Łukasz Goliński

The year 2019, declared the Year of Stanislaw Moniuszko (18191872) by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and UNESCO, abounds in a series of events commemorating the work of the father of the Polish national opera. The Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz has also joined the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Stanislaw Moniuszko, publishing DVDs with the performance of Halka in a star cast, directed by Natalia Babiska and under the baton of Piotr Wajrak. The producers of the Bydgoszcz show suggest a refreshed, reinterpreted view of Halka, finding a broader historical and social background therein, and looking for, also in the music that follows the truth about interpersonal relationships discovered between the lines in an extremely natural way, Moniuszkos phenomenon, which escapes an easy categorisation.

Young Renata hears voices. Since her childhood, she has been visited by a fiery angel with sublime radiance. Mad about him, gone in search of him since he abandoned her, she meets on her way the knight Ruprecht who, out of love for her, will try to tear her away from this carnal possession. From tavern to convent, between scenes of spiritualism or exorcism, collective hysteria or burlesque humor, nothing is lacking at L'Ange de feu.