Modern, sophisticated, exploring extreme, emotional states, the Polish treatment of Aeschylus's raw and shocking classic puts emphasis on the archetype of the family and explores the complexities of family relations. The Polish production was coproduced by Poland’s two largest stage companies the National Theatre and the Teatr Polski – Polish National Opera. Director Maja Kleczewska and musical director Agata Zubel have worked together before, on the highly acclaimed Sudden Rain/Between and the monumental Marat-Sade based on Weiss at the National Theatre.
The myth of Orestes, who killed his mother and her lover to avenge the murder of his father Agamemnon, has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for European arts for centuries. The never-ending cycle of personal vendettas in the House of Atreus is a curse that finally comes to an end when Orestes is afflicted with madness, pursued by the Furies, and put on trial to be judged by gods.
Earlier productions of Oresteia include Jan Klata’s 2007 production performed at the Stary Teatr in Kraków. His take on Aschylus's treagedy touches upon the themes of a degenerate modern society, false democracy, the origins of madness, curses and free will. In 2010, Michał Zadara's opera, based on Iannis Xenakis's Oresteia, was performed at the Teatr Polski – National Opera. Xenakis’s characteristic combination of ancient and contemporary elements: unusual instrumental sounds and vocal parlando inspired Zadara to interpret Oresteia in light of Polish history. Krzysztof Warlikowski’s (A) pollonia, presented with the Best Foreign Performance award at the 2011 Moscow Golden Mask festival, is based on multiple classical and contemporary texts, including Aeschylus’s The Oresteia.
Agata Zubel (born 1978 in Wrocław) - composer and vocalist, honourary graduate of the the Academy of Music in Wrocław and the Conservatoruim Hogeschool Enschede in the Netherlands. Zubel’s pieces have been performed at numerous festivals in Poland and abroad. Awarded the prestigious Polityka magazine 2005 Passport in classical music, the special award for the ElettroVoce duo at the Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in Amsterdam, and First Prize at the Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music. As a vocalist, Zubel has performed throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S.
Maja Kleczewska (born 1973) – theatre director, holds a degree in psychology from the Universtiy of Warsaw and in directing from the National Higher School of Theatre in Kraków. In 2000 she premiered with the critically acclaimed play Jordan authored by Anna Reynolds and Moira Buffini performed at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków. Awarded the Polityka magazine 2006 Passport. Currently affiliated with the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole. Kleczewska's and the Kochanowski company's production of Macbeth will be presented in May 2012 at the Globe Theatre in London.
Maja Kleczewska's production of The Oresteia at the National Theatre premieres on the 14th of April at 7:00 p.m. Repeat performances on the 15th, 21st & 22nd of April, 29th-31st of May.
The Oresteia
Conductor: Wojciech Rodek, Director: Maja Kleczewska, Music: Agata Zubel, Conductor: Wojciech Rodek, Translation: Maciej Słomczyński, Adaptation: Łukasz Chotkowski, Stage designer and lights: Katarzyna Borkowska, Video projections: Bartosz Nalazek, Stage movement: Cezary Tomaszewski, Choreography and performance of dance sequence on ropes: Anna Sąsiadek
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Editor: Marta Jazowska
Source: www.teatrwielki.pl