The Grand Opening Gala of the 33rd Mozart Festival in Warsaw

Concert Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic

Jessica Pratt – soprano
Petr Nekoranec – tenor

Period Instrument Orchestra of the Warszawska Opera Kameralna
Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense

Conductor
Michał Maciaszczyk

Concert programme:
W. A. Mozart

Overture to the opera Don Giovanni KV 527
Konstanze’s aria Ach ich liebte from the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail KV 384
Idamantes’ aria Non ho colpa from the opera Idomeneo, Re di Creta KV 367
Donna Anna’s aria Crudele…Non mi dir…forse un giorno from the opera Don Giovanni KV 527
Overture to the opera Così fan tutte KV 588
Aria Tito Se All impero amici dei from the opera La clemenza di Tito KV 621
Aria Zaide Ruhe Sanft, mein holdes leben from the opera Zaide KV 344
Overture to the opera La clemenza di Tito KV 621
Aspasia’s aria Al destin che la minaccia from the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto KV 87

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6 German Dances KV 509
Donna Anna and Don Ottavio duet Fuggi crudele fuggi from the opera Don Giovanni KV 527
Overture to the opera Idomeneo, Re di Creta KV 366
Konstanze and Belmonte duet Welch ein Geschick! O Qual der Seele! – Meinetwegen sollst du sterben! from the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail KV 384
3 German Dances KV 605
Don Ottavio’s aria Dalla sua pace from the opera Don Giovanni KV 527
Konstanze’s aria Martern aller Arten! from the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail KV 384

The inaugural concerts of the Mozart Festival in Warsaw have already become a tradition, and the concert hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic is filled every year with music lovers thirsty for Mozart’s music in its best (and stylish) rendition. This year is no exception.

The inaugural programme consists of famous Mozartian arias and duets (including those from “Don Giovanni”, “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, “Idomeneo”, or “The Clemency of Titus”), complemented by overtures and “German Dances” (KV 509 and KV 605) which do not often find their way onto the concert bill. The evening will commence with the overture to the opera “Don Giovanni” KV 527 – famous for its breathtaking variability of rhythms and emotions, spanning between horror and mockery. We will also hear overtures from “Così fan tutte” KV 588, “La clemenza di Tito” KV 621, and “Idomeneo, Re di Creta” KV 366. In them, we see Mozart the instrumentalist, perfectly handling orchestral colours, the variability of rhythms and scales, divine and human at the same time.

Selected arias showcase melodic invention, an eruption of emotional ideas, a brilliant portrait of lost and unhappy human figures. To start, Konstanze in love (aria “Ach, ich liebte” from “The Abduction from the Seraglio” KV 384), followed by the love-suffering Donna Anna (aria “Crudele… Non mi dir” from “Don Giovanni”), then, among others, the heroic Titus (aria “Se all’impero, amici Dei”), two bittersweet duets: “Fuggi crudele, fuggi” of Donna Anna and Don Ottavio (“Don Giovanni”), “Welch ein Geschick! O Qual der Seele! – Meinetwegen sollst du sterben!” of Konstanze and Belmonte (“The Abduction…”), finally, “Dalla sua pace” of Don Ottavio and, for the finale, once again Konstanze in the triumphant aria “Martern aller Arten!”.

Finally, the stars. The first one is Jessica Pratt – one of the most sought-after sopranos of our time, winner of the International Opera Award “Oscar Della Lirica” (2016), whom “The New York Times” hailed as “a master of bel canto”, a singer of “gleaming sound, free and easy high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace”. She is partnered by Petr Nekoranec – a Czech tenor, who has gained admiration from both critics and music lovers, with captivating performances at the Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien and the Paris Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The soloists are accompanied by the orchestra of the Warszawska Opera Kameralna Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense under the direction of Michał Maciaszczyk – this duo always plays with great musicality.

Let’s remember this date: 13th of May. And the venue: National Philharmonic in Warsaw. Also because the inauguration programme will be repeated on 19th May at the renowned Wiener Musikverein, opening the Viennese instalment of the Mozart Festival. Mozart would be proud of us!