Review: OPERA ITALIA at Wroclaw Opera

It is said that how you spend the first day of the year will reflect on the next twelve months. I hope it's true because I was at the Wroclaw Opera House on January 1st and I wish my whole year was this fabulous!

It was a great Gala with an astonishing mix of Italian opera pieces directed by Waldemar Zawodzinski and conducted by maestro Giorgio Croci. It’s not an easy task to put together different pieces of music and make a cohesive show out of it, but the director took us on a well-thought-through Italian journey across space, time, great music, Venetian gondolas, the hall of mirrors, and superb voices. Sequins, wigs, masks, glitter leather, long dresses, hats, so everything you will need for elegant 2024 was there.

The first act with its gondolas, masks, and sensation of floating water introduced us to a Venetian atmosphere while the second took place in an elegant environment mirroring a ball and party. It was full of charisma but not bloated. The choir played a huge role here, not only through singing but also through their dresses, hats, and masks, they created a perfect atmosphere and filled the stage with incredible vitality and energy.

The whole show had a great balance between songs: very or less popular, lyrical, energetic, and… funny. O Sole Mio (by Zgdzisław Madej), pieces from Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohme, Otello created this atmosphere of traditional opera broken up by unusual compositions. We have seen that opera can be a source of humor, like the hilarious Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti with the sparkling duet of Katarzyna Haras and Elzbieta Kaczmarzyk-Janczak or admiring the astonishing dance routine of Noi Siamo Zingarell of Traviata. And at one point, I admit, I felt like I was at an elegant rock concert. What a treat!

The Gala was hosted by Jacek Jaskola and Aleksander Zuchowicz. The second one stepped into a new level of stage presence as a compere, his attitude, personality, sense of humor, and undeniable energy blended perfectly making him a frontman who carries this huge concert on his shoulders with so much grace. He was funny but not pushy, elegant but not prancing, energetic but not overwhelming. Chapeau bas!

It was a wonderful and delightful evening, and may it be the prelude to a new year full of music, joy, and high notes.

Photo: Wroclaw Opera