Baltic State Opera
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The Baltic State Opera (Polish: Państwowa Opera Bałtycka)[1] is an opera company in Gdańsk, Poland which performs in the Baltic State Opera House.
Originally, in 1949, it was organized as an Opera-Studio rather than as a full scale opera company. Due to the destruction of all theatres in Gdańsk by the end of World War II, it made do with temporary facilties for a number of years after its founding, giving performances in various places around Gdańsk and Sopot and finally settling in its current location, a building adapted from a former gymnasium to which a newly built stage was attached. The entire building has been completely renovated. In the same year (1949), as many other institutions in Poland, Opera-Studio was nationalized.
The first season started formally in 1950. From 1952, in addition to opera performances, ballets were added. In 1953 the Opera-Studio joined the local Philharmonic Orchestra to form one institution under a single management and it was renamed as the Baltic State Opera and Philharmonic. Within it, the Gdańsk Philharmonic Orchestra (which was created in 1945) performed two functions: as an active Symphony orchestra, giving frequent and regular concerts to the public, and then as a dedicated opera orchestra, supporting all operatic and ballet performances.
Over the years, operatic performances icreased while the number of concerts diminished accordingly. That situation lasted till 1974 when an entirely new symphony orchestra was created, although both orchestras remained under the same roof and had the same general manager. The newer symphony orchestra took over most of the concert tasks, and the older, predominant one was solely devoted to opera.
Finally, the Baltic State Opera and Philharmonic were completely separated in 1994 and they now have two different managements and two different addresses.
The Baltic State Opera performs not only in its local quarters, but also occassionaly visits many opera theatres around Poland and Europe.
Polish premiere which took place in Baltic State Opera House include:
- Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten (1958)
- The Rake's Progress by Igor Stravinsky (1965)
- I Lombardi by Verdi (2004)
- Anna Bolena by Donizetti (2004).
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Meaning of The Baltic State Opera is to be understood as owned by the state, not as located in one of the Baltic States. To avoid this ambiguity, it might even be preferable to use other alternate name for that institution as The State Baltic Opera.
