2017-11-13

On 24 November, Feliks Nowowiejski’s oratorio ‘Znalezienie Świętego Krzyża’ [Finding the Holy Cross] will be performed at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Warsaw by Sinfonia Varsovia and the Warsaw Philharmonic Chorus under Sebastian Perłowski, with the solo parts sung by Ewa Biegas and Krzysztof Szumański.

‘Finding the Holy Cross’ tells the story of St Helena and her mission to find the cross on which Jesus died. According to legend, on the eve of battle, Emperor Constantine the Great saw a luminous cross in the sky, surrounded by the inscription ‘In hoc signo vinces’ (‘By this sign you will conquer’). Following his miraculous victory, the ruler vowed to build a temple on the site of Christ’s crucifixion – a task that was taken up by his mother, Empress Helena. Nowowiejski’s oratorio shows in three scenes her pilgrimage, her battle with pagan cults in Jerusalem and her painstaking search for holy relics. (source: Polish Institute of Music and Dance)

This monumental work was written in 1905–09. It was first performed (prior to the composer’s changes to the score) in Lviv in 1906. The libretto was written by Arno Herolaska.

The work will be performed in the original German. Admission to this concert is free. The organisers will be making a video broadcast (www.sinfoniavarsovia.org).