2017-10-18

Pillaging, violence and dark secrets are all part of the story of Hans Memling’s triptych ‘The Last Judgment’. The history of the painting, shrouded in mystery, inspired the libretto to Krzysztof Knittel’s latest opera, under the same title.

The premiere of ‘Sąd ostateczny’ [The Last judgment], to a libretto by Mirosław Bujko, will be given on 8 November at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. The chorus, orchestra and ballet of the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk will be led by Szymon Morus. The leading roles will be taken by Robert Gierlach, Piotr Lempa, Jan Jakub Monowid, Anna Mikołajczyk and Magdalena Chmielecka.

Krzysztof Knittel’s two-act opera ‘The Last Judgment’ portrays the legendary, turbulent fortunes of Hans Memling’s famous triptych, from the work’s commission through to the painting’s return to Gdańsk in the mid twentieth century. The drama’s sixteen scenes form a sequence of images, distant in time and space, the diversity of which is enhanced by the music, different in every scene, ranging from static chords, through restless glissandos and clusters to repeated melodic figures. The large performance apparatus was enriched with an expanded percussion section and electronics. The diverse characters in the opera, mainly male voices, are accompanied by a prophetic chorus, announcing, on the notes of a melody repeated several times, the coming of the Last Judgment.

For detailed information and tickets, visit the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk.