March 22, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Upper Foyer OiFP (Forma Restaurant) | Odeska Street 1
A EUROPEAN MAP OF OPERA EMOTIONS: How different cultures speak of love, longing, and strength
Do emotions sound different in different languages? Does love sung in Italian, Russian, or German carry the same emotional weight? During the second installment of the OPE(N)RHYMES series, we invite the audience on a musical journey across Europe—not along a geographical map, but along a map of emotions recorded in opera. During the evening, we will hear arias and operatic scenes representing diverse musical and cultural traditions. Each demonstrates a different way of experiencing: Italian expression, Russian longing, German dramatic depth, or Slavic lyricism.
The meeting will follow the formula characteristic of OPE(N)RHYMES—a brief introduction and analysis of emotions will precede the musical performances. A new element will also be introduced: comparing fragments—different languages and musical styles conveying the same emotion. Thanks to this, audiences will be able to hear how composers from different countries describe longing, love, and inner conflict differently.
Opera is poetry that lives in sound. Words and music in opera form an inseparable whole – only together do they produce an emotion that soars above text and melody. OPE(N)RHYMES is a new, intimate educational series from the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, in which we show how words in an aria become music, and music becomes a story. This is a short encounter with opera in a light, accessible format, conducted with humor and passion. The program will feature arias performed live and short anecdotes about how operatic emotion is created – from poetic text, through phrasing, to the soloist’s interpretation.
OPE(N)RYMY opens the door to the world of opera and shows its beauty up close – in a way that is accessible to both regular music lovers and those just discovering the genre.
