THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA / BENJAMIN BRITTEN.

The opera The Rape of Lucretia, written in 1946, represents a turn in the oeuvre of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) towards a form with an intimate and intimate character. The small cast - both vocal and instrumental - demonstrates the composer's genius for shaping ensemble sound. The individual arias are highly evocative but also varied - the poignant delicacy of the consonances in the nocturnal scenes is contrasted with the expressive power of the more emotionally powerful passages.

The theme of the opera is the semi-legendary story of Lucretia, whose beauty and fidelity are tainted by the unworthy act of Sextus of the Etruscan family of Tarquinius. The antique tale of love, honour and betrayal provides a psychological ascent to the act of violence and the fate of the victim, the inequality in the relationship between man and woman, their different attitudes to the world. The drama of Lucrezia also reflects, in a symbolic way, the situation of Rome at the time, decaying under the rule of the Etruscan dynasty. In addition, Britten's work attempts to put the story into a Christian context. The multifaceted nature of the work gives room for interpretation - both by the realisers and the performers, of whom not only every singer, but also every instrumentalist is a soloist.

The new staging of the work, prepared by the Polish Royal Opera, was directed by Kamila Siwińska, an artist who has already explored the role of women in culture in her performances on more than one occasion. We cordially invite you to her interpretation of the ancient tale, enchanted in the music of one of the most important British composers of the 20th century.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska

MUSICAL DIRECTION LILIANNA KRYCH

DIRECTION, SET DESIGN, VISUALS KAMILA SIWIŃSKA
STAGE MOVEMENT TOBIAS BERG
LIGHTING DESIGN PAULINA GÓRAL
STAGE COSTUMES TOMASZ ARMADA
FILM COSTUMES MARLENA SKONECZKO
PREPARATION OF THE VOCAL ENSEMBLE KAROL KNAPIŃSKI
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KAROL SZWECH
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
LANGUAGE CONSULTANCY SEAN PALMER
STAGE MANAGER WANDA KARPINSKA

OBSERVER
MALE CHORUS SYLVESTER SMULCZYŃSKI
FEMALE CHORUS ALEKSANDRA KLIMCZAK
COLLATINUS SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
JUNIUS WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ
TARQUINIUS GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
LUCRETIA ANNA RADZIEJEWSKA
BIANCA KATARZYNA KRZYŻANOWSKA
LUCIA MARIA GILT

VOCAL ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
CONDUCTOR LILIANNA KRYCH