A Moniuszko opera double bill, sung in Polish. Singing, dancing and lots of fun on stage!
After the success of his opera Halka, Stanislaw Moniuszko was made director of the National Opera in Warsaw. In 1858 he travelled to Paris to dedicate time to composition. Legend has it that during a very hot four days, he isolated himself in his hotel room and wrote the whole opera Flis.
Verbum Nobile is a comic opera. Zuzia and Michal are promised to each other by their parents, without their having met; they meet accidentally and fall in love. Michal, having given his name as Stanislaw, is refused Zuzia's hand by her father, who has given his word to Serwacy, Michal's father, on the betrothal. All is explained, preventing a duel between the two fathers, and the marriage can go ahead.
Flis is set in a town of raftsmen by the Wisla river and revolves around Zosia and Franek, two young lovers who are not allowed to marry because Zosia's father had previously promised her to another young man, Jakub, who is a hairdresser in Warsaw. Disillusioned, Franek goes off in search of his long-lost brother, only to find that his brother is actually the hairdresser! The score is full of Polish folk-influenced tunes, prayers and national rhythms including the kujawiak.