Father of Polish opera celebrated in spa town
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
23.08.2018 11:10
The annual Stanisław Moniuszko International Festival opened in the spa town of Kudowa-Zdrój, south-western Poland, on Wednesday.
![Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872). Image: Adolphe Lafosse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://external.polskieradio.pl/files/2a331fc3-a65f-40a7-9c02-398acc1198ff.file "Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872). Image: Adolphe Lafosse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons")
Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872). Image: Adolphe Lafosse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The event, which runs until Saturday, focuses on various aspects of the output of Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872), the father of Polish national opera.
The festival opened with a concert featuring the most popular arias from the operas Halka, The Haunted Manor and The Countess by Moniuszko, as well as a selection of his songs. The concert was in celebration of Polish independence, which the country regained 100 years ago.
The artistic director of the festival, Stanisław Rybarczyk, has told the media that this year’s event looks ahead to next year’s bicentenary of Moniuszko’s birth.
“Some 80 percent of Moniuszko’s output has not been published or performed,” Rybarczyk said, adding that the festival organisers aimed to make Moniuszko better known among audiences.
The festival includes a new production of Moniuszko’s little-known operetta Carmagnole, a recital of his songs set to verse by Polish poets and a concert of Moniuszko’s religious songs performed by singers from Belarus.
Born in Ubiel near Minsk, present-day Belarus, Moniuszko is recognised in that country as an important figure.
Launched in 1962, the Moniuszko Festival in Kudowa-Zdrój is now in its 56th year.
(mk/gs)