Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Paradise Lost” nominated for the prestigious International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) 2025

Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Paradise Lost“, directed by Michał Znaniecki, has been nominated for the prestigious International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) 2025 in the Video Opera category. The staging of the Grand Theater in Łódź is one of twenty opera productions from leading European theaters, such as La Scala, Royal Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper. The full list of nominations is available here.

Penderecki was commissioned the score by the Lyric Opera in Chicago to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the independence of the United States. The opera had its world premiere in 1978. A year later it was shown at La Scala in Milan, but has rarely appeared on stage since then. The first Polish production, directed by Marek Weiss-Grzesiński for the Polish National Opera, dates back to 1993.

The ICMA-nominated production of the Łódź opera premiered in November 2023, with the creative team including, alongside Michał Znaniecki: Luigi Scoglio (set design), Małgorzata Słoniowska (costumes), Grzegorz Pańtak (choreography), Karolina Jacewicz, Witold Pietrucha (multimedia) and Music Director Rafał Janiak.

The concept of ​​the ICMA, awarded since 2011, is to support musical performances and creativity at the highest level and to promote authentic classical music personalities. The award ceremony and gala concert will be held on March 19, 2025 at the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf with the participation of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker conducted by the winner of the ICMA Lifetime Achievement Award – Adam Fischer.

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