About
This theatrical and musical spectacle is inspired by Charles Dickens's novel, "A Christmas Carol." Charles Dickens (1812-1870), considered the greatest representative of 19th-century English social and moral fiction, demonstrated in his work a remarkable sensitivity to timeless human flaws, social injustice, and the suffering of the poor. This astute observer, endowed with exceptional literary talent, skillfully combined realistic, detailed descriptions of people and environments with elements of humor and satire, as well as, at times, a whimsical lyrical atmosphere. This allowed him to become a unique chronicler of life in Victorian London, gaining immense popularity and becoming a permanent fixture in the canon of world literature. "A Christmas Carol," written in a Victorian style and first published in 1843 under the title "A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas," depicts the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser, misanthrope, and exploiter, on Christmas Eve. He is a solitary figure who hates people and cares only for accumulating wealth. One night, he is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, who is condemned to eternal suffering in chains. This sudden visit, intended to protect Scrooge from a similar fate, ultimately leads to his moral redemption. Since 2017, "A Christmas Carol" has been a required reading for seventh-grade students in Polish schools. Dickens's novella has repeatedly served as the basis for theatrical and film productions. Its content and message also inspire the musical production, "A New Christmas Carol," which was prepared at the Krakow Opera as part of the "Composers' Commission" program of the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, operated by the National Institute of Music and Dance. When preparing the script for the performance, its author and director, Wojciech Graniczewski, did not use translations of Dickens's text, but created new, original dialogues and songs set in contemporary realities. The music for the production was composed by Andrzej Zarycki, a renowned Krakow composer of theatrical and film music, also known to the public for his beautiful songs, such as "The Fiddler from Warsaw" and "On the Bridge at Avignon," performed by Ewa Demarczyk, and "Song of Silence," with lyrics and performance by Jonasz Kofta. Each era, each age, and each generation has its own distinctive characteristics: specific forms of expression and communication, artistic styles, fashion, technology, and cultural context. However, as history teaches us, some aspects of human nature and our instinctive behaviors remain constant. These are the original symbols, characters, events, and patterns of behavior, deeply rooted in the human psyche, known as archetypes (from the Greek "arche" – beginning and "typos" – type). Psychoanalytic definitions define them as "structural elements of the collective unconscious."
