Featured in Dwutygodnik: Music critic Wioleta Żochowska examines how Katarzyna Głowicka’s work represents a growing trend in contemporary opera—art that refuses to separate beauty from social responsibility.
In her article “Kompozytorka z misją” (A Composer with a Mission), published in the respected Polish cultural magazine Dwutygodnik, Żochowska explores Głowicka’s latest opera-installation Unknown, I Live With You and what it reveals about the future of opera as a form of social engagement.
Key Insights from the Article
The Most Moving Arias Recently Heard: Żochowska begins with a striking claim—that the nine pieces comprising Unknown, I Live With You contain “the most moving arias” she’s heard recently. Despite the work’s modest appearance—minimal staging, no orchestra, performed in semi-darkness—its emotional impact is undeniable.
Words as Material: Głowicka is described as an artist “sensitive to the weight of words.” Her 2005 album “Seven Sonnets” set Shakespeare’s love poems to sparse arrangements of string quartet and electronics. In her music, minimalism of means, authenticity, and clarity of position are paramount.
Western Instrumentation for Afghan Stories: As a composer rooted in Western European culture, Głowicka deliberately chose familiar instrumentation—string quartet and electronics—rather than traditional Afghan instruments. This choice was both practical (mobility) and philosophical (authenticity to her own cultural position while adding her world to these stories).
Electronics as Live Response: Using custom algorithms, Głowicka creates synthesized sound layers that follow performers in real-time. In “A World of Luck,” she generates progressive chords; in “I Thought It Was a Dream,” she spatializes sounds of ticking bombs and body sounds, moving with or away from the singer as the drama unfolds.
Voice as Revolutionary Power: The article emphasizes how giving voice creates agency. As Żochowska notes, those who speak are usually those who hold power. Voice can help win that power. The opera’s heroines become seeds of revolution, carriers of equality.
Opera’s Shifting Focus: Głowicka’s projects exemplify contemporary opera’s growing tendency to shift emphasis from purely artistic values toward conveying socially significant ideas and sending impulses that call for action.
A Natural Evolution: When asked about the evolution in her work, Głowicka responds: “The turn toward socially engaged music is a natural stage of my development as a composer, and also a consequence of responding to today’s reality.”
The Mission
Żochowska describes Głowicka as “a composer with a mission”—someone who not only creates but also works with social organizations and teaches art-related subjects at business schools. She seeks the appropriate language to describe pressing issues: social inequality, discrimination against women, violence, the refugee crisis. The goal is to create work that has a chance to shake the consciousness of audiences—just as the stories of Afghan women do.
The article also reveals Głowicka’s next project: the story of a man who lived in a refugee camp in Libya, who has already expressed his desire to meet and familiarize himself with the emerging work.
Read the full article in Dwutygodnik →
Published in Dwutygodnik, January 2020. Written by Wioleta Żochowska, music critic and curator who collaborates with “Glissando” and “Ruch Muzyczny” and programs the “Experimental Tuesdays” contemporary music series at Sinfonia Varsovia.
Article created in cooperation with the Kraków Festival Office, organizer of the Sacrum Profanum festival.