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Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2026 Review: Polish Wedding

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2026-review-polish-wedding/

(Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski/ Baltic Opera Festival) Józef Beer’s “Polish Wedding” is one of those works in which history seems almost as dramatic as its plot. Premiered in Zurich in 1937 under the title “Polnische Hochzeit,” the operetta became an immediate international success, was translated into eight languages (but not Polish), and quickly established itself across Europe. Then history intervened. As {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2026 Review: Die Walküre

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2026-review-die-walkure/

(Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski/ Baltic Opera Festival) Richard Wagner’s “Die Walküre” unfolds in a world governed by contracts, power structures, and inherited systems of control. Yet beneath its mythological surface lies a drama about the moment when those systems begin to fail. In John Fulljames’s production, presented at the Forest Opera in Sopot as a co-production of the Royal Danish Theatre {…}

News

Tomasz Konieczny, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Regine Hangler, Rene Pape, Jerzy Butryn, Monica Radecka Headline Baltic Opera Festival’s 2026 Season

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-announces-2026-season/

The Baltic Opera Festival has announced its 2026 season. The opera that will be performed this season is Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” Artistic Director Tomasz Konieczny will sing the role of Wotan making his first appearance with the festival. Joining him are Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Siegmund, Izabela Matuła as Sieglinde, Regine Hangler as Brünnhilde, René Pape as Hunding, and Małgorzata Walewska {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2025 Review: The Monster’s Voice

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2025-review-the-monsters-voice/

(Photo: KARPATI & ZAREWICZ) Continuing the theme of this year’s Baltic Opera Festival of a wanderer confronting his own loneliness, exclusion and humanity, the one act opera “The Monster’s Voice” is based on the real-life story of a young Jewish boy, Salomon Perel, who, because of his “Arian” looks, hid in the ranks of the Hitler Youth Movement during World {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2025 Review: Krzysztof Penderecki’s ‘St Luke Passion’

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2025-review-krzysztof-pendereckis-st-luke-passion/

(Photo: Baltic Opera Festival) Searching for the warmth of a home When a composer decides to write music for a church mass, chances are it will be a major composition, especially regarding choir, soloists, orchestration. Through the ages, we have perfect examples of this – the Mozart Requiem, the Verdi Requiem, The Messiahs, to just name a few. The “St {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2025 Review: Winterreise

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2025-review-winterreise/

(Photo: KARPATI&ZAREWICZ) The city of Gdańsk—formerly known as Danzig—dates back to the Middle Ages, but its more recent history is indelibly linked to the Solidarity movement. It was here that Lech Wałęsa led the opposition that ultimately brought down Communist rule in Poland and helped end the Cold War. Today, as one walks through the gentrified shipyards—now filled with bars, {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2025 Review: Salome

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2025-review-salome/

(Photo: K. Mystkowski) Now in its third year, the Baltic Opera Festival is hitting its stride, with founder and leading baritone Tomasz Konieczny omnipresent—tending to last-minute details and overseeing a courteous and attentive staff. The performances take place at the Forest Opera in Sopot, a seaside resort north of Gdańsk on the Polish Baltic coast. For many international opera lovers, {…}

News, Season Announcement

Jennifer Holloway, Olga Bezsmertna & Matthias Goerne Lead Baltic Opera Festival’s 2025 Season

https://operawire.com/jennifer-holloway-olga-bezsmertna-matthias-goerne-lead-baltic-opera-festivals-2025-season/

The Baltic Opera Festival has announced its 2025 season, which will be held in Sopot and Gdańsk. Jennifer Holloway, Gerhard Siegel, Claudia Mahnke, Oleksandr Pushniak, and Omer Kobiljak star in Strauss’ “Salome.” Lothar Zagrosek conducts a Concept and Artistic Supervision by Tomasz Konieczny. Performance Dates: July 11 & 13, 2025 Alek Nowak’s “Monster’s voice” will be perfoemed. Performance Date: July 12, {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Baltic Opera Festival 2024 Review: The Flying Dutchman

https://operawire.com/baltic-opera-festival-2024-review-the-flying-dutchman/

(Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski) The journey to Opera Lesna – literally translated as Forest Opera – is an experience in itself. From Gdansk by car, bike or bus, you arrive in the parking lot of the forest and have to make a a short pilgrimage to the site – yes, there is an unintended resemblance to approaching the hallowed halls of {…}