Magical Mountain – post-premiere performances at Nowy Teatr

Paweł Mykietyn's opera, directed by Andrzej Chyra, returns in a new cast, featuring soloists of the Opera Academy of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera. The libretto by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk, inspired by Tomasz Mann's novel, does not summarise the literary original but draws out its atmosphere – an image of Europe steeped in tension and awaiting impending catastrophe. Hans Castorp arrives at the Berghof sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland, for a cure. Instead of regaining his health, however, he gradually approaches a world suspended between life and death. A dreamlike tale of love, betrayal and transience becomes at the same time a diagnosis of a reality that disturbingly resembles the present day. Mykietyn's music combines arias, swing, rock improvisation and pop song with an electronic sound layer. The performance is presented in a set design by Mirosław Bałka. After its world premiere, Mykietyn's opera was hailed as one of the most important Polish musical productions of the 21st century.