cast:

The innovative work by the American composer Philip Glass at the Polish National Opera. The Fall of the House of Usher is a story which unfolds on the borderline of reality and hallucination, full of innuendo and passion, evocatively building a sense of dread. The background for the events is the house of the title, of which Lovecraft wrote that it shares one common soul with the characters. The opera is based on the well-known story by the master of horror - Edgar Allan Poe, which was hailed as a masterpiece of gothic horror and has fascinated and inspired artists for years. Philip Glass uses his famously repetitive style to express the mysteriousness of the unusual house and its residents who are inevitably headed for death. Director Barbara Wysocka creates an onstage synthesis of the arts, combining theatre, music, film and photography in her production, successfully expressing the horror of Poe’s story and highlighting Glass’s disturbing and hypnotic music.

“[Barbara Wysocka]     With Glass’s The Fall of the House of Usher, she has restored faith in well-planned and smart opera directing. She has proved that music doesn’t have to restrict a director, a score is not a theatrical prison, and a libretto can present rewarding material for theatrical processing. Nomination for a brilliant debut, for seeing music and hearing theatre”. [Daniel Cichy justifying Barbara Wysocka’s nomination for a Polityka Passport award in the classical music category]

TERYTORIA (TERRITORIES). A series for the Chamber Hall. Presentation of 20th ans 21st century works of opera and ballet which are almost absent from Polish theatres. Modern, sophisticated, contemporary, exploring extreme, sometimes ultimate emotional states, they are usually inspired by great works of literature, while their music does not let one easily forget itself.

TERYTORIA (TERRITORIES) is an attempt to seek new aesthetic qualities and forms of expression, to delineate innovatory veins, to release unknown visions and associations. To collaborate on the pieces, Polish National Opera invites the most interesting contemporary musical, theatrical and visual artists.


Photo: Krzysztof Bieliński
Poster for the production, designed by Adam Żebrowski 

Media patrons: