The creators of The Mothers of Kherson, American playwright George Brant and Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets, both with extensive opera experience under their belt, sought a story that would convey the magnitude of Ukrainian suffering and resonate with the audience on a universal level. The opera focuses on a practice employed since the beginning of the Russian invasion: mass abductions and deportations of Ukrainian children. The libretto, however, is only loosely inspired by facts. It follows different women fighting to recover their abducted children, highlighting their common characteristic. They all lost their daughters after the children were taken to Crimea by deceit. Although the distance between Kherson and the peninsula is not far, due to the raging war, their mothers must travel thousands of kilometres, taking a roundabout way to the camp where the children are held. Will they be able to retrieve their missing children?
This is an opera responding to the challenges of our times. It explores an acutely painful topic, giving voice to tormented women and highlighting the suffering of children. While emphasising the tragic impact of grand history on individuals, the piece also speaks to human determination and the ability to sacrifice in the name of higher values.
Starting from Sunday, 24 October, the world-premiere production will be available for two weeks on ARTE. On Sunday, 25 October (8.05 p.m.) it will be broadcast on TVP Kultura and TVP VOD. Tune in on 7.30 p.m. to watch a making-of documentary taking you behind-the-scenes of the opera's production.
Review excerpts:
The music, as bellicose and dissonant as it is melodic, more than carries the weight of its subject.
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
A large cast and a massive production successfully dramatised by Barbara Wysocka (stage director), Barbara Hanicka (set designer), Julia Kornacka (costumes), and the entire creative team.
Anna Dębowska, Gazeta Wyborcza
The composer has skilfully differentiated between entirely orchestral passages, serving as a necessary link between the constrantly changing places of action, and the vocal parts, where the voice of the soloists and the chorus must take precedence. Both the librettist and the composer shared a common intention for the story not to sound disingenuous.
Jacek Marczyński, Rzeczpospolita
Creative team
Libretto: George Brant
Stage director: Barbara Wysocka
Composer: Maxim Kolomiiets
Conductor: Keri Lynn-Wilson
Set design: Barbara Hanicka
Costumes: Julia Kornacka
Lighting designer: Marc Heinz
Projections: Barbara Wysocka, Artur Sienicki
Stage movement: Alisa Makarenko
Dramaturg: Paul Cremo
Cast
Izabela Matula (Kateryna)
Hanna Sosnowska-Bill (Lilia)
Kamila Dutkowska (Dasha)
Weronika Wojtkowska (Olena)
Elissa Pfaender (Tetiana Borysova)
Małgorzata Walewska (Olha)
Jadwiga Postrożna (Halyna)
Andrei Bondarenko (Vitaly)
Marcel Orłowski (Deputy Commissioner for Children's Rights)
Katarzyna Wietrzny (Maria)
Tomasz Rak (Rescue Planner)
Ólafur Sigurdarson (Bus driver)
Rafał Żurek (Russian Border Guard)
Paweł Trojak (Camp Guard)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Polish National Opera
Artos Children's Choir
Chorus solists appearing in the textile mill scene:
Anna Skobel, Dagmara Sokalska, Lidia Kitlińska
Chorus soloists appearing in the bus scene:
Mariia Udovenko, Anna Skobel, Zoia Rolinska, Katarzyna Zimak
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