Nicola Porpora - Polifemo (Stefan Plewniak)

Information

Composer: Nicola Porpora

• Polifemo

Franco Fagioli

Julia Lezhneva

Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian

José Coca Loza

Éléonore Pancrazi

Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal

Stefan Plewniak, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles

_____________________

Composed in 1735, Nicola Porpora’s Polifemo was his bold response to Handel’s dominance in London’s opera scene. Set on the mystical shores of Sicily, the drama unfolds around Galatea’s love for the mortal Acis, a passion inflaming the jealousy of the Cyclops Polifemo. The arrival of Ulysses and the schemes of Calypso add layers of divine and human intrigue, where love and vengeance collide. Under the direction of Stefan Plewniak and brought to life by a stellar cast, this production revives Porpora’s dazzling synthesis of myth, virtuosity, and Baroque grandeur—a vibrant celebration of love’s enduring triumph.

Stefan Plewniak, born in 1981, is a Polish conductor and violinist, currently Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles and former Music Director of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. He founded the ensembles Il Giardino d’Amore, Cappella dell’Ospedale della Pietà Venezia, and the FeelHarmony Symphony Orchestra. Plewniak has led productions of Rameau, Gluck, Mozart, and Bizet, and toured internationally, including Spain with Jakub Józef Orliński. He has appeared with the Kraków and Łódź Philharmonics and conducted televised concerts, collaborating with artists such as MIKA, Adele Charvet, and Natalia Kawalek. His work spans opera, ballet, and symphonic repertoire.