ERA OF ANXIETY

The Age of Anxiety — based on W.H. Auden's poem The Age of Anxiety — performed by Rozalia Kierc and Justyna Khil — as part of the Music Festival at Villa Blumwy — on the chamber stage of Opera Nova on November 14, 2026.

ATTENTION. Tickets for the intimate musical performance “Era of Anxiety” at the price of PLN 40 (normal) and PLN 25 (reduced) from September 1, 2026 EXCLUSIVELY at the box office of Opera Nova, possibility to book by phone at: 52 325 15 55.

Many have fallen, and more will follow in their footsteps — this is one of the few recurring lines in the famous poem The Age of Anxiety (1947). W.H. Auden. It speaks of the pervasive threat of war - both in peacetime and bloodshed. This is a topic that remains worryingly current. Nearly eight decades later, another generation of young artists are experiencing the fear and pain of armed conflict. Trauma, in the shadow of which we grew up, becomes tangible fear.

The concert program was divided into three acts depicting the experience of war and mourning. Act I depicts a child growing up in the shadow of war who, as a young man, ends up in the army and dies at the front. Then we observe the mourning of his mother and the funeral seen through the eyes of his beloved. Act II brings a moment of seeming respite and escapism, quickly contrasted with a critique of social indifference and the justification of war crimes in the name of patriotism. Act III shows the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The finale returns to the theme of an endless cycle of violence and subsequent victims of war, leaving a feeling of anxiety despite momentary relief.

With the help of elements of choreography and visual projections, an intimate and contemporary performance was created - one that tells a story written by many generations and created further - to this day.

Photos from the performance Era of Anxiety, which took place at the end of June 2026 on the stage of the Teatr Wielki - National Opera, courtesy: Karpati&Zarewicz, from the Archives of the Opera Academy.