Polska Opera Królewska / Arvostelut

The staging was entrusted to Jarosław Kilian, director of the Lalka Theater in Warsaw, he invited the set designer Dorota Kołodyńska to cooperate. As the director recalls, references to the art of painting were the starting point for the preparation of the performance. The inspiration comes from the work of Paolo Ucello, an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. His battle paintings were used in fragments of the scenery, for which there are sky-high peaks and shields. However, patterns can also be found in the works of Akiro Kurosawa. Costumes are irresistibly associated with samurai costumes. Also the invitation to cooperation with the butoh dancer Rui Ishihara, who prepared the choreography in the form of a ritualised, slow motion, places the staging idea very strongly in the culture of the country of the blooming cherry trees. Static is a distinctive element of the show, simple gestures, repeatedly full of tension, are key to showing the characters, and most of all they are intended to bring out the vocal side of the song. Kilian and Kołodyńska build scenes in an interesting way, although unfortunately one can get the impression that it is a show from number to number, interrupted by a storm of applause from the audience. However, there is a great power of expression in these pictures. An interesting solution is the Almirena scene in the garden, which brings to mindJózef Chełmoński's Babim Summer , as well as a sea painting. Props taken from the puppet theater play a special role - huge kites, butterflies and a minimized ship. The scenes captivate with their simplicity, but also with fantasy that harmonizes with the beauty of Handel's music.It is the composition that remains the main character of the evening. The undisputed winner is Capella Regina Polonia, led by the experienced bandmaster and harpsichordist Władysław Kłosiewicz. The beauty of the piece is enchanting in every fragment, and the emphasis on spring or the sound of the sea is a beautiful tribute to the baroque form. Exactly twenty years ago, Ryszard Peryt prepared the work at the Warsaw Chamber Opera. Interestingly, the cast included mostly the same soloists as in the premiere in 2021. Two decades is a very long time. The reflection that followed while watching the performance was pessimistic. And it is not about the performance itself, as most of it was masterful, but it remains unsatisfied that there are no successors to the phenomenal voices that were then a revelation. Lascia ch'io pianga is a daring, contrasted performance that had so much pain and longing for love that I listened to it hypnotized. Marta Boberska as Armida created an extremely attractive character, lined with a sense of humor and wit. Unfortunately, against this background, Anna Radziejewska in the title role did not do well, because her voice sounded dull, and Andrzej Klimczak, a perfect actor, but marked his vocal deficiencies. The new premiere of the Polish Royal Opera is a great success for Handel. Because with the minimal possibilities offered by the stage at the Stanisławowski Theater, they were extracted from Rinaldo a great story about passion and the struggle for affection. The daringly performed music compensated for the furnishings of historical buildings of baroque operas - machinery that was marked by thunder, lightning and a dammed sea. A minimalist staging full of color and grace brought out what is most significant - music and vocal artistry. During the premiere, people were asked to fill in a questionnaire. One of the questions was - what titles would you like to see at the Polish Royal Opera? The answer after this evening is obvious. The Baroque opera needs a home in our country. As is the case, for example, in the Theater an der Wien, where this epoch has found its place both in the stagings of the masters and in concert performance. That we would experience more such evenings with the music of the world that no longer exists.

Noverre danced at the courts of the cities of France and Germany, usually in ballet entrées , which diversified various ceremonies and performances. Their aim was to dazzle the guests with the elegance and splendor of costumes, to amaze with the theatrical effect, to show the virtuosity of the dancers involved (if there were such in the ensemble), and to hide the faces of the courtiers and their ladies (they often participated in the performance). Noverre early discovered the possibilities of dance beyond the show: expressing emotions and portraying events. The scenery was located by projections: first a panorama of old Warsaw, then the interior of the delicious hall of the Royal Castle. Later, dark clouds roamed the horizon, as if a sign that Noverre's work was permeating the impending whiff of romanticism. This sequence set the order of the narrative. At the opening, three pairs of courtiers and courtiers of King Staś with the sounds of the Polonaise in G majorPrince Maciej Radziwiłł began to dance. When Król (Dariusz Brojek) joined them, the rhythm of movement was set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's minuets, counterredans and guavers. The brilliant metaphorical end of the performance appealed to their memory and imagination. Noverre left (he did not get the job), Romana Agnel closed her subtle session in which she used to multiply graceful steps, steps, curves of hands, bows of the head, meaningful looks. Freed from all conventions, all the dancers together: Amor, Piekarz, Furie, Courtiers started to kick as they wanted. Then the curtain fell, but then it rose and they kept on kicking. After all, the art of dance develops, enriches and becomes beautiful all the time.