News
Premiere of Brigitte Cormier's Book "Ewa Podleś. Contralto assoluto"
2013-02-20
On February 22, the National Opera in Warsaw will host a gala concert for Ewa Podleś, combined with the launch of a book published by PWM about the singer by Brigitte Cormier. The concert begins at 19:00. Apart from the star of the book the concert will also feature the Choir and Orchestra of the Grand Theatre-National Opera conducted by Michael Güttler. At the concert we will hear:- Entry of the Queen of Sheba, introduction to Act III of the oratorio Solomon (Georg Friedrich Händel)
- Dover, giustizia, amor m'accendono nel cor, Poliness’s aria Act III of „Ariodante” (Georg Friedrich Händel)
- Ciro infelice, Ciro’s aria from Act I of Ciro in Babilonia ossia La caduta di Baldassare (Gioachino Rossini)
- Overture to Wilhelm Tell (Gioachino Rossini)
- Il sergreto per esser felici, Maffio Orsini’s toast from Act II of “Lucrezia Borgia” (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Je crains de lui parler la nuit, a scene for the Countess from the second act of the "Queen of Spades" (Piotr Tchaikovski)
- Overture from “La Forza del Destino” (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Re dell'abisso, affrettati, Ulrica’s scene from Act I of “A Masked Ball” (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Stride la Vamp, Azucena’s aria from Act II of "Il Trovatore" (Giuseppe Verdi).
The book „Ewa Podleś. Contralto assoluto” will be on sale in the foyer of the theatre during the recital.
“Ewa Podleś. Contralto assoluto” is a publication which presents the artistic and private life of one of the greatest Polish world-class opera singers in a very accessible way - an unusual book about an exceptional woman, endowed with a unique gift: a contralto voice. Brigitte Cormier’s book is a special biography, showing the opera-concert world from the inside through the eyes of outstanding musicians: Ewa Podleś and her husband, Jerzy Marchwiński. This is spiced up with unique photographs and numerous press reviews, a collection of interesting stories related to opera performances around the world, it is full of anecdotes about famous singers and conductors, entertaining family and professional situations, but also descriptions of a hard struggle against adversity. This book will delight both opera lovers and the layman - anyone who wants to get acquainted with the demanding, but also very interesting work of the artist singer.
Brigitte Cormier left the Sorbonne to devote herself to acting, playing both classical plays and avant-garde repertoire. After a seven-year stay in the United States, she returned to Paris, where she took up editing and translation. As her passion is publishing books and photography, she founded an agency for communication and focused its activities in various fields of culture. Since 2004 she is part of the editorial team of forumopera.com, an online magazine devoted to opera. Brigitte Cormier has long dreamed of writing a biography of a famous artist. The inspiration came suddenly, when she encountered the unique voice and personality of singer Ewa Podleś. This book is translated and adapted from the French and is the fruit of five years of research, interviews and many trips. The French edition of the book will be released in 2013, published by Symétrie.
The media patron of the book is the Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw:
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