A creative clash of such individualities is always a high-risk venture that might only seem fit for a one-time success. Contrary to expectations, collaboration between one of Poland’s most eminent 21st-century composers and one of the best contemporary writers continues to develop, producing ever more surprising results. The two artists chose the opera as the field for their joint experimentation. They approach this genre in all seriousness but without humility… Which brings us to the title of Nowak and Twardoch’s third work, Pokora (‘humility’ in Polish). After the sea voyage into the unknown in Siren, the artists return to Silesia, the land of Drach, with the tribulations of its great history and little hardships of everyday life. Through the mouths of the protagonists, Agnes (Joanna Freszel) and Alois (Sebastian Szumski), they tell the story of life in the consuming grip of power and passion.

The instrumentalists are Maciej Frąckiewicz (accordion) and AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy under Marek Moś. “The accompaniment shakes one to the core; the music plunges into some terrifying, lethal cold,” commented Polityka’s reviewer Dorota Szwarcman after the premiere. What more is there to add?

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Vinyl