CANDLELIGHT CONCERT - LA BELLE NUIT | JAGODA SOKOŁOWSKA O'DONOVAN | EDYTA PIASECKA | ROBERT SKIERA
October 18, 2025 at 9:00 PM
La Belle Nuit – a beautiful night where music speaks of love.
This candlelit concert series is devoted to the art of classical vocal music – from the passions of the Baroque to the reflections of our own time. The evening features some of the most beautiful arias and songs, often inspired by the theme of love, performed by exceptional artists in an intimate and luminous atmosphere.
Held in the elegant Fryderyk Concert Hall in Warsaw, these events echo the spirit of 19th-century musical salons of Poland and Europe, where music, poetry, and conversation intertwined. During the intermission, guests are offered a glass of sparkling wine – a nod to the refined rituals of the past.
La Belle Nuit is more than a concert. It is an encounter with beauty that lingers long after the final note fades
Please arrive 15 minutes before the concert.
Jagoda Sokołowska‑O’Donovan – mezzo-soprano, flautist, cultural manager, architect of the Fryderyk Concert Hall
A versatile artist and cultural entrepreneur, she graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków. Prizewinner of national and international competitions both as a flautist and singer, she has performed across Europe, Asia, and North America. Her artistry was praised by Jerzy Waldorff – an eminent Polish music critic, essayist, and cultural advocate – who described her as “an exceptionally gifted artist… an outstanding musical personality.” She is the founder and director of the Fryderyk Concert Hall in Warsaw – a unique venue inspired by the spirit of 19th-century salons, where she merges artistic vision with contemporary cultural leadership.
Edyta Piasecka – soprano
One of Poland’s leading sopranos, acclaimed for her exceptional musicality and dramatic stage presence. A graduate of the Academy of Music in Kraków, she is a laureate of numerous international vocal competitions. She regularly performs with major Polish opera houses, including the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, the Kraków Opera, and the Wrocław Opera. Her repertoire includes roles such as Violetta (La Traviata), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Gilda (Rigoletto), and Mimì (La Bohème). Also highly regarded as a concert and oratorio soloist, she has appeared in renowned concert halls across Europe and Asia.
Robert Skiera - piano
Robert currently performs as a soloist and chamber musician in Poland and throughout Europe. Between performances he fits in teaching at music schools in Warsaw from the Jozef Elsner State College Music School to his old alma-mater the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw from where he graduated in 1988.
Robert has also conducted classes at the international courses of musical interpretation in Nowy Sącz.
Among the concerts and festivals Robert has performed at are: Germany (Kiel, Frankfurt, Mainz, Trier, Mannheim, Cottbus, Husum, Mülheim, Oberhausen, Segeberg), Holland (The Hague), Italy (Milan, Turin, Genoa), Austria (Vienna), France (Paris), Belgium (Brussels) and Hungary (Budapest).
Robert has also made recordings for both polish radio and television, performing as a soloist with chamber orchestras, and also performing piano ensembles in orchestral works (e.g. under Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau).
Robert repertoire doesn’t just include Chopin’s many wonderful works, but ranges from Bach to Bartók.
Robert has released albums for the labels Acte Préalable (Chopin’s works) and DUX (chamber music).
Concert program
GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI (1710-1736)
- „Stabat Mater”:
- O quam tristis et afflicta
- Quae moerebat et dolebat
- Quis est homo qui non fleret
- Vidit suum dulcem Natum
- Fac ut portem Christi mortem
WOJCIECH KILAR (1932-2013)
- Vocalise from the film „The Ninth Gate”
GEORG F. HAENDEL (1685-1759)
- Aria "Lascia ch'io pianga" from the opera Rinaldo
CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK (1714-1787)
- „Che faro senza Euridice” from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice
FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-1849)
- Waltz in c-sharp minor op. 64
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
JACQUES OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
- Barcarolle „Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour”
CHARLES GOUNOD (1818-1893)
- Marguerite’s Aria “O Dieu! Que de bijoux” from the opera "Faust"
MANUEL DE FALLA (1876-1946)
- Dance of Fire from the ballet "El amor brujo"
- Canciones populares Españolas:
- El Pano Moruno
- Jota
- Nana
- Cancion
- Polo
FELIKS NOWOWIEJSKI (1877-1946)
- „Odejdź, Jasiu, od okienka” Op.47
MIECZYSŁAW KARŁOWICZ (1876-1909)
- „Pamiętam ciche, jasne, złote dnie…” Op.1 no. 5
STANISŁAW MONIUSZKO (1819-1908)
- „Już ogień płonie” duet of Hanna and Jadwiga from the opera „Straszny Dwór”
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Please note that the concert program is subject to change