This oratorio with fifteen set pieces of different musical genres, including rock, gospel, and blues, tackles a difficult and little known subject of Polish history during World War II. Listy na Kresy [Letters to the Borderlands] describes the forced exile of Polish nationals living in the eastern half of Poland that was invaded by the Soviets in September of 1939. The producer, Marek Klementowski, stated that, “We aimed at reaching the young audiences through our musical presentation. The history of Poles displaced from their homesteads and exiled to Siberia contains an enormous emotional baggage. We hope that this artistic experience will spur the young to seek and discover their own roots.”
The work was premiered on June 4 by the Śląsk Opera in Bytom, and the event was emceed by actor Bernard Krawczyk, and narrated by Adam Żurawski. Texts were authored by Jan Drechsler and Michał Malicki provided the musical accompaniment and the arrangements.
June 4, 2016 | 6:00 pm
Premiere of oratorio Listy na Kresy
Śląsk Opera, ul. Moniuszki 21-23, Byt
[Source: opera-slaska.pl]