Moniuszko finished composing Halka in 1847 and attempted to stage it in Warsaw. However, he performed the first two-act version in Vilnius in 1848. Only 11 years later, on January 1, 1858, the Warsaw premiere of the four-act version of this most outstanding Polish romantic opera took place, which was greeted with great enthusiasm. 

This is the fourth production of Halka in the history of Opera Nova - this time prepared by representatives of the young generation of theater artists. Only the musical direction of the show and the choir rests on male shoulders. Moniuszko's opera inaugurated the 2013 Bydgoszcz Opera Festival, received with great applause by the audience.

Director Natalia Babińska:

There is no justice in the world. The strong take advantage of the weaker, smarter, dumber, rich and poor. It was, is, and will be that we receive what we agree to. These are the rules of the game. But... Halka is an exception to the rule. A fierce highlander tries to reach for her dreams and crosses all posible borders. She fights for what is the greatest and most important thing to her: LOVE - monumental, burning, uplifting and destructive at the same time. Ready to destroy the world out of helplessness when she cannot achieve what she wants. It reaches the darkest corners of the human soul, like the mythical Medea. And in this tragic moment of fall, Halka is touched by a divine hand that raises the woman to the highest level of nobility, self-resignation in the name of the purest love. Halka, thus, opens the door to a better world. So there is justice after all - not in the human dimension, but in the divine sphere.