The Secret Life of Paintings

The Secret Life of Paintings is a unique combination of arias from the operas of Monteverdi, Handel and Vivaldi with visual art from the Baroque era. Fragments of such works as Orlando , Ariodante or Alcina , that is “musical paintings”, are the setting for stories based on scenes immortalised on the canvases of old masters. What did Vermeer’s Woman Reading a Letter learn from the correspondence? What is Rembrandt’s Night Watch talking about just before marching out? And who will catch the maiden’s slipper in Fragonard’s The Swing ? The event is a co-production of the Polish National Opera and the Polish Royal Opera. The soloists of the Opera Academy of the Polish National Opera are accompanied by the Period Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera Capella Regia Polona conducted by Krzysztof Garstka. Music director: KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA Written and directed by EWA RUCIŃSKA Choreography: ILONA MOLKA Video projections: PIOTR MAJEWSKI Lighting: MACIEJ IGIELSKI Costumes and styling: ELŻBIETA TOLAK CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland , Neptune's aria Superbo è l'huom PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK bass-baritone (POK soloist) GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Ariodante , duet of Ginevra and Ariodante Bramo aver mille vite IZABELLA FABRYCKA soprano MARTA WIKTORZAK mezzo-soprano Agrippina , Agrippina’s aria L'alma mia fra le tempeste IRYNA MELNYK soprano Apollo and Daphne , Apollo’s aria Come rosa sul la spina NAZAR MYKULYAK baritone Ariodante , Ginevra’s arioso Vezzi, lusinghe e brio GABRIELA STOLIŃSKA soprano Ariodante , Ariodante’s aria Scherza infida EMILIA RABCZAK mezzo-soprano