The Polish National Opera is set to perform Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” in a new production by Agnieszka Smoczyńska.

The production, which will be performed on Feb. 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 2025, will offer a fresh take in which the story is transformed into a futuristic tale of Europe that resembles the biblical desert – a place scorched by the sun, devoid of life, where nature give way to catastrophe.

In a statement, Smoczyńska said, “We are moving ‘Simon Boccanegra’ to the neo-medieval times, to a world where the idea of community is falling apart and a climate catastrophe is becoming a reality. This is a space in which the main character, Simon, as a pirate raised to the rank of leader, tries to save his daughter’s happiness even at the cost of his own life. This opera, full of melancholy, love, and darkness, perfectly resonates with our contemporary fears of the approaching end of the world, which can still be saved.”

Sebastian Catana, Gabriela Legun, Rafał Siwek, Anthony Ciaramitaro, and Szymon Mechliński will star in the production, which Fabio Biondi conducts.