Archive for category: Aktualności (Strona 2)

Rozmowa z Małgorzatą Dzierżon, nowym kierownikiem Baletu Opery Wrocławskiej

Polska artystka mocno związana z Wielką Brytanią, Małgorzata Dzierżon, wraca po latach do kraju, aby dzielić się swoim ponad 20-letnim doświadczeniem zawodowym z tancerzami Opery Wrocławskiej. Urodzona gliwiczanka, ukończyła Ogólnokształcącą Szkołę Baletową w Bytomiu. Jako tancerka spełniała się m.in na scenach Danii, Singapuru, Szwecji, Wielkiej Brytanii – jej talent wyróżnili brytyjscy krytycy, przyznając m.in nominacje do nagrody National Dance Critics Circle Awards dla Najlepszej Tancerki w kategorii Modern.

Nowa kierownik zdobyła tytuł magistra choreografii na londyńskim Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Występowała w baletach zarówno współczesnych, jak i klasycznych, tańcząc choreografie Petipy, Bournonville’a, Nureyeva; w repertuarze neoklasycznym mierzyła się m.in.
z kreacjami Balanchine’a, Forsythe’a, Neumeiera, McGregora. Jej twórczość pokazywana była w wielu instytucjach kultury m.in. na terenie Wielkiej Brytanii oraz Polski. Jest autorką i producentem projektów tanecznych i multimedialnych, a jako pedagog współpracowała ze znaczącymi na świecie instytucjami tańca takimi jak: Royal Ballet School, Royal Academy of Dance, English National Ballet, Rambert School, Central School of Ballet, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Od 2018 r. współprowadziła zespół Fertile Ground w Newcastle. 

Rozmowę z Małgorzatą Dzierżon na temat jej kariery zawodowej oraz o planach i marzeniach związanych z nowo powierzonym stanowiskiem kierownika Baletu Opery Wrocławskiej przeprowadziła Anna Kowalska.

Pani życiorys wskazuje na to, że jest Pani zakorzeniona w Wielkiej Brytanii. Co było impulsem do tak dużej rewolucji w Pani życiu – powrotu do kraju i podjęcia współpracy z Operą Wrocławską? 

Faktycznie od ukończenia Szkoły Baletowej w Bytomiu – już ponad ćwierć wieku temu – było niewiele okazji do spotkań na scenach polskich. Mieszkałam i pracowałam głównie w Skandynawii,  a od 2006 roku w Wielkiej Brytanii. Mój czas wypełniony był pracą nad bieżącym repertuarem zespołów, w których byłam zaangażowana, a od kilku lat również tworzeniem moich własnych projektów w Anglii. Cztery lata temu zostałam zaproszona jako gościnny choreograf do programu Open Door. Wtedy miałam okazję po raz pierwszy współpracować z zespołem Baletu Opery Wrocławskiej i byłam pod dużym wrażeniem możliwości zespołu, teatru i samego Wrocławia.          Od wielu lat poszerzam moje zainteresowania jako choreograf, pedagog, producent tańca. Gdy dowiedziałam się, że jest otwarty konkurs na rolę kierownika baletu we Wrocławiu, zauważyłam możliwość połączenia wielu moich aktualnych zawodowych aspiracji. Cieszę się, że po latach mam szansę podzielić się moim doświadczeniem z tutejszym zespołem, tak niedaleko mojego rodzinnego miasta, którym są Gliwice. Jest to z pewnością duża zmiana w życiu osobistym, ale czuję się tutaj bardzo serdecznie przyjęta i nie mam wątpliwości, że prawdziwe przyjaźnie przetrwają ponad państwowymi granicami, a we Wrocławiu z pewnością uda się nawiązać wiele nowych.

Zanim pomówimy o teraźniejszości i przyszłości, zajrzymy w przeszłość: jak wspomina Pani lata szkolne i naukę zawodu? Jakie doświadczenia miały największy wpływ na kształtowanie Pani osobowości artystycznej? 

Duży wpływ na moje życie artystyczne miała twórczość Śląskiego Teatru Tańca, który poszerzył moją świadomość w zakresie techniki oraz współczesnych prądów artystycznych. Taniec klasyczny jest dla mnie nieustającym źródłem inspiracji i rzemiosła artystycznego, który traktuję jako bazę wyjściową do nowych wyzwań. Z poszanowaniem dla tej tradycji moje zainteresowania artystyczne i wizja zespołu są jednak mocno osadzone w teraźniejszości. Poszukuję twórców, nowej publiczności i zrozumienia dla tego, co sztuka tańca ma dziś do zaoferowania.

Tańczyła Pani na wielu renomowanych scenach z zespołami: Royal Danish Ballet, Peter Schaufuss Ballet, Singapore Dance Theater, Gothenburg Ballet (GöteborgsOperans Danskompani), Rambert, współpracując z wybitnymi postaciami tańca. Czy czuje się Pani spełniona jako tancerka? 

Moja kariera to stopniowe przejście od repertuaru ściśle baletowego przez współpracę z zespołami oferującymi pozycje neoklasyczne i współczesne, aż po skupienie się na rolach często tworzonych ze mną w londyńskim Rambert. To najstarszy zespół tańca w Wielkiej Brytanii i również największy zespół tańca współczesnego w tym kraju założony przez Polkę, Marie Rambert w 1926 roku. 

Myślę, że każda zmiana zespołu jest impulsem do rozwoju. Które momenty z Pani kariery uważa Pani za przełomowe?

Było wiele momentów w mojej karierze, których nigdy nie zapomnę, np. występy gościnne                 z Królewskim Baletem Danii na deskach Opery Paryskiej czy satysfakcja z możliwości odtworzenia choreografii światowej sławy twórców. Jednak te momenty są ulotne. Najbardziej ceniłam wspólne projekty i tworzenie czegoś od podstaw – to proces, który możliwy jest, gdy nad nową produkcją pracujemy bezpośrednio z choreografami i zespołem realizatorów.

Jakie osobowości miały wpływ na Pani taneczny światopogląd?

Myślę, że podświadomie podążałam tropem Marie Rambert, która zawsze dostrzegała i tworzyła nowe możliwości dla siebie, dla zespołu i dla sztuki. Na mojej drodze spotkałam wielu twórców, z którymi naprawdę wspaniale się współpracowało i do których mam nadzieję, że powrócę już w nowej roli kierownika baletu.

Od wielu lat spełnia się Pani jako wykształcony choreograf oraz pedagog tańca. Była Pani producentem kilku dużych projektów tanecznych na terenie Wielkiej Brytanii, m.in. z zespołem New Movement Collective, a także konsultantem w londyńskiej Architectural Association; współprowadziła Pani również z zespołem Fertile Ground w Newcastle. W którym momencie zapadła decyzja o tym, że chce Pani tworzyć własne dzieła? 

Kiedy zaczęłam współtworzyć różne role jako tancerka, dostrzegłam, że potrafię i lubię czerpać ze swojej wyobraźni ruchowej, a moje pomysły są wykorzystywane. Pierwsze kroki jako choreograf stawiałam jeszcze w Szwecji na warsztatach choreograficznych. Później w Rambert mieliśmy trochę bardziej rozwinięte możliwości i programy dla aspirujących choreografów. Z czasem te zainteresowania zaczęły przeważać – w 2013 roku zdecydowałam się odejść z zespołu jako tancerka     i kontynuować swoją drogę jako twórca niezależny. Wróciłam do Rambert w 2016 roku, by stworzyć choreografię do głównego repertuaru zespołu.  Praca na tę skalę z grupą tancerzy, których jeszcze dobrze znałam jako koleżanki i kolegów, była dla mnie ogromnym wyróżnieniem.

Jako pedagog współpracuję z wieloma instytucjami, gdzie mogę dzielić się moim doświadczeniem, zachęcać młodych ludzi do samorozwoju, próbować nowych pomysłów i tworzyć krótsze formy choreograficzne. 

Skąd pochodzą inspiracje, które pozwoliły Pani wykształcić własny język artystyczny?

Bywa, że inspiracje pochodzą z jakichś przełomowych życiowych doświadczeń. Każdy spektakl to jest wielowarstwowy mikrokosmos emocji. Pojawiają się w nim odniesienia do przeczytanych książek, do miejsc, w których się było, do poznanych ludzi, do szeregu doświadczeń – zarówno moich, jak i tancerzy oraz realizatorów, z którymi tę sztukę tworzę. Warto pamiętać, że spektakle taneczne to spotkanie wielu różnych form artystycznych, z których również czerpię inspiracje.

Jak wygląda zatem Pani proces twórczy? Jakie ma Pani oczekiwania wobec tancerzy,
z którymi Pani współpracuje? Czy są oni jedynie narzędziem odzwierciedlającym wizję choreografa czy biorą czynny udział w procesie twórczym mając wpływ na ostateczny wygląd choreografii?

Wiele zależy od samych tancerzy i warunków, w jakich się znajdujemy. Zazwyczaj sporo czasu spędzam na zbieraniu inspirującego materiału. Mówię tutaj ściśle o materiałach spoza sfery tańca, co pozwala mi uniknąć powielania świadomie czy podświadomie pomysłów innych choreografów. Do każdej części spektaklu przygotowuję również pewną bazę języka choreografii, może to być mniej lub bardziej rozwinięty wątek – punkt wyjściowy, który później przekazuję i rozwijam wspólnie z tancerzami. Oni też mają tu swój głos i wpływ na kształt spektaklu. Z muzyką działam na wiele różnych sposobów, często we współpracy z kompozytorami. Bywa, że jest to pewnego rodzaju ping pong: rozwijamy swoje kompozycje równolegle, wychodząc z jakiegoś wspólnego punktu. Zdarzają się również odstępstwa, czego ciekawym przykładem może być moja ostatnia choreografia – film pod tytułem Somnium, inspirowany snami i podświadomością. Oryginalnie choreografia została stworzona do naszej wspólnej inspiracji muzycznej, którą było Popołudnie Fauna. Kompozytor, z którym współpracowałam, Oliver Coates, dopiero po nagraniu tego filmu i stworzeniu animacji opracował ostateczną warstwę muzyczną, która jest teraz wykorzystana i w filmie, i w spektaklu.

Kiedy możemy spodziewać się nowej choreografii stworzonej dla tancerzy Opery Wrocławskiej? Jakim językiem chce się Pani komunikować z widownią Opery Wrocławskiej? 

Mój warsztat i język ruchowy to połączenie zawodowych oraz życiowych doświadczeń, a także stylów, które poznałam – w tym również tańca klasycznego (samych Dziadków do orzechów tańczyłam cztery różne wersje). Jest to połączenie doświadczeń z własnymi możliwościami ruchowymi i sposobem, w jaki moje ciało odpowiada na inspirujące mnie bodźce. Pracując z tancerzami, staram się poszerzyć ich wachlarz możliwości technicznych i zachęcić ich, by zaufali własnej intuicji ruchowej. Będę się starać, aby w tych nowych kreacjach stworzonych ze mną, czy
z innymi choreografami, mogli zaistnieć jako tancerze i współtwórcy oraz by mogli sami sprawdzić się jako choreografowie w programach takich jak Open Door. Wracając do repertuaru, jesteśmy obecnie w toku ustalania nowych propozycji, w tym zaproszenia dla mnie do współpracy z zespołem Opery Wrocławskiej, z czego niezmiernie się cieszę.

Jak ocenia Pani możliwości techniczne sceny Opery Wrocławskiej? Czy myślała Pani już, jak można wykorzystać jej możliwości?

W przeszłości pracowałam w dużych teatrach operowych, w budynkach z długimi tradycjami oraz na nowoczesnych scenach. Jednak przez ostatnich piętnaście lat wiele spektakli, w których brałam udział, było tworzonych z myślą o tournée. Z kolei produkcje, które tworzyłam z New Movement Collective jako producent, to często tzw. site-specific, w których trzeba było odpowiedzieć na możliwości budynku, często tworząc infrastrukturę techniczną od podstaw. Widziałam na naszej scenie we Wrocławiu już kilka spektakli operowych i baletowych. Wspaniale, że mamy do dyspozycji na co dzień tak ogromne zaplecze i możliwości techniczne, które chciałabym w przyszłości wykorzystać, jak również doświadczenie naszych pracowników i realizatorów.

Balet Opery Wrocławskiej składa się z tancerzy różnej narodowości, posiadający różne doświadczenia oraz warunki fizyczne. Każdy członek zespołu ma w sobie coś wyjątkowego. Wydaje się, że istnieje tu duże zapotrzebowanie na inspirującą pracę i stabilność w sposobie prowadzenia zespołu…

Jest to dopiero początek naszej współpracy z zespołem. Nadal się poznajemy: obserwuję lekcje, próby, sama prowadzę zajęcia oraz rozmowy. Mamy zespół tancerzy z szerokim wachlarzem doświadczeń, umiejętności i osobowości. To ludzie utalentowani, ambitni oraz gotowi, by rzucić się wir pracy. Łączy nas cel tworzenia sztuki, która przemawia, porusza, i inspiruje oraz która może być zarówno zwierciadłem, jaki również odskocznią od codzienności; oczekuję, że wśród tak dużej i różnorodnej grupy tancerzy z pewnością będzie wiele opinii, jak te wspólne cele osiągnąć. Nie zawsze we wszystkim trzeba się zgodzić, ale zależy mi na szacunku, na dobrej komunikacji i na wzajemnym zaufaniu. To dla mnie podstawa współpracy.

Jakie więc wyda ona owoce? Jakiego typu repertuar chce Pani zaprezentować we Wrocławiu?

Czerpiemy z bogatej spuścizny tańca klasycznego. Pragnę kontynuacji tych artystycznych tradycji, jednocześnie zależy mi, by łączyło się to ze zrozumieniem współczesnego świata i z uwzględnieniem tożsamej mu estetyki. Ważne jest to, co my pozostawimy kolejnym pokoleniom. Naszym zadaniem jest dalszy rozwój sztuki tańca. Osiągniemy to, stwarzając najlepsze warunki dla tancerzy, choreografów, pedagogów i całej kadry pracującej z nami w Operze Wrocławskiej, bez których spektakle nie mogłyby się odbyć. Moim zdaniem ważnym zadaniem kierownika baletu jest świadomość współczesności, popularyzacja nowych technik, poszanowanie dla bogactwa szeroko rozumianych kultur tanecznych z całego świata. Balet Opery Wrocławskiej jest częścią globalnej artystycznej rodziny, w której chcemy zająć miejsce z pełną świadomością własnej wartości, jak i otwarciem na nowe wyzwania, wpływy i doświadczenia artystyczne. Interesuje mnie taniec jako żywa sztuka, do której może się odnieść i w którą może się włączyć publiczność w każdym wieku.

Które zwyczaje i elementy kultury pracy zespołów, z którymi Pani współpracowała, chciałaby Pani wprowadzić do naszego zespołu baletowego?

To przede wszystkim działania, które sprawią, że zespół będzie gotowy do podjęcia repertuarowych wyzwań i sprostania rosnącym oczekiwaniom w zakresie techniki tańca i kreatywności. Będą to również zajęcia, które podnoszą świadomość, jak skutecznie zapobiegać kontuzjom oraz jak dbać o formę fizyczną i psychiczną. Ważne są doświadczenia, które wpływają na wzrost poczucia samorealizacji nie tylko w roli tancerza, ale również dotyczące rozwoju przyszłej kariery np. jako pedagog lub choreograf. W tym celu chciałabym ponownie sięgnąć do program Open Door, w którym zespół może spróbować się w nowych rolach.

Jakie są Pani oczekiwania względem naszych artystów?

Chciałabym, aby tancerze czerpali z tworzonych dla nich możliwości, by mieli ambicje, wytrwałość    i umiejętność współpracy ze mną i resztą zespołu – nie tylko baletowego, ale całej Opery jako instytucji. 

Jak według Pani aspiracji i marzeń będzie wyglądał zespół Baletu Opery Wrocławskiej za kilka lat?

Moim marzeniem jest, aby Balet Opery Wrocławskiej stał się wizytówką miasta. Chciałabym, by przyjeżdżali do nas najciekawsi światowi artyści, wystawiając spektakle, których do tej pory nie mieliśmy możliwości oglądać w Polsce. Jednak przede wszystkim pragnę, abyśmy mogli wypracować własną artystyczną tożsamość, odzwierciedlającą nasz zespół i naszą wrocławską publiczność; chcę stworzyć wyjątkową ofertę, dla której przyjeżdża się do Wrocławia oraz dla której zaprasza się nasz zespół na sceny polskie i zagraniczne. Ponadto chciałabym, aby każda indywidualna artystyczna współpraca z nami – czy to na jeden sezon, czy na pięć lat, czy na całe życie – była twórczym, rozwijającym i niezapomnianym doświadczeniem.

Mam nadzieję, że wszystkie te marzenia wkrótce się spełnią. Pięknie dziękuję za rozmowę.

Rozmawiała Anna Kowalska

What is important is what we leave to the next generation: Małgorzata Dzierżon 

New head of the Wrocław Opera House Ballet

A Polish artist with strong ties to the UK, Malgorzata Dzierżon is returning to the country after years to share her more than 20 years of professional experience with the dancers of Wrocław Opera House. Born in Gliwice, she graduated from the General Ballet School in Bytom. As a dancer, she has fulfilled herself on the stages of Denmark, Singapore, Sweden and the UK, among others – her talent has been recognized by British critics, including nominations for the National Dance Critics Circle Awards for Best Dancer in the Modern category.

The new head earned a master’s degree in choreography from London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She has performed in both contemporary and classical ballets, dancing choreographies by Petipa, Bournonville, Nureyev; in the neoclassical repertoire, she has measured herself against, among others. 

With creations by Balanchine, Forsythe, Neumeier, McGregor, among others. Her work has been shown in many cultural institutions in the UK and Poland, among others. She is an author and producer of dance and multimedia projects, and as an educator she has collaborated with internationally significant dance institutions such as the Royal Ballet School, Royal Academy of Dance, English National Ballet, Rambert School, Central School of Ballet, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.          

As of 2018, she co-leads the Fertile Ground company in Newcastle.

Anna Kowalska interviewed Małgorzata Dzierżon about her career and her plans and dreams for her newly appointed position as head of the Wrocław Opera House Ballet.

Your resume indicates that you are rooted in the UK. What was the impetus for such a major revolution in your life – returning to the country and working with the Wrocław Opera House?

In fact, since graduating from the Bytom Ballet School – over a quarter of a century ago – there have been few opportunities to meet on Polish stages. I lived and worked mainly in Scandinavia, and since 2006 in the UK. My time was filled with working on the current repertoire of the ensembles in which I was involved, and for the last few years also creating my own projects in England. Four years ago I was invited as a guest choreographer to the Open Door program. At that time I had the opportunity to work with the Wrocław Opera Ballet company for the first time, and I was very impressed with the capabilities of the company, the theater and Wrocław itself.

For many years I have been expanding my interests as a choreographer, educator, and dance producer. When I learned that there was an open competition for the role of ballet director in Wroclaw, I saw an opportunity to combine many of my current professional aspirations. I’m glad that years later I have a chance to share my experience with a local institution, so close to my hometown Gliwice. This is certainly a big change in my personal life, but I feel very warmly welcomed here, and I have no doubt that true friendships will endure across national boundaries, and many new ones will certainly be made in Wroclaw.

Before we talk about the present and the future, let’s look into the past: how do you recall your school years and apprenticeship? What experiences had the greatest impact on the formation of your artistic personality?

My artistic life has been greatly influenced by the work of Silesian Dance Theater, which has broadened my awareness of technique and contemporary artistic currents. For me, classical dance is a constant source of inspiration and artistic craftsmanship, which I treat as a starting point for new challenges. With respect for this tradition, however, my artistic interests and vision for the company are firmly rooted in the present. I seek out creators, new audiences and an understanding of what the art of dance has to offer today.

You have danced on many renowned stages with companies: Royal Danish Ballet, Peter Schaufuss Ballet, Singapore Dance Theater, Gothenburg Ballet (Göteborgs Operans Danskompani), Rambert, working with prominent dance figures. Do you feel fulfilled as a dancer?

My career has been a gradual transition from strictly ballet repertoire through working with ensembles offering neo-classical and contemporary pieces, that are focusing on roles, often created with me, at London’s Rambert. It is the oldest dance ensamble in the UK and also the largest modern dance enseble in the country, founded by a Polish woman, Marie Rambert, in 1926.

I think that any change in the team is an impulse for development. Which moments from your career do you consider to be breakthroughs?

There have been many moments in my career that I will never forget, such as guest performances with the Royal Ballet of Denmark at the Paris Opera House or the satisfaction of being able to recreate choreography by world-renowned artists. However, these moments are fleeting. What I valued most were collaborative projects and creating something from scratch – a process that is possible when we work directly with choreographers and the production team on a new production.

What personalities influenced your dancing word view?

I think I subconsciously followed in the footsteps of Marie Rambert, who was always seeing and creating new opportunities for herself, for the ensemble and for the arts. On my way I met many artists with whom it was truly wonderful to collaborate and whom I hope to return to again in my new role as ballet head.

You have been fulfilling yourself as a trained choreographer and dance educator for many years. You have been a producer of several major dance projects in the UK, including with the New Movement Collective, as well as a consultant to the Architectural Association in London; you also co-lead with the Fertile Ground company in Newcastle. At what point was the decision made that you wanted to create your own works?

When I started to co-create different roles as a dancer, I noticed that I could and liked to draw on my movement imagination, and my ideas were used. I took my first steps as a choreographer while I was still in Sweden at a choreography workshop. Later, at Rambert, we had some more developed opportunities and programs for aspiring choreographers. Over time, these interests began to prevail – in 2013 I decided to leave the company as a dancer and continue my path as an independent artist. I returned to Rambert in 2016 to create choreography for the ensemble’s main repertory.  Working on this scale with a group of dancers I still knew well as colleagues was a huge honor for me.

As an educator, I work with many institutions where I can share my experience, encourage young people’s self-development, try new ideas and create shorter choreographic forms.

Where did the inspiration come from that allowed you to develop your own artistic language?

Sometimes the inspiration comes from some landmark life experience. Each performance is a multi-layered microcosm of emotions. There are references to books I have read, to places where I have been, to people I have met, a range of experiences – both mine and those of the dancers and performers with whom I create this art. It is worth remembering that dance performances are a meeting of many different artistic forms, from which I also draw inspiration.

So what does your creative process look like? What expectations do you have of the dancers with whom you work? Are they only a tool reflecting the choreographer’s vision or do they take an active part in the creative process having an impact on the final look of the choreography?

A lot depends on the dancers themselves and the conditions they are in. I usually spend a lot of time collecting inspiring material. I’m strictly talking about material outside the realm of dance, which allows me to avoid duplicating consciously or subconsciously the ideas of other choreographers. For each part of the performance I also prepare a certain base of the language of choreography, it can be a more or less developed theme – a starting point, which I later convey and develop together with the dancers. They, too, have a voice and influence on the shape of the performance here. I work with music in many different ways, often in collaboration with composers. Sometimes it is a kind of ping pong: we develop our compositions in parallel, starting from some common point. There are also deviations, an interesting example of which is my latest choreography – a film called Somnium, inspired by dreams and the subconscious. The original choreography was created for our common musical inspiration, which was Afternoon of a Faun. The composer with whom I collaborated, Oliver Coates, only developed the final musical layer after recording that film and creating the animation, which is now used in both the film and the performance.

When can we expect new choreography created for the dancers of  the Wrocław Opera House? What language do you want to communicate with the audience of the Wrocław Opera House?

My workshop and movement language is a combination of professional and life experiences, as well as styles I’ve learned – including classical dance (I’ve danced four different versions of the Nutcrackers alone). It’s a combination of experiences with my own movement abilities and the way my body responds to the stimuli that inspire me. When working with dancers, I try to expand their range of technical possibilities and encourage them to trust their own movement intuition. I will try to make sure that in these new creations created with me or with other choreographers, they can emerge as dancers and co-creators, and that they can prove themselves as choreographers in programs such as Open Door. Returning to the repertoire, we are currently in the process of establishing new proposals, including an invitation for me to work with the Wrocław Opera House ensemble, which I am delighted about.

How do you assess the technical capabilities of the Wroclaw Opera House stage? Have you already thought about how its capabilities can be used?

In the past, I have worked in large opera houses, in buildings with long traditions and on modern stages. However, over the past fifteen years, many of the productions I have been involved in have been created with touring in mind. In contrast, the productions I’ve created with New Movement Collective as a producer are often so-called site-specific, in which we had to respond to the capabilities of the building, often creating the technical structure from scratch. I have already seen several opera and ballet performances on our stage in Wroclaw. It’s great that we have such huge facilities and technical capabilities at our disposal on a daily basis, which I would like to use in the future, as well as the experience of our staff and producers.

The Ballet of the Wroclaw Opera House consists of dancers of different nationalities, with different experiences and physical conditions. Each member of the ensemble has something unique about them. There seems to be a great need here for inspiring work and stability in the way the company is run….

This is just the beginning of our cooperation with the ensemble. We are still getting to know each other: I observe lessons, rehearsals, conduct classes and talks myself. We have a team of dancers with a wide range of experience, skills and personalities. These are people who are talented, ambitious and ready to throw themselves into work. We are united by the goal of creating art that speaks, moves, and inspires, and that can be both a mirror and a respite from everyday life; I expect that among such a large and diverse group of dancers there are bound to be many opinions on how to achieve these common goals. It is not always necessary to agree on everything, but I care about respect, good communication and mutual trust. This is the basis of cooperation for me.

So what kind of results will it produce? What kind of repertoire do you want to present in Wroclaw?

We draw on the rich legacy of classical dance. I want to continue these artistic traditions, while at the same time I want it to be combined with an understanding of the modern world and an aesthetic that is identical to it. What is important is what we leave to the next generation. Our task is to further develop the art of dance. We will achieve this by creating the best conditions for the dancers, choreographers, pedagogues and all the staff working with us at Wrocław Opera, without whom the performances could not take place. In my opinion, an important task of a ballet manager is awareness of modernity, popularization of new techniques, respect for the richness of broadly understood dance cultures from around the world. The Wrocław Opera House Ballet is part of a global artistic family, in which we want to take our place with full awareness of our own value, as well as openness to new challenges, influences and artistic experiences. I am interested in dance as a living art that audiences of all ages can relate to and engage in.

Which customs and elements of the culture of the ensembles you have worked with would you like to introduce to our ballet ensemble?

Above all, these are activities that will make the team ready to take on repertoire challenges and meet growing expectations in terms of dance technique and creativity. There will also be activities that raise awareness of how to effectively prevent injuries and how to take care of physical and mental form. Experiences that increase the sense of self-realization not only as a dancer, but also concerning the development of a future career, for example as an educator or choreographer, are important. To this end, I would like to reach out again to the Open Door program, where the team can try themselves in new roles.

What are your expectations of our artists?

I would like the dancers to take advantage of the opportunities created for them, to have ambition, perseverance and the ability to work with me and the rest of the ensemble – not just the ballet ensemble, but the entire Opera House as an institution.

According to your aspirations and dreams, what will the Wrocław Opera Ballet ensemble look like in a few years?

My dream is for the Ballet of the Wrocław Opera to become a showcase of the city. I would like the world’s most interesting artists to come to us, staging performances that we have not had the opportunity to see in Poland so far. Above all, however, I want us to be able to develop our own artistic identity, reflecting our ensemble and our Wrocław audience; I want to create a unique offer for which people come to Wrocław and for which our ensemble is invited to Polish and foreign stages. Moreover, I would like each individual artistic collaboration with us – whether for one season, five years or a lifetime – to be a creative, developing and memorable experience.

I hope that all these dreams will soon come true. Thank you very much for the interview.

Interviewed by Anna Kowalska

Drodzy Pracownicy!

Od poniedziałkowego wieczoru nie opuszcza nas wszystkich radość i duma z efektów rozdania XVI Teatralnych Nagród Muzycznych im. Jana Kiepury. Dziś wracamy do tych chwil i życzymy miłego weekendu! 

Najlepszy spektakl, najlepsi śpiewak i śpiewaczka operowi, najlepszy dyrygent oraz najlepszy plakat teatralno-muzyczny – Opera Wrocławska triumfowała w najistotniejszych kategoriach tego najważniejszego konkursu dla teatrów operowych i muzycznych. Przyznane statuetki to wielki sukces naszej wrocławskiej sceny operowej, dowód na to, że jesteśmy znakomitym zespołem oraz sygnał: jeżeli do opery, to tylko do Wrocławia!

Halina Ołdakowska, dyrektor Opery Wrocławskiej, odbierając nagrodę w imieniu artystów, podkreśliła: To nagroda dla twórców Toski i całego zespołu Opery Wrocławskiej. Dla wszystkich, którzy ze mną pracują każdego dnia. To dla mnie szczególny spektakl, pierwszy, który razem z Mariuszem Kwietniem, dyrektorem artystycznym i Bassemem Akiki, dyrektorem muzycznym, przygotowaliśmy dla publiczności po objęciu dyrekcji i po pandemii. Włożyliśmy w niego bardzo dużo serca, chcąc pokazać, jakiego poziomu artystycznego widzowie mogą spodziewać się na scenie. Wszystko, co robimy, robimy dla publiczności. Chcemy, by widzowie wychodzili z naszych spektakli wzruszeni i chcieli wracać. Otrzymane przez nas nagrody pokazują, że to, co robimy, robimy dobrze.

Opera Wrocławska zdobyła statuetkę w kategorii Najlepszy spektakl za operę Tosca w reż. Michaela Gielety. Kapituła konkursu doceniła Operę Wrocławską za udowodnienie, ,,że nawet klasyczne, dobrze znane widzom historie można opowiadać na nowo, żonglując epokami i przynależnymi im stylami. (…) Spektakl rezonował w recenzjach i komentarzach widzów jako wyjątkowo piękne i intensywne muzyczne doświadczenie, wynoszące Operę Wrocławską na światowy poziom artystyczny.”

Sukces wrocławskiego teatru potwierdza nagroda dla Bassema Akiki, dyrektora muzycznego Opery Wrocławskiej, który statuetkę w kategorii Najlepszy dyrygent otrzymał również za Toskę. To już druga statuetka Jana Kiepury, która trafia do rąk laureata. Kolejnym sukcesem jest uhonorowanie nagrodą Najlepsza śpiewaczka operowa Aleksandry Kurzak za rolę Agaty w Wolnym strzelcu w reżyserii Cezarego Tomaszewskiego, spektaklu który uświetnił obchody 180 lat gmachu Opery Wrocławskiej.

Dobór artystów występujących na scenie wrocławskiej został doceniony również nagrodą dla Najlepszego śpiewaka operowego, którą otrzymał Ambrogio Maestri, jeden z najbardziej uznanych barytonów na świecie, który wykreował rolę Barona Scarpii w nagrodzonym spektaklu Tosca. 

W kategorii Najlepszy Plakat Teatralno-Muzyczny nagrodzono Katarzynę Zapart za projekt plakatu do Cosi fan tutte. Laureatka to wielokrotnie nagradzana projektantka, graficzka i plakacistka. Uczestniczka wielu wystaw i publikacji promujących plakat – od Japonii po obie Ameryki. 

Wszystkim dziękujemy za Waszą pracę i zaangażowanie w tworzenie każdego wydarzenia w naszym repertuarze! Jesteśmy wspaniałym zespołem, z wieloma talentami i umiejętnościami. XVI Teatralne Nagrody Muzyczne im. Jana Kiepury udowodniły, że wspólnie możemy naprawdę wiele!

Dear Employees!

Since Monday evening, the joy and pride of the results of the 16th Jan Kiepura Theatre Music Awards have not left us. Today we return to those moments and wish you a great weekend!

Best spectacle, best opera singer, best conductor and best theatre and music poster – the Wrocław Opera triumphed in the most important categories of this most important competition for opera and music theatres. The statuettes are a great success for the Wrocław opera stage, proof that we are an excellent company and a signal: if you go to the opera, go to Wrocław!

Halina Ołdakowska, director of Wrocław Opera, receiving the award on behalf of the artists, emphasised: This is an award for the creators of Tosca and the whole team of Wrocław Opera. For all those who work with me every day. This is a special production for me, the first one that we prepared together with Mariusz Kwiecień, Artistic Director, and Bass Akiki, Music Director, for the audience after taking over the directorship and after the pandemic. We put a lot of heart into it, wanting to show what level of artistry audiences can expect on stage. Everything we do, we do for the audience. We want audiences to leave our performances moved and wanting to come back. The awards we have received show that what we do, we do well.

The Wrocław Opera House won the statuette in the category Best Performance for its opera Tosca directed by Michael Gieleta. The jury appreciated the Wrocław Opera House for proving “that even classic stories, well known to the audience, can be told anew, juggling epochs and their respective styles. (…) The performance resonated in the audience’s reviews and comments as an exceptionally beautiful and intense musical experience, elevating Wrocław Opera to a world-class artistic level.”

The success of the Wrocław theatre is confirmed by the award for Bassem Akiki, music director of the Wrocław Opera, who also received the statuette in the category Best Conductor for Tosca. This is the second Jan Kiepura statuette to be awarded to a laureate. Another success is the award for Best Opera Singer of Aleksandra Kurzak for her role as Agata in Freischütz, directed by Cezary Tomaszewski, a performance which added splendour to the celebrations of 180 years of the Wrocław Opera building.

The cast of artists performing on the Wrocław stage was also recognised with the award for Best Opera Singer, which went to Ambrogio Maestri, one of the world’s most acclaimed baritones, who created the role of Baron Scarpia in the award-winning production of Tosca.

In the category Best Theatre-Musical Poster, Katarzyna Zapart was awarded for her poster design for Cosi fan tutte. The winner is an award-winning designer, graphic artist and poster artist. She has participated in numerous exhibitions and publications promoting poster art – from Japan to the Americas.

To all of you, thank you for your work and commitment to creating each event in our repertoire! We are a wonderful team, with many talents and skills. The

16th Jan Kiepura Theatre Music Awards proved that together we can really do a lot!

Kilka miesięcy temu przekonaliśmy się, że Opera Wrocławska jest pełna kociarzy, teraz przyszedł czas na to, by pokazali się wszyscy miłośnicy psów! Niedługo będzie do tego doskonała okazja – w przyszły piątek obchodzimy Międzynarodowy Dzień Psa! 

Ten wyjątkowy czworonóg to symbol wierności, radości i przyjaźni. Psy słyną też z doskonałego słuchu, dlatego dźwięki otoczenia, w tym muzyka i śpiew, nie są dla nich obojętne. Podobno muzyka klasyczna działa na nie wyjątkowo relaksująco, dlatego być pupilem artysty Opery Wrocławskiej – to dopiero szczęście! 

Ciekawostka: nadchodzące święto to w dużej mierze zasługa pani Colleen Paige – amerykańskiej behawiorystki i działaczki na rzecz praw zwierząt – 26 sierpnia to dzień, w którym jej rodzina adoptowała pierwszego psa 😊

Czekamy na zdjęcia Waszych psich przyjaciół! 

Wysyłajcie je na adres bp@opera.wroclaw.pl do 25 sierpnia! Trafią dla Galerii Psów Opery Wrocławskiej!

Na zdjęciu: Hugo – pies Mai Czerwińskiej z EduOpera

A few months ago we found out that the Wroclaw Opera House is full of cat people, now it’s time for all dog lovers to show up! Soon there will be a perfect opportunity to do so – next Friday we celebrate International Dog Day! 

This unique four-legged animal is a symbol of loyalty, joy and friendship. Dogs are also famous for their excellent hearing, so environmental sounds, including music and singing, are not indifferent to them. Apparently, classical music has an exceptionally relaxing effect on them, so to be the pet of a Wroclaw Opera House artist – that’s just luck!

Interesting fact: the upcoming day is largely thanks to Ms. Colleen Paige – an American behaviorist and animal rights activist – August 26 is the day her family adopted its first dog

We look forward to receiving photos of your canine friends! 

Send them to bp@opera.wroclaw.pl by August 25! They will go to the Dog Gallery of the Wroclaw Opera House!

Pictured: Hugo – the dog of Maja Czerwinska from EduOpera

Ruch Muzyczny

by Joanna Kwapień

Manon’s insatiable desires

Waldemar Zawodzinski’s directorial concept combined with a magnificent star-studded cast meant that the return of Manon could not fail.

Jules Massenet’s tale of destructive love has not been performed on Polish stages for more than 40 years, so the announcement of the production of Manon at the Wrocław Opera House already aroused great interest. It was overshadowed in the world by another interpretation of the same story – Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, in which its contemporary version directed by Mariusz Treliński could be seen at the National Opera and La Monnaie in Brussels. 

Nevertheless, Massenet’s work, mostly unknown to Polish listeners, may have been a hit or miss; based on Theodor W. Adorno’s concept of the fetishisation of music, I put forward the claim that the listener most likely perceives, what he or she knows and likes. It is not without reason that the regular opera repertoire in Poland is founded on the greatest classics. The return to forgotten history, however, has been exceptionally successful in Wrocław, and I am delighted that the story of Manon has returned to favour.

The libretto (by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille) in Massenet’s opera is closest to the original, the 18th-century novel The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. It contains universal themes of destructive love, but is characterised by the depth of the psychological features of the characters and their emotions. Although we are dealing with an archetypal femme fatale, her actions cannot be judged unequivocally; there is a classic moralism in the story expressed by Manon’s humiliating death, but as an audience we can also sympathise with her and even understand her decisions. 

In Simona Mihai’s interpretation in Wrocław, however, I missed the predation and calculating nature of the main character who, as a mere 16-year-old, flits between the choice of love or social status and wealth. There is an unquenchable lust to have it all, an unwillingness to give up one path for another, dilemmas and subtle jitteriness, but the artist, although beautifully handling the drama of her voice, did not fully convey the character of this complex character. Her dolce and romantic duets with Charles Castronovo proved most moving.

In the duet N’est-ce plus ma main from the same act, in which Manon begs her lover’s forgiveness, the singer equaled Castronovo’s level, operating a previously unheard of expressive depth to her voice. The international stars were easily competed with by the fantastic Szymon Mechlinski, playing the role of Lescaut. This came as no surprise to me – I had already seen him on the stage of Wrocław Opera several times. The distinctive, saturated, dark timbre of his baritone and his outstanding acting are qualities one would expect from this artist. Although he played a supporting character, he matched the main characters and commanded attention in every entrance.

Waldemar Zawodziński, the show’s director and stage designer, decided to set the action in the 19th century in France (although there was a wink at the audience and subtle contemporary references woven in). He applied the idea of theatre within theatre, which worked very well – without unnecessary fiddling, without a flurry of additional meanings, and yet left the door open for an open interpretation of the work. Although the director himself speaks of the costumes being “stylised” to look historical and thus justifies some shortcomings, the costuming could have shown more care. The ballet scene, in particular, which visually did not match the convention, left the viewer perplexed.

This was rewarded by Janina Niesobska, whose choreography brilliantly combined simplicity with an expressive visual conception of movement. The fourth act, in the casino, was the most interesting in this aspect. The frozen figures in dynamic poses, they became an element of the scenery, and then the sudden dynamic changes perfectly conveyed the fervour and chaos of the gambling place. Conductor Bassem Akiki also deserves a mention. He led the orchestra with lightness, which could be heard already in the first bars of the overture.

The director has gracefully combined elements that I have been missing from Polish opera houses for some time – classics, coherence of vision and at the same time its colourfulness. Flawless understanding of space, symmetry and simple treatments created a unique whole (which is not easy with such a number of collective scenes). This directorial concept combined with a stellar cast meant that the return of Manon could not fail.

Stagecoach and confessional 4/6

by Dorota Szwarcman

For the first time in a long time, the production of Waldemar Zawodziński appeared on the stage in Wrocław. He used to visit Wrocław more often, with his team, i.e. Janina Niesobska (choreography) and Maria Balcerek (costumes). So it was known that the idea would be refined and colourful. And it is, quite surprisingly: when the curtain is raised, we see a kind of reflection of the opera house auditorium, with the same balconies and decoration.

Everything is thus taken, as it were, into an extra bracket. In order to bring other elements onto or off the stage, a part of this audience is raised and a stagecoach, furniture, a confessional (when Manon’s beloved, the Chevalier des Grieux, tries to forget her by putting the robes of a priest) or a carriage for transporting prisoners (carrying Manon) enters.

Antoine Prevost’s story of a simple girl, eager to enjoy the world and its wealth, but also a tender girl and the bachelor who falls head over heels in love with her, has inspired many opera (to mention Daniel Auber and Giacomo Puccini) and film artist; for Massenet, it was the first, that achieved success.

Popular all over the world, it has not been performed in Poland since 1979, so it is good that it has been recalled. Particularly notable in the premiere cast was MET star Charles Castronovo, brilliant in both voice and acting. The production returns in November and it is not yet known who will sing the role of des Grieux then, but the local cast of the other roles looks encouraging.

Jules Massenet’s tale of destructive love has not been performed on Polish stages for more than 40 years, so the announcement of the production of Manon at the Wrocław Opera House already aroused great interest. It was overshadowed in the world by another interpretation of the same story – Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, in which its contemporary version directed by Mariusz Treliński could be seen at the National Opera and La Monnaie in Brussels.

Prestoportal.pl

Gold and red fever 

by Monika Jazownik

Love, betrayal, gambling, suffering – all because of the young and lovely Manon. The secret to her success is beauty. The story woven around the work of the 18th-century writer-priest Antoine François Prévost, which completely enthralled Jules Massenet. Is not a repertory opera hit in Poland. The last time the work was staged in the country was more than 40 years ago. ‘Manon’ returned to the posters of Wrocław Opera after 122 years at the end of the 2021/2022 artistic season.

Massenet’s story is not a simple one. Timeless stories, ‘rambling’ stories, are perhaps the most difficult to present, and ‘Manon’ is, after all, one of these. Moreover, Jules Massenet’s work is made up of different kinds of tissues, whose intricate weaving eludes unambiguousness. Waldemar Zawodziński (direction, stage design, lighting design) together with Maria Balcerek (costumes), Janina Niesobska (choreography) and Bassem Akiki have created a colourful performance, full of non-obviousness, perhaps to be seen over and over again.

The action is set in a theatre, deceptively reminiscent of the interior of the Wrocław Opera House, while the costumes are stylistically reminiscent of the early 20th century. Thus, the director doesn’t transfer the audience to past times, as he theatricalise the reality. This idea corresponds phenomenally with the musical layer of the work, in which old gavottes and minuets resound as a pastiche.

From the very first moments when Manon (Simona Mihai) appears, it is clear that this girl is going to be trouble…. A seemingly modest girl in a polite dress (after all, she was destined for a monastery), but somehow too pretty, too playful, and with a desire for the big world written all over her, which here, in the inn of Amiens, is a mere half-world. Manon gazes with envy and fascination at the half-undressed coquettes – Misses Poussette (Canan Kalkir), Javotte (Aleksandra Opała) and Rosette (Dorota Dutkowska). She is also open to new acquaintances, especially male ones. Fortunately, the vigilant Lescaut (Szymon Mechlinski) is nearby.

And he does not find it easy to tame his cousin’s temper. Excitement and bewilderment even pour out of Manon. All these heated emotions are brought together by the at once beautiful and whimsical aria ‘Je suis encor tout étourdie’. It requires great technical skills, and Simona Mihai undoubtedly possesses them. She conducted the breathless and excitedly giggly phrases in a successful manner. What I missed, however, was a certain brooding greed and delight that describe Manon. I smiled at the three ‘Graces’ instead. They had already aroused my sympathy when they rolled out of the stagecoach. Their ‘superciliousness’ as courtesans was unpretentiously convincing. The singers led their characters with a burlesque and expressive line. Szymon Mechlinski, on the other hand, endowed his Lescaut with a giddy drawl, marked by a sympathetic nondescript nature.

The orchestra, conducted by maestro Akiki, introduced the audience to the atmosphere of the second act with a love note. Massenet is indeed a master of leitmotifs, which brilliantly convey the variety of emotional states of the characters. I found myself listening to the orchestral dialogue of the main characters – the philosophical banter of the violins (Manon) and the low, ‘enchanted’ strings (Des Grieux). It must be said that Simona Mihai and Charles Castronovo have formed a harmonious duo. The artists have a natural feel for each other’s stage and musical pulse, so their singing of the magical power of a love spell sounded evocative. I must admit that from the second act onwards, my liking for Manon dropped considerably, and has remained so. I credit this to Simona Mihai, who convincingly managed to convey the true face of her heroine as a romantic but calculating lover. When des Grieux, in the sound of ‘En fermant les yeux’, melts dreamily at the thought of their shared cottage in the woods, Manon already has indifference written all over her face. At the level of stage marking, she slows down her movements, she is like a porcelain doll.

In the next act, the stage empties out, the table and the sofa of games disappear, and a statue of a young man enters triumphantly. I must admit that I don’t quite understand this statue. Perhaps it is a sign of the better world that Manon has chosen, her pass to freedom…. In a moment it will become crowded around the statue, because it is a promenade in the centre of Paris, where a great fete is taking place. And here the director Waldemar Zawodzinski reminds us that we are watching a theatrical “happening”. The promenade walkers move in slow motion as a sign that it doesn’t matter who they are, what they think and feel. They are mere figures, a backdrop for Manon. She, in the red dress, is now the queen of life. I will admit that Simona Mihai sang the glittering happiness of a successful woman gracefully. A gavotte requiring agility of voice, rich in difficult colouratura, she sounded radiant and limber.

The eyes of all are constantly turned to Manon, who at one point grows dreary. For she learns that her beloved wants to tie his future to the priestly state. The girl clearly loses her resonance. Even the ballet performance prepared especially for her by her lover Guillot does not make a special impression on her. Instead, it pleases the audience. For at the level of the text, we are served up delicious theatre within theatre – a pastiche of an 18th century minuet. The red figures dance, or rather wriggle in grotesque poses, and the statue also comes to life. Its movements also convey unease. In the scheme of the play, this dance is probably a projection of Manon’s tormented feelings and thoughts.

The second scene of the third act takes the action into the church. Des Grieux is surrounded by a garland of overbearing ladies, admirers of the young priest’s sermons. Here, in the church, he has already succeeded. Des Grieux, adored by his female parishioners, who reverently kiss the hem of his cassock, hides a nagging secret, a wound inflicted on him by Manon. Charles Castronovo masterfully manages to express the drama of an abandoned man seeking consolation, or rather escape, in God. From the aria ‘Je suis seul’, Castronovo has made a true introspective reflection of a man with an unstructured inner world. When the beloved appears in the church, the space of the two is filled with a strongly red light. Manon is contrite, but all the while aware of her active power over her former lover. Her multicoloured seduction has been planned by the director to emphasise this dominion. Manon, in a blood-red gown, stands over des Grieux, his hands suspended from a kneeler as if his body were spread over the arms of a cross. This scene evocatively reveals the entirety of des Grieux’s sacrifice. Manon the manipulative mystic kisses her lover, and des Grieux is ‘converted’ to the path of passion.

Act four takes the action to the casino. Everything glitters and drips with gold – gold are the dancers with gold chains on their nipples, gold masks hide the faces of the gentleman players. Suffice it to say that the interior of the Wrocław Opera House, its auditorium with an area of one hectare, is covered with 24 carat gold!

There is an amok in the air, but also an emptiness. Those gathered at the Hotel Transylvania are as if anaesthetised, present but absent, close to mannequins. Gambling reigns and oozes its venom, and Manon, carried on her arms by the dancers, is in her element. Accompanied by the three Graces, she sings a ‘paean’ to gold. Nothing has helped the visit of Father des Grieux (Alexander Zukhovich), who resolutely tries to convey his ‘memento’ – ‘I come to bring you out of your fall’. The space becomes empty. This is a scene of intensified tension, where the grey-blue, thick fog somehow particularly stirs the emotions.

The final act is a picture of misery and despair. The cart with the female prisoners rolls sadly along, with the emaciated Manon among them. There is no salvation for her. With her last breath, Manon asks her lover for forgiveness. Simona Mihai and Charles Castronovo’s final love duet was sung with searing heat. They left my emotions stirred.

Is it possible to be excited by Jules Massenet’s operatic work of Manon? Massenet’s arias have a remarkable plasticity of phrasing, every word has musical suppleness. Certainly, the opera abounds in many phrases that are tenderly delicate, the kind just right to listen to, motifs that my ear is inclined to include in a collection of ‘likes’. And the main character – did she fascinate and captivate me with her story? I mentioned earlier that I did not like the title character. I am not convinced by the usual portrayal of Manon as a torn, very complicated woman, and therefore fascinating. Nonsense! What does she have to offer besides sex appeal?

Her dilemmas are not of a moral nature, she is simply torn by the winds of passion. And another question – does Manon really want to be free (and what does that actually mean), does she want to be provided with all the pleasures to satisfy her capricious and perverse nature? In Massenet’s work, Manon’s name is used in all cases, and she spends 95 per cent of the performance on stage. However, it is not Manon that fascinates me, but des Grieux – his dedication, his magnanimity, his being to the end, despite the cruel ‘school of feeling’ inflicted upon him. And the other men in the story? Eh, it shames me to say…

Teatralny.pl

Fusion of Horizons at Wroclaw Opera House

by Mirosław Kocur

The Wroclaw Opera House crowns its season with a very successful performance. Jules Massenet’s Manon as staged by Waldemar Zawodziński is a well-conceived and perfectly realised performance.

Zawodziński, one of Poland’s most interesting creators of opera theatre, not only directs, but also designs the sets and lights himself. He is well educated. First he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, then he graduated in directing from the theatre school in Kraków, now proudly called the Academy. His productions are distinguished by strong visuals, smooth editing of scenes and good acting.

Above all, however, Zawodziński reads the text of the libretto with understanding and studies the score attentively. He does not try to make classical operas more interesting or modern by force. Rather, he tries to reveal their universal values and help the audience vividly receive the old masterpieces.

Staging Massenet’s opera Manon 136 years after its Paris premiere is a major challenge for a contemporary staging director. Romantic lyrical opera appeals to emotions rather than mind. The logic of events is sometimes secondary. The plot of the opera Manon goes more or less like this:

The girl is sixteen, the boy is not much older. They meet by chance at a stagecoach station. A poor family sends the girl to a convent. He studies philosophy. They fall in love with each other from the first impression, as teenagers do. They flee to Paris. In Paris, they live a poor life. He wants to marry and dreams of living in a white house, she thinks only of having fun and living in luxury. When the wealthy father kidnaps the boy, the girl does not resist. At the side of her new lover, she happily throws herself into the delightful life of the Parisian aristocracy. Four years pass. The boy, though abandoned, is unable to forget his great love. Out of despair, he becomes a priest. He delivers captivating sermons. He is famous and adored by his parishioners. The girl, now in her twenties, upon hearing about her former lover’s new career, realises that he is the love of her life. She seduces him once again. He gives in and she squanders his wealth and forces him to play cards, which of course leads to a tragic finale.

Staging companies often move Manon from the late 19th century to times more or less contemporary to themselves. Vincent Paterson has placed the action in post-war Paris (Berlin 2007), Olivier Py in the brothel district (Geneva 2016), David Bösch in contemporary flats (Hamburg 2021). Zawodzinski proposes his own original solution, surprisingly visually transportive.

In Wrocław, during the overture, a burgundy curtain reveals the audience balconies of a 19th century theatre on stage. Today’s audiences, seated on the balconies of a very similar space at the Wroclaw Opera House, are watching the premiere performance at the Paris theatre. The original audience, however, has “evaporated” from the balconies on stage. They are empty, although lights are occasionally switched on, and in the fourth act the lower balconies are briefly inhabited by the chorus.

The performance is played between two worlds, as in the German philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer’s ‘fusion of horizons’: any successful attempt to interpret a classical text or performance leads to a melding of two horizons: the historical and the contemporary. After all, a faithful reconstruction of a pre-premiere is impossible, and any attempt to treat the classics as a work expressing only the contemporary is anachronistic and false.

Placing the staging outside of time signals distance. We are, after all, in an opera house. It is a sanctuary of illusion and conventionality, a zone for the imaginative. In the first act, a giant stagecoach without horses stands on stage. This very capacious theatrical sign ingeniously organises the actors’ actions. The main theme of this act is travel, intended and unintended. The stagecoach stands still and thus becomes an ambiguous metaphor for human fate.

The vehicle also appears in the last act. This time it is a wooden police car transporting convicts to a colony in Louisiana. Human wreckage hangs from the windows. It is a bitter commentary on act one, filled with youthful vigour and hopes.

Zawodziński paints beautiful stage scenery with light. A simple change of lighting colour turns theatre balconies into a temple or even an altar. The collective scenes are magnificently composed. Each person in the chorus performs a precise task. The polyphony of movements builds excellent contexts for the soloists’ emotional arias and creates vivid worlds.

Janina Niesobska, an outstanding choreographer with a great artistic biography, not only gets along well with the director, but above all she hears Massenet’s music. The behaviour of the choristers seems to emanate from the sounds and rhythms played by the orchestra. The choreography of the ballet in the third act is downright thrilling. The dancers of Wroclaw Opera House never disappoint. This is a ballet ensemble of european class.

Maria Balcerek’s exquisite costumes perfectly complement the stage images composed by Zawodziński. Balcerek perfectly operates with colour. She designs clothes which function excellently in group scenes and make it very easy to follow the sometimes complex plot, and in ballet scenes they effectively enhance the expression of the dancers’ bodies.

The success of an opera depends, of course, on the soloists. In Saturday’s performance, the role of the main character, Manon Lescaut, was sung by Simona Mihai, a British soprano born in Bucharest. In the first act, she created an intriguing portrait of ‘teenage girl’ as a state of mind.

The part of Manon is extremely difficult. In each of the five acts, the heroine has a different identity. She is a naïve teenager, an energetic coquette, a fallen woman, a romantic diva, a great tragedian. Each of these characters establishes her current identity with a passionate aria. It is a bit regrettable that Simona Mihai, an outstanding singer, did not risk creating an in-depth portrait of the tragic femme fatale in the finale, but hid behind perfect musical form and stylised poses.

The star of the evening was the American lyric tenor Charles Castronovo, already known in Wrocław for Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann (2021). He has a strong voice with an enchanting timbre. As Le Chevalier des Grieux, the unhappy lover of Manon, he elicited enthusiastic reactions from the Wrocław Opera audience. Castronovo, a talented actor, made the romance between the Chevalier and Manon believable. He spectacularly suffered amorous torments.

The second hero of the evening was Szymon Mechlinski in the role of Lescaux, Manon’s cousin. He has a wonderful voice and, like Castronovo, great acting talent. He created a harrowing study of a demoralised man, a gambler and an alcoholic.

Grzegorz Szostak, on the other hand, made the character of the Chevalier des Grieux’s father credible. Endowed with a beautiful bass voice and natural charisma, Szostak built a multi-dimensional portrait of an aristocrat concerned about his son’s fate.

Canan Kalkir in the role of Poussette proved once again that she has a wonderful voice with a unique timbre. Simona Mihai made her debut years ago in the opera Manon precisely as Poussette. Maybe this is a good sign and we will soon see a staging with Kalkir in the leading role.

A separate comment needs to be made about the excellent orchestra under the baton of Bassem Akiki, one of the trio of directors of Wrocław Opera. Akiki radicalised the emotional message of the opera. The climactic scenes were almost like a Napalm Death concert. The powerful volume was strongly moving, but at times also drowned out the lyricism of this famous “lyrical opera”. I thought with admiration and empathy about the musicians, enclosed in a cramped orchestrion. The flashing sequins on the conductor’s jacket distracted even me.

Waldemar Zawodzinski has made Manon a fascinating and sophisticated spectacle. It is worth diving into this world out of time to experience the fusion of horizons and feel the astonishing emotional power of romantic opera.

Operalovers

A love from which you cannot escape

by Magdalena Grzybowska

The Wroclaw Opera closes its season by presenting Massenet’s Manon, not seen on Polish stages for over forty years. For the role of the Chevalier des Grieux, the Opera has managed to invite an artist who has not descended from the top of the opera Olympus for years – Charles Castronovo. The American tenor visited Wroclaw for the umpteenth time, having previously taken part in the opening concerts of the 2020/21 season and Offenbach’s ‘Tales of Hoffmann’ broadcast online during the pandemic. This time he arrived without his spouse, Russian soprano Ekaterina Siurina, who was replaced in the title role by Romanian-born Simona Mihai.

It is undoubtedly thanks to the efforts of Mariusz Kwiecień, artistic director of the Wrocław Opera House, who is looking for singers of the highest calibre, that we can see artists with such an oeuvre as Charles Castronovo, Aleksandra Kurzak, who sang in “Freelance” in the autumn, Ambrogio Maestri and Lianna Haroutounian, whom we remember from “Tosca”, or Kristine Opolais in “Madam Butterfly”. Next season, the capital of Lower Silesia will welcome, among others, Erwin Schrott, Marina Rebeka and Ewa Płonka, who has recently conquered the world’s stages. Warsaw can only be envious 🙂 I am referring here to the Warsaw audience, because it seems that for the decision-makers of the National Opera the casts of the performances are of secondary, if not tertiary importance.

“Manon” is a story of passionate and tragic love. The Chevalier des Grieux falls in love with Manon Lescaut, whom he meets by chance and whose family wants to give her to a convent. Together they flee to Paris, where they lead an ordinary life. However, the girl prioritises material status over personal happiness and becomes involved with older gentlemen from the upper classes. The reunion of the former lovers sets off an avalanche of unfortunate events. Des Grieux forgives Manon and renounces the priestly ordination he was willing to accept in order to forget his love disappointment. In order to get the money to live at the level to which the girl is accustomed, he decides to try his luck at cards and, having won, is accused of cheating. Thanks to the intervention of his father, des Grieux gets out of jail, but Manon is sentenced to deportation to America. When the chevalier and the girl’s cousin come to her aid, it turns out that the rescue comes too late and Manon dies in the arms of her lover.

The Wrocław staging directed by Waldemar Zawodziński is based on the convention of “theatre within a theatre”, however, the decorations in the form of reproduction of the auditorium of the Wrocław Opera House are practically not used in the course of the stage action. The rich set design and costumes, as well as the intense lighting, at times give the impression of overloading the small theatre stage.

The premiere performance, however, was immensely satisfying in musical terms. Charles Castronovo embodied the character of the Chevalier des Grieux with extraordinary passion and commitment. It is evident that this is an artist who has a well-crafted conception of the character and is very comfortable with the french repertoire. The American singer has a lovely, dark, almost baritone voice, and he also leads the phrasing beautifully.

Simona Mihai as the titular Manon also tried to portray the character’s emotions of being torn between her desire to be loved by the Chevalier des Grieux and her strenuous desire for independence, glamour and wealth. Szymon Mechlinski in the role of the protagonist’s cousin Lescaut came off very well. He is a light-hearted man who, along with his fellow soldiers, wants to spend money on fun and women, for which he takes advantage of Manon’s position in the big world. The supporting characters were also expressive, with Grzegorz Szostak as the Count des Grieux, Alexander Zuchowicz as Guillot de Morfontaine and Sergii Borzov as de Bretigny. 

Bassem Akiki, leading the orchestra, attentively accentuated the details of the score, without forgetting about passions and emotions.

Drodzy Pracownicy,

bardzo serdecznie chcielibyśmy zaprosić Was na operowe spotkanie – zakończenie sezon 2021/2022!

Będzie nam niezmiernie miło spotkać się z Wami we Foyer – 25 czerwca o godz. 22:00 😊 po premierze  “Manon”.

Pomarańczowe akcenty nawiązujące do pięknej sukni głównej bohaterki również mile widziane.

Orange is a new black 😉

Do zobaczenia!

Halina Ołdakowska, Mariusz Kwiecień, Bassem Akiki

Dear Employees,

we would very much like to invite you to an operatic gathering -for the end of the 2021/2022 season!

We will be delighted to meet you in the Foyer – on 25 June at 22:00 😊 after the premiere of “Manon”.

Orange accents referring to the beautiful dress of the main character are also welcome.

Orange is a new black 😉

See you there!

Halina Ołdakowska, Mariusz Kwiecień, Bassem Akiki