Jakub Józef Orliński | #LetsBaRock
Jakub Józef Orliński, a world-renowned countertenor, one of the brightest opera stars shining in the most famous opera theatres today, will perform in Lithuania for the first time. The countertenor brings to Vilnius the concert “#LetsBaRock”, which has been hailed as a musical sensation, in which Józef Orliński performs not only with pianist Aleksander Dębicz, but also with his band. It’s a stunning mix of baroque and contemporary, jazz and pop-rock music.
Hailed as one of the most beloved and celebrated opera stars of the decade, Orliński, who has the “voice of an angel” (“The Sunday Times”), gives “spellbinding” (“The Guardian”), sold-out live performances in prestigious concert halls and opera houses around the world.
The countertenor has established himself as one of the world’s leading artists, constantly triumphing both on stage and on recordings. He has been called “the first opera superstar to conquer Gen Z” (magazine “Telegraph Luxury”), has loads of fans around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media platforms. In addition to his musical activities, Orliński has experience as a model and influencer, having worked with world-famous names such as “Netflix”, “Louis Vuitton”, “Levi’s”, “Nike”, “BMW”, “Lacoste” and “MAC Cosmetics”. Another unexpected angle of this artist is that Orliński is also a breakdancer and has won awards in various competitions.
Recording exclusively with “Warner Classics/Erato”, the countertenor has won critical acclaim for his recordings of undiscovered gems of early music, and his 2023 album “Beyond” was named one of the best classical music albums of 2023 by “The Times”.
In Vilnius, Orliński will perform with Aleksander Dębicz, one of the most versatile Polish pianists and composers. The fundamental reference points of his work are improvisation and his own original music, often combined with works by the old classical masters. For example, Dębic’s album “Invention” (“Warner Classics”, 2018) features his own interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias, as well as Dębic’s own original works inspired by Bach and hip hop. He is also passionate about film music: for the past decade he has been composing music for films, radio dramas and theatre productions, which is currently his main field of activity. The composer and pianist also collaborates with other artists to create artistic programmes combining classical music with improvisation. One of such artists is Orliński, with whom the artistic partnership began at university and has been particularly active during the pandemic. Since 2020, they have been performing together and presenting unusual baroque arrangements and original compositions.
The duo’s aim is to present early music to a modern audience in an attractive way, while preserving its beauty. Their latest project, #LetsBaRock, features works by Baroque composers George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Nicola Fago, arranged by Dębicz, as well as several of his own opuses. The artists described #LetsBaRock as follows: “We have created something similar to baroque songs and arias. In our version, the Baroque pieces sound decidedly modern but retain their character, although we have changed some of the accents. For example, “Oblivion”, based on the aria “Oblivion soave” from Monteverdi’s opera “The Coronation of Poppea”, remains a kind of lullaby, but in our version, it has the feel of a dreamy trance-style piece. And “Vedro”, based on Vivaldi’s aria “Vedrò con mio diletto”, has a cinematic sound that emphasises the drama of a man who cannot live without his beloved and can be reminiscent of an epic film.”
