A press conference before the premiere of Orpheus in the Underworld
A press conference before the premiere of Orpheus in the Underworld
It was on 28th September, Tuesday that a press briefing with the participation of media representatives was held on the mezzanine of our Theatre. The subject of the conference was the upcoming premiere of operetta Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach. The backstage of the preparations for the performance was discussed by Włodzimierz Nurkowski (director), Tomasz Tokarczyk (music director), Violetta Suska (author of choreography and stage movement), Marcelina Beucher (Soloist - Eurydice), Jarosław Bielecki (Soloist - Orpheus) and Dominik Sutowicz (Soloist - Orpheus). The meeting was moderated by Bogusław Nowak, the Chief Executive of the Opera.
Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld is wonderful music,’ says Tomasz Tokarczyk, the musical director of the show. ‘Extremely witty, frolic, sometimes poetic, and sometimes a bit crude, yet also phenomenally conveying the content and message of the libretto. In my opinion, there is still not enough Offenbach on Polish stages - I hope that we will gradually fill these gaps, especially since we have the right soloists, which I am very happy about.’
‘It is a bit difficult for me to talk about this show,’ admits director Włodzimierz Nurkowski. ‘We started working on the material two years ago. I have very fond memories of those beginnings, but now I also feel as if I had to meet myself as I was two years ago. It was not easy, but I think I finally made it. First of all, we tried to make it simply an amusing and witty performance. This is what I wanted to do at the end of my career - a performance that would not try to preach, but would simply be carefree fun.’
Violetta Suska, the author of choreography and stage movement adds, ‘Certainly, there must be a lot of dancing in an operetta, and Orpheus in the Underworld will be no exception. I hope that we are giving the audience a dancing and jolly performance full of humour and wit. Of course, there will be the indispensable cancan danced by devils, as well as many light dance scenes in which we snigger at ourselves and the situation that surrounds us.’
The entire conference was broadcast live on the Opera Facebook fan page - its transcript is available at the following link: Press conference
‘It is a bit difficult for me to talk about this show,’ admits director Włodzimierz Nurkowski. ‘We started working on the material two years ago. I have very fond memories of those beginnings, but now I also feel as if I had to meet myself as I was two years ago. It was not easy, but I think I finally made it. First of all, we tried to make it simply an amusing and witty performance. This is what I wanted to do at the end of my career - a performance that would not try to preach, but would simply be carefree fun.’
Violetta Suska, the author of choreography and stage movement adds, ‘Certainly, there must be a lot of dancing in an operetta, and Orpheus in the Underworld will be no exception. I hope that we are giving the audience a dancing and jolly performance full of humour and wit. Of course, there will be the indispensable cancan danced by devils, as well as many light dance scenes in which we snigger at ourselves and the situation that surrounds us.’
The entire conference was broadcast live on the Opera Facebook fan page - its transcript is available at the following link: Press conference
