The award for best new opera production was given to Eugene Onegin, directed by Michał Znaniecki, while world-renowned baritone Mariusz Kwiecień won for best opera singer for his role in King Roger. The jury of the 6th edition of the awards met in Oviedo in November 2011 to vote on the most intriguing productions of opera and operetta created and performed by both Spanish and foreign artists between 2010 and 2011. The awards gala on the 17th of February was intended as a tribute "to those working in the theater behind the scenery" and "making its magic possible."
Eugene Onegin, directed by Michał Zaniecki, received the award for best new production out of 280 other shows that took the Spanish stage. The opera written by Tchaikovsky is based on the original 19th century novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin, set in Russia in 1820. The protagonist is a man disillusioned with the world, pained by a lack of true love and friendship. Exhausted and disheartened he sets off to the country, where he comes across Tatyana, an adolescent girl. He rejects her as she confesses her love to him, more interested in her sister Olga, which leads to tragic consequences. Onegin sets off on an even more distant journey. Years later, he meets Tatyana again in entirely different circumstances. The centrepiece of the production is the symbolic representation of the protagonist's heart as a block of ice, with the third act taking place in water - the ice having given way and melted.
The show is the fruit of the collaboration of the Kraków Opera, Stanisław Moniuszko Grand Opera House of Poznań, Teatro Argentino de La Plata in Buenos Aires and Abao-Olbe of Bilbao. It premiered in Kraków on December 10, 2010. The performance was also staged at Teatro Argentino de La Plata on in Buenos Aires on March 18, 2011 and in Spain in April 2011. The international ensemble of producers and performers includes Łukasz Borowicz (musical direction), Luigi Scoglio (set design) and Diana Theocharidis (choreography) - performed by the Kraków Opera Ballet Ensemble. Eugene Oniegin, directed by Michał premiered on April 9, 2011 at the Abao-Olbe in Bilbao. It is also available on DVD and also returns to the stage this year in Poznań as part of the Opera's 2012 series devoted to male protagonists, alongside such featured performances of King Roger, Swan Lake and Hamlet.
Another Polish accent at the gala was marked by Mariusz Kwiecień's win for best opera singer for his role in Karol Szymanowski's King Roger, produced by the Paris National Opera. Regarded by some as his opus magnum, King Roger is one of the most outstanding works by Szymanowski. Written at the time of the composer's immense interest in the Antiquity, the Orient and the culture of the Mediterranean, and inspired by his 1911 journey to Italy, it is regarded as one of the most modern operas of the beginning of the 20th century. During a service at the Palermo Cathedral, King Roger, his wife Roxanne and advisor Edrisi learn that the Church is threatened by the founder of a new religion, a young and beautiful Shepherd. The king and queen eventually fall under the Shepherd's spell and discover the godliness within him.
Mariusz Kwiecień was born in Kraków. He is one of the leading baritones of the world, performing at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Bavarian State Opera and many more. He is best known for his charismatic performances of the major protagonists of classic opera, such as King Roger, Don Giovanni and Eugene Onegin, as well as Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Riccardo in I puritani, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Marcello in La bohème.
Other winners of thie year's edition of the The Premios Líricos Teatro Campoamor included: Sylvain Cambreling (musical direction) and Calixto Bieito (stage direction), Jose Montiel (best female singer), Jorge de Leon (vocal realisation), Mikeldi Atxalandabaso (operetta singer), "Amadeu" (best new opera production or Spanish zarzuela), Ruggero Raimondi (special award for lifetime achievement) and the Festival Castell de Paralada (institution that has contributed to the world of opera).
Source: www.opera.poznan.pl, www.mariuszkwiecien.com