A galaxy of opera stars at the Katowice Kultura Natura Festival
The upcoming 10th anniversary edition of the Katowice Kultura Natura Festival (Culture Nature Festival) promises to be an exciting one, thanks to the exceptional artists invited to perform at NOSPR. A star-studded lineup of renowned vocalists will take the stage, including tenor Ian Bostridge, mezzo-sopranos Joyce DiDonato and Sasha Cooke, and baritone Michael Spyres. World-class ensembles such as the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Il Pomo d’Oro will also perform in Katowice. The festival runs from May 8 to 16.
One of the highlights of the festival is the performance by American opera stars: Grammy Award-winner Joyce DiDonato and Michael Spyres, who lead the cast of Handel’s final oratorio, “Jephtha.” The work tells the tragic story of Jephtha, a biblical warrior and unfortunate father who, before going to battle against the Ammonites, vowed that if he returned victorious, he would sacrifice the first living being to greet him. Tragically, it was his only daughter who came to meet him. On May 11, the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra will be conducted by Francesco Corti. The Katowice performance will be the final stop on their tour, following performances in Paris, Madrid, and London.
On May 14, the famous song cycle “Die schöne Müllerin” (“The Fair Maiden of the Mill,” 1823) will be performed by legendary tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Saskia Giorgini. During the hour-long concert, twenty songs composed by Franz Schubert to poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller will fill NOSPR’s concert hall. The cycle tells the story of a young apprentice who finds love in the miller’s beautiful daughter—only to lose her to a rival, a hunter.
The festival will be rounded off on May 16 by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke — celebrated by critics for her exceptional stage presence and ability to blend poise with natural expressiveness and elegance. She will perform Ravel’s “Shéhérazade” with the NOSPR orchestra, conducted by Carolyn Kuan. In 1904, inspired by “The Tales of One Thousand and One Nights” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” Ravel completed a cycle of three songs for soprano and orchestra set to poems by Tristan Klingsor. As noted on the NOSPR website, Ravel sought to depict the oriental dreams of a European enchanted by the magic of the East, translating scents, colors, characters, and sounds of the Orient into music.
Held in the spring, the Katowice Kultura Natura Festival, which bridges various musical styles and historical eras, is a collaborative initiative of the Katowice Kultura Natura Association, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (NOSPR), and the city authorities of Katowice. This year’s edition is themed “Echoes of Arcadia.”