April Days Begin in Warsaw

Our date night for the first weekend in April was Friday….we went to an opera at the The Grand Theatre in Poland. Also known as the National Opera House…Teatr Wielki Narodowa.  This theatre is over 170 years old and is considered one of the largest and very best in all of Europe.

We were looking forward to it because as Mark had never been to an opera, and I had only been once as a university student. We were ready for a new cultural experience.

Oh, and by the way….notice the lingering snow in April.

Last year I had a tour of this building with the International Women's Group.  It was a "behind the scenes" tour and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how an opera is created and all that goes into the production. 

This building is grand and is like a small city inside where there are many rooms, including workshops of all sizes where workers create scenes, costumes, etc.  I had always wanted to return to see an opera here as I had heard that all of the performances were very good.

We purchased our tickets online, so we went a little earlier to pick them up.  Funny story….the lady at Will Call couldn't find any tickets for us.  So we pulled out our receipt and to our dismay, saw that we had purchased tickets for the previous night, Thursday….but it didn't seem like a funny story at the time.

Oh well…since we were all dressed up and nowhere else to go, we purchased another set of tickets and attended this night's performance.

Before the opera began, we walked around the theatre…these blue and white glass light fixtures were placed throughout opera house. They were attractive as well as quite interesting.

After entering and looking around the performance hall, we were awed by its splendor.

Photographs were not allowed during the performance, but this is the stage before the opera began.  

The opera was "Halka", written by the Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko in 1858.   It is regarded as one Poland's finest operas.  During the week we prepared ourselves beforehand by reading as much as possible about it online.

"Halka" is a romantic four-act opera, with no spoken dialogue….only singing. The story is of the tragic love of the peasant girl Halka for the noble Janusz, who abandons her to marry the daughter of a wealthy landowner.  We knew that operas often end tragically….as did "Halka".

This performance was modernistic version of this popular opera….we left with many questions but also with an appreciation of the story, acting and especially the singing.  We think a traditional performance of this same opera would be easier to follow and more enjoyable.

The first performance of an opera was in Florence, Italy in the 1600s.  Just twenty years later the first opera was performed here in Warsaw.…

….so going to the opera is something Polish people have been doing for quite a long time…and yet we just experienced it for the first time!

Departing the opera and our cultural experience, the taxis were all reserved so we boarded a bus, then the subway, then a tram, and were home in about 30 minutes. 

Twice a year, on the first weekends of April and October, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints holds a worldwide conference.  The conference is broadcast around the world from Salt Lake City in the U.S.  This was the weekend of General Conference, and there would be five sessions over Saturday and Sunday.  

It's possible to see the broadcast on the internet, but I enjoy going to the Wolska Chapel to experience it  along with other church members.  In the main chapel, the conference is broadcast in Polish.  Those of us who don't speak Polish watch the English broadcast in another large meeting room in the building.  

Since we are eight hours ahead of Salt Lake City, it is evening here when the morning sessions are broadcast.  We listen to replays of the afternoon sessions, which occur late at night here.

General Conference is like a spiritual feast for me….I watch, listen, ponder, and take many notes.  I absolutely love this experience and I'm so happy that I can participate even from another continent.

Below is a picture of The First Presidency of the church…Presidents Eyring, Monson, and Uchtdorf.  They conduct the sessions of conference and also speak. I love their inspiring and hope-filled messages.

On Sunday morning Mark and I returned to the Wolska Chapel so Mark could hear the broadcast for the men's session. Mark is pictured with a group of men who attended. 

During the time between the sessions I visited with other members and senior missionaries. 

I watched three sessions of the conference at the Wolska Chapel, and the last two sessions I watched and listened from our home.  It was a great weekend…from attending the opera on Friday night to watching General Conference on Saturday and Sunday.  It has been a great first week of April for the Picketts in Poland!

Add-on….while I was in Jerusalem during the 2nd week of April, spring returned to Warsaw.