Warsaw Chamber Opera ensemble charms Vienna

Standing ovations and encores accompanied all three concerts of the Early Instrument Orchestra of the Warsaw Chamber Opera MACV in the world's classical music capital. The magnificent performances in the legendary halls of the Wiener Musikverein, the Mozarthaus and the Hofburgkapelle marked the Vienna leg of the 33rd Mozart Festival.

Even before departing for Vienna, Alicja Węgorzewska-Whiskerd, Ph.D., director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera, recalled some doubts surrounding her original idea of performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works in the city where his most important and well-known works were written.

"When we and the MACV orchestra successfully performed Bach's >>John's Passion<< in the legendary golden hall of the Musikverein two years ago, I told my Austrian friends that it would be our dream to return to Vienna with the repertoire of Mozart himself. It seemed abstract: Coming all the way from Poland to perform the works of a Viennese in his city? However, it turns out that the local, very demanding audience is delighted with our interpretation of the works of this genius," explained Alicja Węgorzewska-Whiskerd.

"The 'Viennese Victoria' of the Polish musicians seems to have two sources: the first is that they perform Mozart's repertoire on original, historical instruments created in the times in which the most famous Viennese lived and composed. This means that they sound exactly as the author himself heard them.

"Secondly, we are accompanied by truly magnificent, world-renowned soloists: Jessica Pratt (coloratura soprano), who performs on the world's most important opera stages, and Petr Nekoranec (tenor), winner of, among others, the Francesco Vinas International Competition". - added the director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera.

The first performance, at the Musikverein, was a repeat of the concert that inaugurated the 33rd Mozart Festival at the Concert Hall of the National Philharmonic. In both Warsaw and Vienna, the audience was able to enjoy overtures and arias from the Austrian composer's most famous operas: "Abduction from the Seraglio", "Don Giovanni" and "The Grace of Titus", conducted by maestro Michal Maciaszczyk.

Then, at the place where the artist composed, among other things, "The Marriage of Figaro", i.e. his long-standing home next to St. Stephen's Cathedral, the chamber musicians of the Warsaw Chamber Opera performed Mozart's quartets and divertimentos during the concert "Mozartian Dialogues: From Strings to Winds".

On the third day in Vienna's Hofburgkapelle, the Warsaw Chamber Opera MACV Orchestra, conducted by maestro Adam Banaszak, gave a bravura performance of Mozart's last three symphonies (39th in E flat major, 40th in G minor and 41st in C major).

"On the one hand, Mozart's oeuvre is a test of excellence - by daring to perform any of his works, each of us defines ourselves as conductor, singer, instrumentalist. Mozart is also an icon and a symbol of Vienna: you can see people dressed up as the legendary composer at every turn, and shop shelves are overflowing with sweets and souvenirs bearing his likeness. The city itself is alive with classical music - going to the opera or philharmonic is an essential part of Viennese daily life.

"All this makes the audiences here among the most demanding in the world, which is a unique experience and challenge for every artist. However, a few days earlier in Warsaw, we did not have an easy task either: it is, in turn, the city of the great Chopin, also one that loves and understands music. Therefore, I believe that this Festival has built a unique bridge between these two inspiring metropolises," - said Jessica Pratt.