Simon Boccanegra was written in the 1850s, at a time when Giuseppe Verdi, his confidence boosted by his growing fame, decided to challenge the operatic tradition. It is a gloomy opera dominated by low voices, a baritone in the lead male role, and devoid of supporting female characters. Its 1857 world premiere was not well received: nearing the end of his life, Arrigo Boito introduced far-reaching changes to the work together with the composer and it was the altered version completed in 1881 that finally triumphed on the world’s opera stages.

Simon Boccanegra

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

Everything in Barrie Kosky’s production of The Magic Flute seems like a fairytale and each subsequent idea is a proof of the director’s enormous sense of humour: the composer must have had a lot of fun working with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s score. The red curtain opens to reveal nothing but a white screen where all the frolics will soon take place – the director will juggle elements of silent film, slapstick comedy and cartoon art. His collaborators, Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt, also known as “1927”, mixed film animation with live theatre. The effect is stunning. Papageno, the boisterous bumpkin portrayed here as a sad clown channelling Buster Keaton, gets drunk onstage in the company of pink elephants quaffing cocktails from flute glasses. The Queen of the Night is a huge spider, Monostatos appears as a pale vampire dressed as Count Dracula, while Pamina’s black wig with a fringe makes her look like Louise Brooks, the iconic silent film actress and dancer.

The Magic Flute

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was one of the most original, albeit marginalized, representatives of German Romanticism in the early 19th century. His uncanny stories were most popular, inspiring artists to this day. In 1881, Hoffmann became the main character of Jacques Offenbach's opera. However, the librettists, Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, did not create a biography of the writer, but rather introduced him to the world of his own stories.

Son Jin Kim

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 14 - Mar 30, 2027

Simon Boccanegra · Polish National Opera

Apr 3 - Jun 5, 2027

The Magic Flute · Polish National Opera

4 - 15 Jun, 2027

The Tales of Hoffmann · Polish National Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Crespel in The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach

Polish National Opera

Pietro in Simon Boccanegra by Verdi

Polish National Opera

Sarastro/Mówca in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Polish National Opera

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