Stanisław Moniuszko succeeded in musically defining a specifically Polish tone with Halka in 1858 - Halka is therefore still considered a Polish national opera to this day. The resounding success was based on the clever integration of Polish dances such as the mazurka, the polonaise and the folk dances of the Gorals, an ethnic minority that still lives in the High Tatras today. Poland had ceased to exist as a separate state in the 18th century, making it all the more important for Poles living under Russian, Prussian or Austrian rule to find an identity in their culture. The opera shows the sad ending of the love story between the rich young squire Janusz and one of his subordinates, the highland girl Halka, thus reflecting the current social structure of the population of the areas, where Poles lived. There the state was organized in a strictly hierarchical manner, and serfdom still existed in large parts. Again and again uprisings flared up against the feudal social order and foreign rule. In this sense, Halka was deliberately designed by Moniuszko and his librettist Włodzimierz Wolski as a highly political opera and was also perceived as such by the audience - it achieved the status of a national opera not only because of the processing of traditional musical motifs. At that time, mazurka and polonaise were also the dances of the nobility and were therefore used with rather negative connotations in the overall context of the opera; the folk music of the lower classes from the peasant milieu of the highlands are positively contrasted. Halka's path to the National Opera was not without problems: Moniuszko was a poorly paid conductor in Vilnius when he conceived the opera with Wolski. At first, Halka only had two acts, and nobody wanted to perform them because of their explosive content at the time. It was first performed in concert in Wilna in 1848, and in 1854 it was finally staged there and the success was triumphant. For the Warsaw performance four years later, Moniuszko extended his work to four acts, and in this form Halka and her creators achieved the fame they deserved. In 1854 she finally made it onto the stage there and the success was triumphant. For the Warsaw performance four years later, Moniuszko extended his work to four acts, and in this form Halka and her creators achieved the fame they deserved. In 1854 she finally made it onto the stage there and the success was triumphant. For the Warsaw performance four years later, Moniuszko extended his work to four acts, and in this form Halka and her creators achieved the fame they deserved.
The top-class ensemble of singers is headed by world star KS Piotr Beczała, also a winner of the International Opera Awards 2018; the title role is played by American soprano Corinne Winters. Alexey Tikhomirov sings Stolnik, Natalia Kawałek his daughter Zofia. In addition to the house debuts of Piotr Beczała and Corinne Winters, KS Tomasz Konieczny will be appearing as her fiancé Janusz for the first time at the Theater an der Wien. Lukas Jakobski, who was highly successful as Leuthold in Guillaume Tell at the theater last season, will take over the steward Dziemba where Vienna made a guest appearance. The role of Dudarsz is embodied by bass-baritone Sreten Manojlović. The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra will play and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir (directed by Erwin Ortner) will sing.
