be announced soon.
The joy of directing “Il ballo delle Ingrate” was also a joy of exploring a mystery which cannot be solved: why does the work, commissioned as a courtly ballet to be performed at a wedding, close with a devastating lament? I decided to reach for “Ballo” for its musical beauty, and also because it is one of Monteverdi’s lesser-known works. When I choose material to direct, I look for works which are niche, less obvious, non-canonical. This is driven by my innate curiosity and by pragmatism: works which haven’t previously been staged on a grand scale are easier to bring to life without pretension and without having to deal with high expectations. This allows me to play with the form and use the stage as a setting for experimentation. I find joy in Baroque music to be as important as preparing an original adaptation of the score. In my spectacle, Monteverdi’s work is put in perspective by pieces written by women: the performance starts by Barbara Strozzi’s song “Che si puo fare” and closes with a musical reinterpretation of “Ballo” composed by Teoniki Rożynek. The representation and significance of gender in art and creating art as a job are issues I often explore in my spectacles, and I hope this production also inspires you to considers these aspects of our lives. Magda Szpecht
Claudio Monteverdi / Teoniki Rożynek
dir. Magda Szpecht
Festival Ensemble
Jolanta Kowalska – soprano, Amor
Ilona Szczepańska – alto
Vincenzo Capezzuto – Venus
Piotr Windak – tenor
Marek Opaska – baritone, Pluton
Zofia Wojniakiewicz – violin
Beata Nawrocka – violin
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Mariusz Grochowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Andreas Arend – theorbo
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Jan Simon – stage design/costume design
Ada Bystrzycka – lighting
Magdalena Piotrowska – sound
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. Ticket information soon.
The joy of directing “Il ballo delle Ingrate” was also a joy of exploring a mystery which cannot be solved: why does the work, commissioned as a courtly ballet to be performed at a wedding, close with a devastating lament? I decided to reach for “Ballo” for its musical beauty, and also because it is one of Monteverdi’s lesser-known works. When I choose material to direct, I look for works which are niche, less obvious, non-canonical. This is driven by my innate curiosity and by pragmatism: works which haven’t previously been staged on a grand scale are easier to bring to life without pretension and without having to deal with high expectations. This allows me to play with the form and use the stage as a setting for experimentation. I find joy in Baroque music to be as important as preparing an original adaptation of the score. In my spectacle, Monteverdi’s work is put in perspective by pieces written by women: the performance starts by Barbara Strozzi’s song “Che si puo fare” and closes with a musical reinterpretation of “Ballo” composed by Teoniki Rożynek. The representation and significance of gender in art and creating art as a job are issues I often explore in my spectacles, and I hope this production also inspires you to considers these aspects of our lives. Magda Szpecht
Claudio Monteverdi / Teoniki Rożynek
dir. Magda Szpecht
Festival Ensemble
Jolanta Kowalska – soprano, Amor
Ilona Szczepańska – alto
Vincenzo Capezzuto – Venus
Piotr Windak – tenor
Marek Opaska – baritone, Pluton
Zofia Wojniakiewicz – violin
Beata Nawrocka – violin
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Mariusz Grochowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Andreas Arend – theorbo
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Jan Simon – stage design/costume design
Ada Bystrzycka – lighting
Magdalena Piotrowska – sound
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. Ticket information soon.
The joy of directing “Il ballo delle Ingrate” was also a joy of exploring a mystery which cannot be solved: why does the work, commissioned as a courtly ballet to be performed at a wedding, close with a devastating lament? I decided to reach for “Ballo” for its musical beauty, and also because it is one of Monteverdi’s lesser-known works. When I choose material to direct, I look for works which are niche, less obvious, non-canonical. This is driven by my innate curiosity and by pragmatism: works which haven’t previously been staged on a grand scale are easier to bring to life without pretension and without having to deal with high expectations. This allows me to play with the form and use the stage as a setting for experimentation. I find joy in Baroque music to be as important as preparing an original adaptation of the score. In my spectacle, Monteverdi’s work is put in perspective by pieces written by women: the performance starts by Barbara Strozzi’s song “Che si puo fare” and closes with a musical reinterpretation of “Ballo” composed by Teoniki Rożynek. The representation and significance of gender in art and creating art as a job are issues I often explore in my spectacles, and I hope this production also inspires you to considers these aspects of our lives. Magda Szpecht
Claudio Monteverdi / Teoniki Rożynek
dir. Magda Szpecht
Festival Ensemble
Jolanta Kowalska – soprano, Amor
Ilona Szczepańska – alto
Vincenzo Capezzuto – Venus
Piotr Windak – tenor
Marek Opaska – baritone, Pluton
Zofia Wojniakiewicz – violin
Beata Nawrocka – violin
Jacek Dumanowski – viola
Mariusz Grochowski – viola
Konrad Górka – cello
Andreas Arend – theorbo
Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord
Jan Simon – stage design/costume design
Ada Bystrzycka – lighting
Magdalena Piotrowska – sound
The show will be available only on www.playkrakow.com. Ticket information soon.