The young countertenor of international fame, Jakub Józef Orliński, has won an International Classical Music Award in the ‘Baroque Vocal’ category for his new album Anima Æterna. The album was built around the works of lesser-known sacral music composers from the 18th century. It includes pieces by Johann Joseph Fux, Georg Friedrich Handel, Bartolomeo Nucci, Francisco Antonio de Alameida, Gennaro Manna and Jan Zelenka. The performances of compositions by Nucci, Manna and Handel are phonographic premieres. For Orliński, the title, which means ‘eternal soul’, is a description of nature:
Something so lively, untamed and dangerous, but calming, intriguing and healing at the same time.
2021 was an awfully good year for Orliński: it began with receiving an International Opera Award, and ended it with his debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice, with a libretto by Sarah Ruhl. In January 2022, he will make his debut at the Royal Opera House in London, where he will play the role of Dydym in Theodore by Handel, directed by Katie Mitchell. In March 2022, an album (CD and DVD) will be released containing a recording of Stabat Mater by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Capella Cracoviensis, and directed by Jan Tomasz Adamus, with Sebastian Pańczyk directing.