The history of the Silesian Opera

The official date of the establishment of the Silesian Opera is the day of the premiere of ‘Halka’ – an opera by Stanisław Moniuszko which was performed by an ensemble formed and directed by a world-famous artist – Adam Didur, who, during the first months of the Opera’s existence created a group of remarkably talented young soloists. At that time, the Silesian Opera was also joined by artists from the repatriated Lviv Opera. The seat of the Silesian Opera has been (almost from the very beginning) the building
of the former Municipal Theatre, built according to the project by a well-known architect –
A. Böhm – in the years 1898-1901. The neoclassical building with some elements
of expressionism is unique because of rich plaster decorations and tent-like roof crowned with a dome – in fact, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Bytom.
Since the establishment of the Opera, about 250 premieres of operas and ballets have been performed here, including: all the Moniuszko’s operatic works, pieces by Szymanowski, Różycki, Rudziński, Maklakiewicz, Świder, Twardowski and Baird. Aside from that,
the repertoire includes numerous operas by Mozart, the most important pieces by Verdi, almost the whole output of Puccini and many pieces representative of the 20th century.
The Opera has also witnessed many Polish and world premieres.

The stage is famous for gala concerts with operatic celebrities. The concerts are broadcast by the radio and television. Ballets have also been performed in the Opera since its early days –
it was here that the first Polish premiere (after 1945) of ‘Mister Twardowski’ directed by Stanisław Miszczyk took place.

The Silesian Opera is famous and admired abroad. The artists have performed in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Ukraine and in the Czech Republic. It is the only Opera in Poland which has toured America twice, performing Moniuszko's ‘Halka’ on the great stages from Montreal to New York. The Opera is unique compared with other Polish theatres thanks to huge audiences and special performances, such as ‘Meetings with opera’ organised for students. The Silesian Opera in Bytom is the only Polish Opera performing in other cities of Silesia and neighbouring provinces. Its ensemble has released many concert recordings.

About the Opera

The Opera in Bytom has been the pride of the Silesian society for over 60 years. It is located in an over one-hundred-year-old former building of the municipal theatre, built in the years 1899-1901 according to the project of Alexander Böhm, an architect from Berlin. The building, which was constructed in the neoclassical style and can seat 423 people, has been serving the theatrical art since 1st October 1901. The official history of the Silesian Opera began on 14th June 1945 – the premiere date of ‘Halka’ – the first post-war operatic performance in Poland.

The Opera was established by a world-famous artist – Adam Didur. His authority enabled him to create quickly a group of dedicated workers and outstanding artists, very well-known in
the operatic world. Soon the theatre in Bytom gained the reputation of the best operatic stage in Poland as well as the ‘breeding ground for new talents’. Bytom was a debut place for such artists as: Bogdan Paprocki, Romuald Tesarowicz, Anna Lorenc, Jolanta Wrożyna, Wiesław Ochman (also as a director). Having left Bytom, all the singers always came back with pleasure emphasising the unique atmosphere of the Silesian operatic stage.

The Silesian Opera was the first one to broadcast ‘Halka’ on the radio at Christmas 1945.
It was also the first Polish theatre to be honoured with the ‘Golden Record’ and later with the ‘Platinum Record’ (15th March 2003) for having recorded the Giuseppe Verdi's ‘Nabucco’ on a CD.

Since the beginning of their career, the Opera ensemble has been also performing outside
the theatre (in concert halls and in the open air), following the idea of their creator, whose aim was to promote the operatic art among people. The Silesian Opera still visits local stages
as well as stages in more remote cities in Poland. The ensemble visits more and more cities and the number of performances has increased by over 15 thousand in 10 years.

The Silesian Opera was the first Polish theatre to perform abroad, including America.
It has often presented its performances in other countries and since 1994 it has been regularly performing abroad. It is especially well-known in Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. The artists have performed several times in Berlin – in the Herbert von Krajan Philharmonic Concert Hall, in the Konzerthaus and they often visit the Munich Philharmonic Concert Hall.
Recently, summer German tours have been staged in about 80 places in Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark. Over the last three summers, the two Opera ensembles staged almost 250 performances, mainly ‘Nabucco’ and ‘Aida’, which were watched by about 400 thousand spectators.
The portfolio of the Opera includes over 250 premieres of operas, operettas and ballets.

The current repertoire consists of about 30 titles – aside from the standard positions, there are also very ambitious masterpieces, such as: ‘Don Giovanni’, ‘Gioconda’, ‘Eugene Onegin’, ‘Tannhauser’, ‘Aida’, ‘Tsarevich’, ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’, ‘Don Kichote’ (the premiere
of which graced the opening of the new ballet hall built after the fire which destroyed
the former one in 2000), ‘Boris Godunov’, ‘Merry Widow’, ‘The Hysterical Museum
of Madame Eurosa’ – an opera by Piotr Szmitke, ‘Carmen’, ‘Puss in Boots’ (a ballet fairy tale), as well as the latest performances: ‘Nabucco’, ‘Orfeus and Euridice’ and ‘Lucia from Lammermoor’. The premiere of Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ directed by Robert Skolmowski is planned for the nearest future.

In 2005, a new Adam Didur concert hall, which can seat 176 people, was opened in
the philharmonic building of the Opera. The hall is designed for small events and music forms, symphonic concerts and anniversary celebrations.

The Silesian Opera can boast the album ‘Half century of the Silesian Opera 1945-2000’, edited by Tadeusz Kijonka. The richly illustrated album chronicles on its 528 pages the history of the Silesian Opera, lists the most important events, reviews the greatest repertoire and soloist achievements, includes maps and places of performances staged in Poland, Europe and around the world, great anniversaries and famous artistic visits. Altogether,
the album includes over 1000 illustrations, sepia and colourful photos.

Since 1988 the Managing and Artistic Director of the Silesian Opera has been Tadeusz Serafin, who has staged many operas, operettas and ballets as a musical director, including Moniuszko’s ‘Halka’ and ‘Haunted Manor’, Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’, ‘Ernani’ and ‘Aida’, Leoncavallo’s ‘Clowns’, Mascagni’s ‘Rustic Chivalry’, Puccini’s ‘Bohema’ and ‘Madame Butterfly’, Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ and ‘Don Giovanni’, Donizetti’s ‘Love Elixir’, Palester’s ‘Requiem’, Probst’s ‘Maximilien Kolbe’, Adam’s ‘Giselle’, Prokofiev’s ‘Cinderella’, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ and ‘The Nut Cracker’, Lehar's ‘Tsarevich’, Musorgski's ‘Boris Godunov’ and Bizet's ‘Carmen’.
Tadeusz Serafin has been also performing as a symphonist in Poland and abroad and releasing archival recordings. He has often visited foreign countries together with the Silesian Opera ensembles. He has organised and lead tours in the USA and Canada, Belgium, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Italy, Luxemburg, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. He has been cooperating with Orquestra do Norte in Portugal and conducting classes in the Vocal and Acting Department of the Music Academy in Katowice. On 15th January 2005 he was granted the ‘Golden Laurel for Abilities and Competence’ in the category ‘Institution and Culture Creator’ and on 9th May 2006 the Bytom European Award.