In this aria, Lord Guglielmo Cecil (Norbert Balázs) warns Elisabetta about the dangers of showing mercy to Maria Stuarda. He believes that God’s justice demands Mary’s death and urges Elisabetta to sign the paper authorising her execution.

Countertenor Enes Aksu performs the aria ‘Pena tiranna’ from Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula in The Secret Life of Paintings, a production that combines Baroque music and visual art, featuring the Opera Academy soloists and Capella Regia Polona.

Soprano Izabella Fabrycka and mezzo-soprano Marta Wiktorzak, members of the Opera Academy of the Polish National Opera, perform the duet ‘Bramo aver mille vite’ from Handel’s Ariodante. The Secret Life of Paintings is a co-production of the Polish National Opera and Polish Royal Opera that combines arias by Monteverdi, Handel and Vivaldi with Baroque visual art, featuring soloists from the Opera Academy and the Capella Regia Polona period instruments ensemble conducted by Krzysztof Garstka.

Paweł Michalczuk, a member of the Opera Academy of the Polish National Opera, performs Neptune’s aria ‘Superbo è l’huom’ from Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, featured in The Secret Life of Paintings - a production that combines arias by Monteverdi, Handel and Vivaldi with Baroque visual art.

Un amante (Ilanah Lobel-Torres) and her lover share a tender, poetic moment in the evening, speaking about kisses and the moon watching over them. As they say goodbye, they promise to meet again.

Johann (Marin Čargo) and Schmidt (Ivo Gamulin) arrive outside the Bailiff’s house and hear his children singing a Christmas carol. They then engage in playful conversation with the Commander (Ozren Bilušić) and Sophie (Charlotte’s sister, Marija Kuhar Šoša), teasing the Commander for rehearsing Christmas songs in summer, joking about wine and discussing Charlotte’s outing to a ball that evening.

Second Prize at the 12th International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition went to Armenian soprano Arpi Sinanyan. In this extract, she sings ‘Ben io t’invenni… Anch’io dischiuso un giorno… Salgo già del trono aurato’ from Verdi’s Nabucco.

British tenor Samuel Stopford won First Prize at the 12th International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, held at Polish National Opera in Warsaw. He also received the Maria Fołtyn Prize for the best performance of a Stanisław Moniuszko piece: ‘Cisza dokoła’ from Moniuszko's opera The Haunted Manor (Straszny dwór).