Cellist

Discover the forgotten pioneers of the string quartet. Before Joseph Haydn earned the title "father of the string quartet," the Italian classical composers Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen, Luigi Boccherini and Giuseppe Cambini were already shaping the genre. This concert brings their extraordinary but overlooked works to life and culminates in a Haydn masterpiece from around 1769. Performed on period instruments.

Italian String Quartets on Period Instruments

Koncertkapellet

Die Frau ohne Schatten is the fourth opera created in collaboration between composer Richard Strauss and writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The work is full of ambiguous symbolism, yet simultaneously focuses on fundamental human experiences: love, loneliness, unfulfillment, and longing.

A woman without a shadow

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

In Barrie Kosky's production of The Magic Flute, everything is straight out of a fairy tale, and every idea demonstrates the director's immense sense of humor, who must have thoroughly enjoyed the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When the red curtain opens, the audience sees only a white screen, where the frolics begin – the director imaginatively juggles, to the rhythm of Mozart's music, elements of silent film, slapstick comedy, and cartoon. The co-creators of this production – Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt of the "1927" ensemble – have combined film animation with live theater. The effect is dazzling. Here, Papageno, this bawdy simpleton, here portrayed as a sad clown in the style of Buster Keaton, gets drunk in the company of pink elephants honking cocktails from narrow glasses. The Queen of the Night is a giant spider, Monostatos appears as a pale vampire in a Count Dracula costume, and Pamina wears a black wig with fringe, which makes her resemble the actress and dancer Louise Brooks, a star of silent films.

The Magic Flute

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.

Krzysztof Penderecki has the ability to build fascinating worlds in his operas. His third work for the stage, The Black Mask, transports the audience into the future, to a Lower Silesian town of Bolkenhain (now: Bolków).

The Black Mask

Dead End is a singular work: an opera exploring current issues, written by two prominent Polish artists, Krzysztof Meyer and Antoni Libera.

Krzysztof Meyer is considered one of the most prominent present-day composers. He was a noteworthy student of Krzysztof Penderecki, then a pupil of Nadia Boulanger and Witold Lutosławski, and finally, a professor of composition of the Cologne University of Music, now retired. As an eminent expert on Shostakovich, he penned a monograph on the composer and composed the third act of The Gamblers. A composer of mainly large-scale symphonic pieces and chamber music, he also wrote a youthful opera after Stanisław Lem’s The Cyberiad. The composer has a number of prestigious awards to his name.

Dead End

In the 2021/2022 season, the stage of the Grand Theater - National Opera was taken over by Barbara Radziwiłłówna thanks to her concert performance of Henryk Jarecki's opera. This time, an equally legendary figure will appear - Beatrix Cenci. However, while Barbara is shown as innocence incarnate who becomes a victim of crime, Beatrix is ​​her opposite - a pure heroine forced to commit a wicked act.

Beatrix Cenci (concert Version)

Blind Track is a unique work - an opera on a contemporary, even current topic, written by two outstanding Polish artists: Krzysztof Meyer and Antoni Libera.

Blind Track

The Dresden premiere of Richard Strauss’s Salome in 1905 was a shock to the public. As the basis for the libretto, the composer used Oscar Wilde’s play, which had already been banned in a few countries. The playwright drew inspiration from a brief biblical passage about Herod’s step-daughter. Wilde not only gave her a name but made her a fully-fledged character. Salome's appeal is irresistible to the entire court, including her stepfather. There is, however, one person who remains unmoved by her charms: the prophet Jochanaan, who is being held captive by Herod. Salome does not give up. When she fails to win Jochanaan’s favour, she resolves to achieve her goal by other means. Through the Dance of the Seven Veils, she manages to persuade Herod to grant her wish: the prophet’s head, served on a platter. She triumphs, kissing Jochanaan's dead lips, yet she will have to pay the ultimate price for her victory.

Cellist

Magdalena Pluta

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 22 - Dec 13, 2026

Salome · Polish National Opera

Past events

Apr 10, 2026

Italian String Quartets on Period Instruments · Koncertkapellet

15 - 28 Feb, 2026

A woman without a shadow · Polish National Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

A Voice from on High in Die Frau ohne Schatten by Strauss

Polish National Opera

The Page of Herodias in Salome by Strauss

Polish National Opera

Trzecia Dama in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Polish National Opera

About

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