The young Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski will inaugurate the first Easter edition of the Castell de Peralada Festival tomorrow with a varied program with works by Vivaldi and Handel, under the direction of the also Polish Stefan Plewniak.
He will do it with all the tickets sold and after performing this week at the Palace of Versailles and the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, with a performance that became a "delirium tremens" due to the connection that there was with the public, as explained today the director of the Castell de Peralada Festival, Oriol Aguilà.
Precisely the connection of classical music with young audiences sometimes becomes a difficult barrier for performers to overcome. The two musicians spoke about these barriers today at the press conference prior to the performance, which will take place tomorrow at the Iglesia del Carmen.
"The main obstacle to save with these audiences is that they go to that first concert; young people still believe that classical music is for the aristocracy and for a more well-being audience," says Stefan Plewniak, who will direct tomorrow's performance. And to awaken sensitivities in the young audience, he highlights the importance of family and education in this type of music.
The countertenor, who has become one of the most vibrant performers on the international classical music scene, connects with younger audiences through social media. "These allow us to shake hands with the people who will be the public of the future and educate them; technology changes many things, but not others such as emotions," said Orlinski, who points out that in his concerts he wants an "active and not passive" audience ".
"An audience -he said- that listens and reacts to what we offer; that is spontaneous to those who will never say 'now it's not time to applaud'", indicated the young countertenor, born in Warsaw in 1990 who, when he is not performing, enjoys other artistic facets like breakdancing.
A discipline -he points out- that he maintains despite the fact that many recommended that he abandon it when he began to stand out as a countertenor. He believes that this type of dance helps him in many aspects, for example in controlling the rib cage, important for singers, and to gain temporal awareness.
On stage today he will be accompanied by Il Giardino de Amore, a baroque ensemble, founded in Krakow in 2012 by the violinist Stefan Plewniak and with whom he often performs on international tours. "We've known Stefan for thirteen years and that connection is seen and felt on stage and not only with him, but with the entire orchestra," says Orlinski.
A program, which he does from memory, which includes works by two main composers of the Baroque such as the Italian Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) and Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759), born in Germany. From the first, for example, you will be able to hear pieces of the instrumental genre and the opera aria 'Sento in seno' by Il Giustino, among others.
From Handel, the public will be able to hear fragments that explore a wide range of moods: from the despair of 'Torna sol per un momento' and 'Stille amare', to the tension of 'Furibonda spira il vento'.
The countertenor points out that he feels very attracted to baroque music "because of the freedom it grants". "Knowledge is the key to everything; in the baroque there are a series of rules, but if you know those rules then you can break them", explains Orlinski, who did not hesitate to describe baroque music "like the pop music of its time". "Then people went to the theaters to see a concert, to eat and drink, just like we do now in bars," he said.
A program, which bears the title 'Heroe!' alluding to two factors. "Jakub is a modern hero, similar to Apollo, and it was interesting to compare the ancient times with the modern heroes, the way they communicate, approach the audience and lead their lives," says director Stefan Plewniak.
But there is another historical reason. "The two composers always chose ancient heroes for their titles, because it was the fashion and it was also done in the field of painting; the public at that time knew about these heroes, either because they had read it or because they had been told about it. at Church or their grandmothers before going to bed".
The show will open the first Easter edition of the Castell de Peralada Festival, which its director, Oriol Aguilà, has already announced will continue. "There will be a second, third, fourth..." he indicated. The musical offer of the festival at Easter wants to help deseasonalize tourism in the territory beyond the summer, a period in which there is also a "high concentration" of music festivals.
