Detailed information
Composer
Richard Strauss
Duration
ACT I 1 h 12 min - interval 25 min - ACT II 57 min - interval 20 min - ACT III 56 min
Libretto
Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Language
german with polish subtitles
Premiere at Baltic Opera Gdansk
Creatives
music direction
Yaroslav Shemet
Shemet is a conductor recognised for his orchestra-building leadership and insightful, architecturally expressive interpretations. He serves as the Artistic Director of the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice and the General Music Director of the Baltic State Opera in Gdańsk, making him the youngest director in the history of both institutions. From 2020 to 2022, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Neue Philharmonie Hamburg, and in the 2020/2021 season he held the position of Chief Conductor of the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic in Lviv. In the 2023/2024 season, he received nominations for several prestigious awards, including the International Opera Awards (Rising Star category), the Polityka Passports and the Fryderyk Award.
Shemet commands an exceptionally broad symphonic repertoire, encompassing the core Austro-German tradition as well as Central and Eastern European music and contemporary works.
Shemet commands an exceptionally broad symphonic repertoire, encompassing the core Austro-German tradition as well as Central and Eastern European music and contemporary works.
direction
Wojciech Faruga
Director, set designer, and playwright. He has worked with major theatres in Kraków, Bydgoszcz, Bielsko-Biała, Wałbrzych, Warsaw, Łódź, Katowice, and Tbilisi.
From 2012–2021, he was Artistic Director of the KORCZAK International Festival for Young Audiences and of the ASSITEJ World Congress. From 2020–2024, he led the Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz.
He has also directed operas, including María de Buenos Aires (2023) and Così fan tutte (2024) at the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera.
He has received awards at international theatre festivals and was honored with the Bronze Medal “Gloria Artis” (2024). Since November 1, 2024, he has been Director of the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw.
From 2012–2021, he was Artistic Director of the KORCZAK International Festival for Young Audiences and of the ASSITEJ World Congress. From 2020–2024, he led the Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz.
He has also directed operas, including María de Buenos Aires (2023) and Così fan tutte (2024) at the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera.
He has received awards at international theatre festivals and was honored with the Bronze Medal “Gloria Artis” (2024). Since November 1, 2024, he has been Director of the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw.
set, costume and light design
Katarzyna Borkowska
A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. An acclaimed and award-winning artist with 20 years of professional experience and an extensive body of work. She works as a set designer, costume designer, and lighting director in leading theatres in Poland and abroad, collaborating with prominent theatre directors of recent decades.
In 2019, she directed Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Theater Freiburg in Germany, for which she also designed the set, costumes, and lighting.
She is a recipient of numerous festival awards and has been recognized in rankings of top artists.
In 2019, she directed Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Theater Freiburg in Germany, for which she also designed the set, costumes, and lighting.
She is a recipient of numerous festival awards and has been recognized in rankings of top artists.
choreography and stage movement
Bartłomiej Gąsior
Choreographer, movement director, and theatre maker. A graduate of Lart Studio in Kraków and the Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków (Dance Theatre Department). A scholarship holder of the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts in Tel Aviv and the V4 Young Dance Talents program organized by the Central Europe Dance Theatre.
As a choreographer, he has collaborated with leading theatre and opera institutions in Poland. He also creates choreography for musical productions and concerts.
He develops original projects at the intersection of dance and theatre. His performance works have been presented at prestigious contemporary art institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and Moderna Museet in Stockholm (FG Fighters*).
He is also the founder of a choreographic collective creating choreography for music videos for leading Polish artists such as Brodka, Natalia Szroeder, Pezet, Dorota Masłowska, Beata Kozidrak, Hania Rani, Margaret, Igor Herbut, and Natalia Kukulska.
As a choreographer, he has collaborated with leading theatre and opera institutions in Poland. He also creates choreography for musical productions and concerts.
He develops original projects at the intersection of dance and theatre. His performance works have been presented at prestigious contemporary art institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and Moderna Museet in Stockholm (FG Fighters*).
He is also the founder of a choreographic collective creating choreography for music videos for leading Polish artists such as Brodka, Natalia Szroeder, Pezet, Dorota Masłowska, Beata Kozidrak, Hania Rani, Margaret, Igor Herbut, and Natalia Kukulska.
multimedia
Michał Lewandowski
Choir preparation
Jan Kurek (inspector)
Children Choir preparation
Teresa Pabjańczyk
first assistant conductor
Marta Szymańska
second assistant conductor
Anastasiia Mudrakova
director's assistant
Aleksandra Grącka-Baczyńska
assistant choreographer
Filip Michalak
Graduate of the Ballet School in Gdańsk. After completing his studies, he began working at the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz, and in 1999 he joined the Baltic Opera, where he debuted as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.
In 2012, he received the Nagroda Miasta Gdańska dla Młodych Twórców w Dziedzinie Kultury, and in 2022 he was awarded the Nagroda Teatralna Marszałka Województwa Pomorskiego for his outstanding acting technique and vibrant stage energy in the performance of Don Quixote.
In 2012, he received the Nagroda Miasta Gdańska dla Młodych Twórców w Dziedzinie Kultury, and in 2022 he was awarded the Nagroda Teatralna Marszałka Województwa Pomorskiego for his outstanding acting technique and vibrant stage energy in the performance of Don Quixote.
assistant lighting designer
Marek Lebida
language consultant
Cornelia Much
pianist-tutor of soloists
Liana Krasyun-Korunna
Weronika Mackiewicz
poster
Natalia Kabanow
Description
A comic opera that premiered in 1911 in Dresden, quickly gaining immense popularity. The story is set in Vienna around the mid-18th century, in a world of aristocracy filled with social conventions, intrigue, and subtle humor.
The plot centers on the Marschallin, a mature aristocrat, and her young lover Octavian. When Baron Ochs plans to marry the young Sophie Faninal, he appoints Octavian as the ceremonial “Knight of the Silver Rose,” whose task is to present the bride-to-be with the symbolic engagement rose. During the ceremony, Octavian and Sophie fall in love, setting off a chain of comic misunderstandings, disguises, and intrigues. Aware of the passing of time and the difference in age, the Marschallin gracefully renounces her love, allowing the young couple their happiness.
The opera captivates audiences with its rich orchestration and lyrical melodies by Richard Strauss, blending lyricism with humor. Particularly notable are the elaborate ensembles—especially the famous final trio—as well as waltz stylizations that give the work its nostalgic Viennese color. Der Rosenkavalier is a reflection on love, time, and maturity, presented in a light and elegant form that continues to make it one of Strauss’s most frequently performed operas.
The production is directed by Wojciech Faruga, an acclaimed theatre director and currently the director of the Teatr Dramatyczny w Warszawie. In addition to his extensive work in dramatic theatre, he has created two opera productions—both for the Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa: Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla (2023) and Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2024).
Faruga has chosen to relocate the opera’s action—originally set in Vienna in the mid-18th century—to the era of Hollywood’s golden age and the great successes of silent cinema, also drawing on the conventions of slapstick comedy. The visual concept of the production is created by Katarzyna Borkowska, while the musical direction is led by the music director of the Opera Bałtycka, Yaroslav Shemet.
The plot centers on the Marschallin, a mature aristocrat, and her young lover Octavian. When Baron Ochs plans to marry the young Sophie Faninal, he appoints Octavian as the ceremonial “Knight of the Silver Rose,” whose task is to present the bride-to-be with the symbolic engagement rose. During the ceremony, Octavian and Sophie fall in love, setting off a chain of comic misunderstandings, disguises, and intrigues. Aware of the passing of time and the difference in age, the Marschallin gracefully renounces her love, allowing the young couple their happiness.
The opera captivates audiences with its rich orchestration and lyrical melodies by Richard Strauss, blending lyricism with humor. Particularly notable are the elaborate ensembles—especially the famous final trio—as well as waltz stylizations that give the work its nostalgic Viennese color. Der Rosenkavalier is a reflection on love, time, and maturity, presented in a light and elegant form that continues to make it one of Strauss’s most frequently performed operas.
The production is directed by Wojciech Faruga, an acclaimed theatre director and currently the director of the Teatr Dramatyczny w Warszawie. In addition to his extensive work in dramatic theatre, he has created two opera productions—both for the Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa: Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla (2023) and Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2024).
Faruga has chosen to relocate the opera’s action—originally set in Vienna in the mid-18th century—to the era of Hollywood’s golden age and the great successes of silent cinema, also drawing on the conventions of slapstick comedy. The visual concept of the production is created by Katarzyna Borkowska, while the musical direction is led by the music director of the Opera Bałtycka, Yaroslav Shemet.
Cast
The Marschallin, Princess Marie Thérèse von Werdenberg
Iwona Sobotka
Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau
Bjarni Thor Kristinsson
Octavian
Joanna Motulewicz
Faninal
Jan Żądło
Sophie
Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk
Marianne
Maria Olender
Valzacchi
Albert Memeti
Annina
Iwona Wall
An Italian singer
Jinxu Xiahou
A police inspector
Remigiusz Łukomski
The Marschallin's Major-Domo / The Faninal's Major-Domo / An innkeeper
Piotr Maciejowski
Milliner
Marzena Ostryńska
A notary / Porter-servant (Hausknecht)
Adam Zaremba
An Animal dealer
Krzysztof Brzozowski
dancers
Filip Michalak
Graduate of the Ballet School in Gdańsk. After completing his studies, he began working at the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz, and in 1999 he joined the Baltic Opera, where he debuted as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.
In 2012, he received the Nagroda Miasta Gdańska dla Młodych Twórców w Dziedzinie Kultury, and in 2022 he was awarded the Nagroda Teatralna Marszałka Województwa Pomorskiego for his outstanding acting technique and vibrant stage energy in the performance of Don Quixote.
In 2012, he received the Nagroda Miasta Gdańska dla Młodych Twórców w Dziedzinie Kultury, and in 2022 he was awarded the Nagroda Teatralna Marszałka Województwa Pomorskiego for his outstanding acting technique and vibrant stage energy in the performance of Don Quixote.
Michał Zelent
Graduate of the Ballet School in Poznań. He was a finalist of the Ogólnopolski Konkurs Baletowy in 2013. As a student, he performed at the Teatr Wielki w Poznaniu. He has been associated with the Baltic Opera since 2016.
Daniel Morrison
Agnieszka Wojciechowska
Graduate of the Ballet School in Warsaw. After obtaining her professional dancer’s diploma, she continued her education at the Rotterdamse Dansacademie – Codarts. She has been associated with the Baltic Opera since 2008, where from 2010 to 2016 she was a soloist of the Baltic Dance Theatre. She performed, among others, in productions by Izadora Weiss, Emil Wesołowski, Jacek Przybyłowicz, and Jiří Kylián.
Milena Crameri
Milena is a Swiss dancer and choreographer, born in Poschiavo, a village in the Swiss Alps. She graduated with highest honors from the Zurich Dance Academy, earning the federal diploma of professional ballet dancer alongside a Matura in Arts.
After performing in a production at the Zurich Opera, she joined the Baltic Opera Ballet in Gdańsk in 2018, where she has taken on a wide range of performances in ensemble and soloist roles, developing her artistic voice within the institution.
Alongside her work as a performer, she has been creating and teaching internationally. Her choreographic work, mostly explores human behavior with a particular interest in social dynamics. She often weaves subtle layers of symbolism into her pieces, moving between neoclassical and contemporary styles. This premiere marks her first full-scale production.
Her work has received several awards, including the Danse Suisse Award (2017), the Graubünden Cultural Prize (2022), and the Audience Award at the Solocoreografico Festival in Turin.
After performing in a production at the Zurich Opera, she joined the Baltic Opera Ballet in Gdańsk in 2018, where she has taken on a wide range of performances in ensemble and soloist roles, developing her artistic voice within the institution.
Alongside her work as a performer, she has been creating and teaching internationally. Her choreographic work, mostly explores human behavior with a particular interest in social dynamics. She often weaves subtle layers of symbolism into her pieces, moving between neoclassical and contemporary styles. This premiere marks her first full-scale production.
Her work has received several awards, including the Danse Suisse Award (2017), the Graubünden Cultural Prize (2022), and the Audience Award at the Solocoreografico Festival in Turin.
Nayu Hata
Aleksandra Szeląg
Marta Makurat
The Marschallin, Princess Marie Thérèse von Werdenberg (cover)
Susanne Langbein
Octavian (cover)
Iwona Wall
Faninal (cover)
Grzegorz Pelutis
Sophie (cover)
Teresa Marut
Annina (cover)
Nataliia Tepla
Orchestra, Choir, dancers of Baltic Opera
Canzonetta Children’s Choir of the Feliks Nowowiejski Music School in Gdańsk
In repertoire
Photos
10 Photos
