D’ARC – Warsaw Rising Museum

Produced to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Warsaw Uprising, D’ARC is a contemporary opera written in three time frames and dreams, in which three heroines meet: Joan – a photographer from Paris, the daughter of Polish emigrants; Joanna – a cellist from Warsaw and also an insurgent, and Giovanna – a French national heroine, the Maid of Orléans. Especially commissioned for the Warsaw Rising Museum, director Krystian Lada creates a performance encompassing the museum space as well as the museum’s surrounding district Wola. The opera’s libretto by Anka Herbut and Łukasz Barys is based on themes from the diaries of artists participating in the Warsaw Uprising and the story of Joan of Arc. Leading Polish composers of the young generation – Dobrawa Czocher, Teoniki Rożynek, Wojciech Błażejczyk and Rafał Ryterski – have contributed compositions, alongside rarely performed works by Julius Eastman and the artist-insurgent Roman Padlewski. Following the heroines of this story, we travel through the opera to visit Paris in 2024, Warsaw in 1944 and Rouen in 1429. The world that was, that is, and that which only happens in dreams will be guided by cellist Dobrawa Czocher as Joanna, actress Agnieszka Grochowska as Joan, soprano Gabriela Legun as Giovanna, and baritone Szymon Komasa as the Angel of History. More than a tribute to bravery of the Polish nation, D’ARC is also a journey through musical and theatrical conventions, in which the creators experiment with form, structure and space. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 1 October 2024 at 19:00 CET to 1 April 2025 at 12:00 CET: CAST Joan Agnieszka Grochowska Joanna Dobrawa Czocher Giovanna Gabriela Legun Angels of History Szymon Komasa Dominik Bobryk Michał Adam Góral Wojciech Grudziński Ensembles Hashtag Ensemble Match Match Ensemble 10 cello ensemble Music Dobrawa Czocher Teoniki Rożynek Johann Sebastian Bach Wojciech Błażejczyk Rafał Ryterski Julius Eastman Roman Padlewski Text Anka Herbut Łukasz Barys Director, set design, concept Krystian Lada Conductor Lilianna Krych Set design collaborator Łukasz Misztal Costumes Natalia Kitamikado Lights Aleksandr Prowaliński Choreography collaborator Wojciech Grudziński Assistant director Magdalena Milczarska Production Warsaw Rising Museum: Marta Kuźmiak Iwa Ostrowska Beata Spodarek Video directors Ewa Krasucka Marcin Dunin-Borkowski Sound directors Michał Polański Adam Ciesielski OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. @operavision