News
« back
Inauguration = success
Add date: Monday, 26 January 2009
The first concert in the Opera Rara series in Krakow fully deserves to be referred to as a great event. Fabio Biondi (soon to appear in Krakow at Misteria Paschalia Festival), who gave a masterly performance of Hercules in Thermodon, the reconstructed Vivaldi’s opera, and the world’s leading singers have evoked the enthusiasm of classical music fans, both attending the concert and listening to the live broadcast on Polish Radio’s 2nd Programme. 90 percent of tickets were sold as soon as the advertisement campaign was launched. The billboard, with its design of a half naked Hercules, made its own impression. However, the concert itself was the most important, performed by world first class performers of early music - Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano), Maria Grazia Schiavo (soprano), Emanuela Galli (soprano), Romina Basso (alt), Stefanie Irányi (mezzo-soprano), Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenor), Carlo Vincenzo Allemano (tenor) and Filippo Adami (tenor). They were accompanied by Fabio Biondi’s ensemble and the six people choir of Capella Cracoviensis.
The dignity of this event is also confirmed by reviewers:
Jacek Hawryluk Gazeta Wyborcza:
“The concert performance of Hercules in Thermodon is a genuine event which constitutes a promising introduction for the Opera Rara series. After the Friday premiere the unknown work by Vivaldi will visit Vienna and Paris. Dignified, stylish Vivica Genaux (Antiope) and virtuoso Maria Grazia Schiavo (Hipolita) gifted with a light soprano distinguished themselves among the performing stars. Each singer was different but together they constituted a well-matched ensemble. Baroque opera is a neglected repertoire here [...] But the first move has been made. During the last Misteria Paschalia Festival, when Fabio Bondi with his distinguished singers performed a concert version of Bajazet on Easter Sunday, endless euphoria ensued. Krakow followed it up and entered the Opera Rara series into its prominent musical events; the series is to stage Baroque operas quarterly, both well known (from recordings, but which have had no opportunity to visit our stages), and rare (hence the adjective "rara") discovered in the abysses of libraries after centuries. The idea is organically connected with the Baroque Misteria – and prolongs the life of the festival, which is thus not limited to several days of the main event. Thanks to Misteria and the Opera Rara series Krakow has become one of the most important Baroque centres in Europe.
Dorota Szwarcman Polityka
”A great event. We have already had the opportunity to admire the mastery of both Fabio Bondi from Europa Galante (this time consisting of many musicians) and the majority of the performing soloists. But it is always an incredible pleasure. And the fact that each of them was different (the advertisements repeated the phrase “a duel of voices and personalities” ad nauseam, but this was the case) and had the opportunity to show themselves in at least several […] aspects, was an additional attraction".
Tomasz Handzlik Gazeta Wyborcza –Krakow
“Virtuoso performance and precision, beautiful palette of colours and shades, increasing the suspense of the action with great intuition – are only a few performance features of the Italian ensemble. But what was most surprising was the extraordinarily free playing. As if music was a game for them. And it must have been so, since it was written on the faces of the merrily performing artists. Let’s hope then that this is only the beginning of the wonderful experiences that Opera Rara is to guarantee for us – the first world series of operas in Krakow.
Other news:
| 
