The Baltic Opera Festival will open on July 1 and last until the 7th. The program includes Wagner's "Die Walküre," the premiere of Józef Beer’s "Polish Wedding," a concert in memory of Krzysztof Penderecki, as well as a family picnic
Before the festival starts, the organizers have prepared two preliminary events. On June 21 at 11:00, a family opera picnic will take place in the courtyard of the Opery Bałtyckiej.
On June 27 at 7:00 PM, the opera "Niedźwiedź" ("The Bear") by Lithuanian composer Bronius Kutavičius will be performed on the stage of Teatr Wybrzeże — a production by the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre from Klaipėda, combining a dark fairy tale, a bloody detective story, and a psychological thriller
The festival, founded in 2023 by baritone Tomasz Konieczny, will this year take place under the motto "Mity, gusła i zabobony. Opowieści, które budują wspólnotę" — a reference to how the stories told shape national and cultural identity and organize the relationship between individuals and the community
The final artistic director of BOF once brought opera performances back to the open stage of Opery Leśnej in Sopot, built in 1909 as the Theatre of Nature. According to him, he believes in the potential of this authentic and unique place and wants it to be known worldwide
The central event of the festival is Wagner’s «Walkiria,» which will be shown on July 2 and 5 at 17:30 in Operze Leśnej. The performance is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the world premiere of the complete cycle «Pierścień Nibelunga,» which took place in Bayreuth in August 1876.
The full festival program:
— Ryszard Wagner, «Das Rheingold», a performance for children (July 1, 18:00; July 2, 12:00), Opera Leśna in Sopot
— Richard Wagner, «Die Walküre», opera (July 2 and 5, 17:30), Opera Leśna in Sopot;
— Józef Beer, «Polish Wedding», opera (July 3 and 4, 19:00), Opera Bałtycka
— "Museum of Man. Penderecki in memoriam," concert by the Sinfonietta Cracovia orchestra (July 6, 19:00), Opera Bałtycka
— "Madame, I love you," recital by Anett Fritsch (July 7, 20:00), Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
Alongside the festival, on July 6 at 2:00 PM, an exhibition titled "Opera! 100 years of opera design in Gdańsk" will open at the Gdańsk Contemporary Art Centre
Details and tickets are available on the website www.balticoperafestival.pl
