News
Coming Soon - Premiere of the Opera "Madame Curie" by Elżbieta Sikora to a Libretto of Agata Miklaszewska
2011-11-03
On November 15, 2011 the world premiere of Elżbieta Sikora's opera "Madame Curie" will take place in Paris, performed to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry and the 100th anniversary of Maria Skłodowska-Curie being awarded the Nobel Prize. The opera is being prepared by artists from the Baltic Opera, on whose stage the work will be presented on November 25, 2011.The opera’s libretto was written by Agata Miklaszewska, writer and poet, author of monodramas, stories, tales (including „Kamyk“, „Huśtawka“), and also texts to musicals such as „Metro”, „Romeo i Julia” , „Mała księżniczka” and „Kaj i Gerda – baśń o Królowej Śniegu”.
The author wrote of her entry into the world of the great scholar, “to be honest I knew very little about Maria Skłodowska-Curie - I forgot about her when I finished high school. I read everything again – first and foremost the book by her daughter Eve Curie, written with remarkable literary talent. Had it not been for her, we would know little about Maria. The more I read material about Maria Curie, letters, notes by people who knew her - it seemed to me that I knew less and less about her. Even the title of the libretto before it "became" the opera was "elusive". It seemed that some things were completely foreign to her, but suddenly, in friends’ recollections, in a comment which someone wrote to someone else about her, I found some remark that cast Maria in an entirely new light. At some point I got a little confused. I had the impression that there were two different Marias, one of whom did not want to be in the spotlight, but was constantly there. I hope I did not put Madame Skłodowska-Curie through further distress…”
On the question of historical accuracy in the work the author answers, “all events and people are real - of course I have imagined around them too - but I hope that I haven’t done anyone any harm. The truth rather surpassed my literary ideas - for example, a photograph taken by an amateur at a conference in Solway, where we see Maria Skłodowska-Curie, surrounded by the greatest physicists of the last century, smiling and laughing, gracefully turning around as if dancing. I could not believe it was her. Lovely Madame Curie...They all knew each other, were friends - Pauli, Bohr, Heisenberg, young Einstein. For them, she must have been fascinating in her constant desire to explain some part of the mystery of the world. She had in her hands a mineral that shined, very mysterious, dangerous, deadly, which slowly realized – and then not only did she not want to, but was unable to give up the fight, at all costs to direct her discovery in the direction of good, not war. And it escaped from her hands, just like everything else. She wanted to be 'invisible' – she was on the candleholder, she sought peace, which was continually ruined by people and destiny. She loved France, but in her heart she was Polish, and when Poland regained its independence Polish science found a supporter in her and thanks to her the first institute of oncology was established. I am grateful to Elżbieta Sikora for 'forcing' me the libretto topic – thanks to that I could get close to the wonderful world of Mrs. Curie Skłodowska, but she herself remained for me in a fascinating way – still elusive.”
Most popular:
It is a musical-literary tale about a quest for identity, truth, and for what makes us human. The new stage work by Aleksander Nowak – which is, at the same time, Radek Rak’s operatic debut – explores the sources of good and evil, fusing reality with mythology and steering towards ‘the left-hand side of the world’. The authors spin a tale about the dual human nature. THE TALE OF THE HEART. FAVOLA IN MUSICA – the album that presents their joint project – will go on sale on 6th October.
Spectacularly successful as Ludomir Różycki’s music was in his lifetime, it is seldom programmed nowadays. All the same, such remarkable art could hardly fall into utter oblivion. It has attracted and fascinated excellent jazz pianist Kuba Stankiewicz, who has translated it into the language of jazz. The effects have been recorded and released on ANAKLASIS label’s most recent album, INSPIRED BY LUDOMIR RÓŻYCKI, which goes on sale as of 28th August.
PWM Edition is entering the execution phase of the revitalisation of its Warsaw department. With the commencement of the renovation and the implementation of the assumptions of the architectural design, the Hire Department and the editorial office of “Ruch Muzyczny” are moving to a temporary headquarters at 19 Wiejska Street, Warsaw.
This is by no means a piece about the centuries-long Polish-German conflict. It is, instead, a tale of impossible love, of tragic conflict between personal happiness and the common good.
PWM Edition resumes cooperation with the Italian publishing house Ricordi, as well as with its international partners forming Universal Music Publishing Classics & Screen. This means that rentals of orchestral materials from the catalogues of all publishing houses belonging to Classics & Screen is carried out in Poland by Dział Zbiorów Nutowych (Sheet Music Department) of PWM.
The most fascinating phenomena in contemporary music; a wide range of genres; outstanding works, excellent composers and performers – are the trademarks of the record label ANAKLASIS, launched by PWM Edition. ANAKLASIS is now celebrating its third birthday. It continues to grow at a dizzying pace and maintains the high artistic standards of its releases.
When asked to attempt a definition of her music, she called it lyrical expressionism. The choice of this term says much about the emotional intensity of Elżbieta Sikora’s music, which may reflect the experience of her two home countries, Poland and France, but is also a consequence of her artistic maturation in an age when two powerful trends – the avant-garde and neo-Classicism – were vying for the palm. Such a label may also result from the artist’s focus on the listener as her target, whom she invariably attempts to surprise, shock, or bewilder.
In cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn, we invite you to two concerts and lectures presenting the diversity and beauty of Polish music.
Over 300 performances of works by Polish composers, 114 finalists, a total of 36 repertoire pieces in 6 age categories, 20 winners, 17 jurors, 4 competition locations and one day of master classes. The piano competition for children and teenagers, “ChopinLand Piano Competition,” is behind us – an extraordinary project that took several months, which PWM Edition organized in Japan. Thanks to cooperation with local partners, Polish music could reach hundreds of young pianists and their teachers, creating the ambassadors of Polish music in the Land of the Rising Sun.
