Three opera premieres round off the season: “Turandot,” “Halka” and “The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Love Wins”
June typically marks the final month of the opera season, which begins around September–October and concludes with the arrival of summer. This month, three theatres have chosen to present new productions: the Grand Theatre in Poznań will stage “Turandot” by Giacomo Puccini; whereas “Halka” by Stanisław Moniuszko will be performed at the Silesian Opera in Bytom. The Warsaw Chamber Opera will invite young audiences to an adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio.”
“Turandot” tells the story of a princess who poses three riddles to her suitors — those who fail to answer correctly are executed. Prince Calaf answers three questions correctly, but Turandot still refuses to marry him. He then offers her a chance to guess his name. Will love triumph when the titular heroine finally opens her heart? According to the Grand Theatre website: The opera’s libretto was inspired by Carlo Gozzi’s commedia dell’arte, but it was Friedrich Schiller’s romantic translation that brought the tale of the Chinese princess into Western cultural consciousness. Puccini began composing the work in 1921, but illness halted his progress. The opera was completed after his death by Franco Alfano, based on Puccini’s sketches and at the request of Arturo Toscanini. During the premiere at La Scala in Milan in 1926, Toscanini famously ended the performance before Alfano’s final scene, in tribute to the late composer. Alfano’s ending was performed the following day. With virtuosic solos, expansive choral scenes, and finely calibrated musical tension, “Turandot” is widely regarded as one of Puccini’s masterpieces. The opera world waited until 2001 for another version of the finale—Italian composer Luciano Berio created a new, alternative ending, which is the one being presented in Poznań. Six performances are scheduled between June 7 and 15, featuring two alternating casts. For the first time, Iwona Sobotka will take on the challenging title role, considered one of the most demanding for a soprano. More on the cast and production team can be found here.
“Halka” by Stanisław Moniuszko is one of the most important works of Polish national opera, hailed as a Romantic masterpiece. It was first performed in Vilnius in 1848 in a two-act version, and the full four-act version premiered in Warsaw in 1858. It was after the Warsaw premiere that Moniuszko was dubbed the “father of Polish national opera” and recognized as one of the most significant Polish composers. The libretto by Włodzimierz Wolski tells the story of the ill-fated love between Halka, a peasant girl, and Janusz, a nobleman who abandons her for the wealthier Zofia. Full of emotion and drama, Halka’s story highlights social tensions between the nobility and the peasantry, while also expressing a longing for national freedom and justice. “Halka” holds symbolic importance for the Silesian Opera, as it was the very first production staged by the Bytom theatre following World War II, as noted on the theatre’s website. The opera has remained in the repertoire ever since. After memorable anniversary productions directed by Maria Fołtyn, Henryk Konwiński, Sławomir Żerdzicki, and Marek Weiss-Grzesiński, this year’s production is staged and choreographed by Emil Wesołowski. The premiere is scheduled for June 14, with five additional performances running through June 25, 2025.
For the sixth time, the Warsaw Chamber Opera is opening its doors to young music lovers as part of the Mozart Junior Festival, celebrating the world of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Among the four child-friendly opera premieres is “The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Love Wins.” The story begins at sea, where Constanze, a brave and beautiful young woman, sails with her friends Blonde and Pedrillo to reunite with her fiancé, Belmonte. However, an evil one-eyed pirate kidnaps them and takes them to a slave market. There, Constanze catches the eye of Pasha Selim, ruler of a palace and harem, who wishes to make her his tenth wife. Will the love between Constanze and Belmonte overcome all obstacles? As the title suggests—the answer is most likely yes. Two performances featuring students and doctoral candidates from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw will be held at the Warsaw Chamber Opera on June 21 and 22.
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