Tuesday 27 January 2015

Opera in Berlin and the Szczecin Philharmonic

As I had written in the previous post, at the beginning of January I was in Berlin and Szczecin to visit opera house and philharmonic. I would like to share some experiences with you.

First of all, I have to admit that Berlin had became one of may favourite cities few months ago (when I was there during the Berlin Marathon as a fan). After this journey I like it even more. The Deutsche Oper (one of two Berlin's opera houses), which I visited, is said to be in the top of opera houses in Europe. I agree with this opinion. A spectacle, Verdi's La traviata, impressed me very much. The whole evening was full of profound artistic experiences, both musical and visual. The staging was very elegant and didn't disturb the music that is common in the modern opera staging. Directors like changing the ideas of librettist and creating their own versions of classical pieces of music. The effect is usual unsatisfying. I was really glad to discover that modernisation doesn't mean destruction. Polish soloist in main roles overshadowed the rest of the cast. While listening to Aleksandra Kurzak and Artur Ruciński I was proud of having in Poland such talents. In general musical level of La traviata was very high and I reccomend you to visit the eutsche Oper if you would like to experience the greatness of opera music.

The concert of Małgorzata Walewska at the Szczecin Philharmonic was also a pleasure of listening to a great singer. This Polish mezzosoprano is very experenced artist and she gave an outstanding performance. The audience was delighted and didn't let the star leave the scene for a long time. Other aspect of this concert was newly build seat of the philharmonic. It's modern architecture enraptures critics and common people and is receiving more and more prizes.

If you would like to read more about my musical trip, I invite you to read my review published on the webside opera.info.pl Trzy powody do dumy.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Before a trip to Berlin

Let's return to the subject that was mentioned at the beginning to be the dominant one on my blog- classical music. I'm about leaving to Berlin to see an opera "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi at Deutsche Oper. I'm very thrilled it because Berlin is one of the greatest operatic cities in the world so I will encounter the highest artistic level. The second reason of my excitement is the cast. If you remember one of my previous posts you may recall the names of Aleksandra Kurzak and Artur Ruciński. These famous polish singers are singing two of three the most important roles. Kurzak is interpreting Violetta, the main caracter, a young courtesan who starts a relationship (these time due to real love) with Alfredo. But Alfredo's father (Ruciński) wants to destroy their happiness because a relationship with an ex-prostitute in Paris from the 19th century was a shame... It will be intensive experience to listen to polish stars in these challenging and beautiful parts. The trailed of the spectacle which I have seen few days ago made me even more intrigued and impatient. Modern stagings are usually controversial but can also reveal very interesing. I hope that this one will give the spectators some extraordinary impressions and new way of perception of "La Traviata". I'm going to share with you my experiences after my return.

Here you can see the trailer.