Singer

"The extraordinary power inherent in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana , perhaps one of the world's most recognizable works of classical music, from its very first sound touches the imagination of listeners and viewers in a very direct and open way. The phrases and lyrics, set in a medieval context, yet framed by almost contemporary music, create a universal message about the laws of this world to which we are equally subject, great or small, at the dawn of life or at its end. Orff thought in music, thought in words, thought in theater. He inscribed the meaning of his work in intersecting dimensions," writes Waldemar Dąbrowski, general director of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera in Warsaw, about Carl Orff's work.

Carmina Burana (The Blink of an Eye)

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

The name Rigoletto is borrowed from a parody of Victor Hugo’s play, while the opera is based on an original prose piece (for a change) penned by the author of Les Misérables. The road to operatic stages was long and bumpy: it began in 1844, it ended seven years later. Censorship kept intently weeding out the 'indecency and vulgarity' of the libretto, disregarding the logical and dramatic consequences of these interventions. If we compare the starting point with the arrival point, it would turn out that there is barely anything left of the first version – even the names were changed in order to hide the association with Hugo, whom the authorities did not regard with kindness. It had certain, shall we say, rather unobvious results: the title character has no real aria to sing, the prima donna has but one, and the acts break off, say, spontaneously. Verdi’s genius, however, trumped the authorities in the end. The opera immediately won the hearts of the audiences – and nothing has changed since the world premiere in that regard. The Warsaw staging begins with a riot of colours, textures, shapes, flashes, gilding and jewels – I had the impression that I was seeing the tinted Orthodox churches of Kremlin of absolutely incomprehensible beauty and physics, suddenly descended in human form. Well it does not matter, what exactly descended, what matters is that the singing is done in Italian. And it shakes you.



Rigoletto

This opera is the world in a theatrical nutshell: it deals with growing older, with trials and tribulations, with intransparent decisions. One person searches for individuality, another is too lazy to do so. Others postulate that the community is the only adequate place for the individual. Power has either been legitimised by long tradition or usurped by new regimes. Values such as assimilation and loyalty are set against self-assertiveness and independence. There is loving and dreaming, cheating and trusting. Suicides are prevented, tests passed, adventures survived. Who is right? Who has been wronged? The world of the magic flute is opaque, and everyone is looking for a pathway: within it, into it or out of it. Who holds the reigns? Who can be trusted? Could it be music?

EPSG:4326

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Staatsoper Hamburg

‘The extraordinary power encapsulated in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, one of the more recognisable pieces of classical music worldwide, touches the imagination of the audience is a straightforward and open manner from the first listen. Combined with an almost contemporary score, the medieval phrases and texts communicate a universal message about the laws of this world that apply to the mighty and small, those at the beginning of their life and those who are near their end. Orff thought in music, in words, and in theatre. The sense of his works is inscribed in overlapping dimensions,’ wrote Waldemar Dąbrowski, general manager of the Polish National Opera.

Carmina Burana (blink Of An Eye)

Unforgettable characters search for love and truth in this playful reimagining of Mozart’s classic fairytale. Be transported by hand-drawn illustrations and elaborate puppetry, as well as some of the best music Mozart ever composed.

Die Zauberflöte

Glyndebourne

The Met’s abridged, family-friendly version of Mozart’s musical fairy tale returns for the holiday season, with Maestro Duncan Ward making his company debut conducting Julie Taymor’s irresistible production. Tenors Ben Bliss and David Portillo share the role of Tamino, the noble prince on a quest to win the fair princess Pamina, sung by sopranos Joélle Harvey and Sydney Mancasola. The cast also features baritones Joshua Hopkins and Chris Kenney as the bird catcher Papageno, soprano Aleksandra Olczyk as the Queen of the Night, and bass Soloman Howard as Sarastro.

The Magic Flute — Holiday Presentation

Lincoln Center

Verdi's last work, in the popular tradition, is a lighthearted comedy about a fat drunkard who cynically seduces two women and is severely punished by them. However, when one carefully examines the Shakespearean original and carefully analyzes the extraordinary richness of the musical motifs, one discovers a darker undercurrent to this mysterious work, which the aged, accomplished composer consciously wrote as a farewell to his immense legacy, his own impressive life, and the world he philosophically viewed as the creator's painful joke on people and their actions. Reaching this undercurrent and revealing its supreme artistic beauty seems worth departing from the stereotype of a protagonist supposedly engaged solely in enjoying the remnants of the pleasures of table and bed, and in fairground clowning.

Falstaff

The director's motto for this striking production is a phrase taken from Nirvana frontman Curt Cobain's farewell letter: "It's better to burn out than to fade away." Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata , in Mariusz Treliński's staging, is a spectacle about a star who burns out in its own light. In the director's interpretation, Verdi's masterpiece becomes a portrait of the artistic community.

Soprano

Aleksandra Olczyk

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 21, 2024 - Jan 3, 2026

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) · Staatsoper Hamburg

Sep 24, 2025 - Jun 20, 2026

Carmina Burana (The Blink of an Eye) · Polish National Opera

17 - 26 Apr, 2026

Falstaff · Polish National Opera

23 - 31 May, 2026

La Traviata · Polish National Opera

Past events

Sep 24, 2025 - Jun 20, 2026

Carmina Burana (The Blink of an Eye) · Polish National Opera

8 - 11 May, 2025

Rigoletto · Polish National Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violetta Valéry in La traviata by Verdi

Polish National Opera

Singer in Carmina Burana by Orff

Polish National Opera

Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart

Staatsoper Hamburg

Nanetta in Falstaff by Verdi

Polish National Opera

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