Michał Sławecki: from Górecki to the International Cinema - Interview with Operawire

On May 23, Operawire released a long interview by Francisco Salazar to the countertenor Michał Sławecki: a long conversation, after his debuts in Bern, Munich and Dresden, about his eclectic artistic path. The collaboration with Krzysztof Urbański, with the Berner Symphonieorchester, Dresdner Philharmonie and the Münchner Philharmoniker are interwoven with the reflections of the artist, split between the Baroque, the 20th century music and the contemporary repertoire.

Here, some extracts from the interview:

“Being an Artist”

❝I think artists have to do things that are interesting primarily for themselves. Routine is not a good friend for an artist. When you feel it you have to change your mind and take the next opportunity to do something new!❞

About Górecki and the Symphony “of Sorrowful Songs”

❝You have to feel the text and the music in your mind, your heart and your body. Performing this music is a deep experience. In his latest interviews, Górecki stated that he thinks music has always to have a meaning and a message. The artist must give his voice to deep feelings, unspeakable emotions and moral demands.❞

On the difference between performing in recital and in symphonic concerts

❝I feel as a performative artist, so the difference is only the relationship with myself and the audience. In recitals you are expressing yourself in some way and there is a direct connection with the audience, while in symphonic concerts like these of Górecki you have to be an instrument of the composer and part of the whole.❞

His upcoming engagements include a extraordinary participation to the premiere of Horse on a Knight by Tadeus Kabicz, music by Rafał Ryterski at the Zeromski Theatre of Kielce, and the return to Witold Gombrowicz in History by Michał Dobrzynski at the Polska Opera Królewska, of which he was the creator at the world premiere in November 2024. 

In addition on October 10, 2025, Chopin - A Sonata in Paris, the new biopic on the Polish composer will be released. Sławecki appears in a  cameo, beside international actors such as  Lambert Wilson. 

Read the interview!