The story
Opera Rara Festival in Krakow
Opera Rara is a Krakow festival of early operatic music held each winter, typically January or February, organized by the period-instrument ensemble Capella Cracoviensis. It specializes in rediscovered, rarely performed and unconventional operas, staging works that span from early Baroque opera through Handel to contemporary compositions across the city's halls.
Opera Rara was built around a specific gap in the operatic world: while a handful of works by Monteverdi, Handel and Mozart get performed constantly across major opera houses, the vast majority of Baroque and early operatic repertoire remains effectively unheard, either lost to time, unfashionable, or simply never revived since its original run.