NIGHT OF RAVENS / ZYGMUNT KRAUZE
A piece commissioned by the Polish Royal Opera.

The first premiere prepared by the Polish Royal Opera was Dziady - Spectres - a stage cantata by Stanislaw Moniuszko to the words of the second part of the famous drama by Adam Mickiewicz. After five years of the institution's existence, a new performance was created referring to the same Mickiewiczian text, but being its completely different interpretation - both dramaturgically and musically.

The Night of Ravens is an opera commissioned from one of Poland's most eminent contemporary composers, Zygmunt Krauze. The libretto was written by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk on the basis of Ballads and Romances and Dziady by Adam Mickiewicz. The author creates a new context for the well-known texts - she naturally integrates plots and fragments of various works, and thus builds a coherent picture of the world enchanted in the poetry of the national bard. The heroes of the ballads arrive at the summons of the Guślarz and the people celebrating the festival of the grandfathers. "Sinful souls possessed by love" reveal their stories, but find no solace, while the living - overpowered by emotion - face Death. The atmosphere of mystery and horror is heightened by the recurring motifs of the tango - a dance in which passion is intertwined with tragedy and excitement with disappointment.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska

MUSICAL DIRECTION DAWID RUNTZ
DIRECTION WALDEMAR RAŹNIAK
SCENOGRAPHY, LIGHTING DESIGN KATARZYNA BORKOWSKA
STAGE MOVEMENT SARA KOZOWSKA
PREPARATION OF THE VOCAL ENSEMBLE KAROL KNAPIŃSKI
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KAROL SZWECH
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA, SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
STAGE MANAGER TATIANA HEMPEL-GIERLACH

OBSERVER
KARA MAŁGORZATA TROJANOWSKA
DEATH/TRAFFICKING MARTHA BOBERSKA
MS ALEXANDRA KLIMCZAK
MOTHER DOROTA LACHOWICZ
KRYSIA ANDŻELIKA WIŚNIEWSKA
PANNA KRUK MAŁGORZATA BARTKOWSKA
JASIEK SYLVESTER SMULCZYŃSKI
GUŚLARZ WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ
MR ROBERT SZPRĘGIEL
PAN KRUK PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK

VOCAL ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
CONDUCTOR DAWID RUNTZ