Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński on Semele
Multi-talented performer combines baroque with breakdancing
Countertenor and breakdancer Jakub Józef Orliński sings, acts, and dances in the role of Athamas, the fiancé of the main protagonist, Semele. He will be making his debut at Dutch National Opera in Handel’s English-language masterpiece. “The director Claus Guth said the role of Athamas was made for me, and he’s quite right.”
Text: Margriet Prinssen
Jakub Józef Orliński sees Athamas as a romantic. “It’s quite something to have to show him going through all the various stages after his fiancée dumps him: disbelief, desperation, sadness, and a genuine attempt to understand her.”
Orliński is full of praise for Claus Guth and the experience of working with him. He sang this role in Munich too, the opera house where this production of Semele had its premiere in 2023. The singer already knew Guth from a previous collaboration in Handel’s Rodelinda (Oper Frankfurt, 2019). “Guth is a generous director. He lets his singers discover their own interpretation of their role. He is open to ideas, which works brilliantly.”
Symbolic references
According to Orliński, this opera – which was written in the manner of an oratorio – can seem somewhat chaotic due to its many symbolic references. “For example, it isn’t always easy to follow Semele in her transformation from apparently happy bride into a destructive, anti-heroic force. Guth has kept the symbolic references, but he’s really smart in how he uses them. His staging is transparent and easy to understand.”
Jakub Józef Orliński
“Baroque music gives you freedom”
The voice of an angel
The Polish countertenor has taken the world by storm, not only as a singer – The Sunday Times called him “a singer with the voice of an angel” – but also as a breakdancer. He has already wowed audiences at the Concertgebouw on various occasions by effortlessly balancing on one hand or performing backflips.
Orliński says he is increasingly being asked to put his dancing skills to use in opera. Not necessarily as a breakdancer, but as a physical performer. “When you’re building up a character, the way they move is very important,” he says. “I never dance just for the sake of it; there has to be a reason. And it’s completely right for Semele.”
Baroque with bass and drums
Orliński enjoys the variety of alternating between operas and his solo concerts with an orchestra or small ensemble. In his own work, he likes to mix music genres, as in his most recent album #LetsBaRock, which features arias by Monteverdi, Purcell, and Handel accompanied by piano, bass, and drums.
Baroque music forms the basis of the album, but that does not necessarily mean Monteverdi or Handel. “Don’t get me wrong, I love their music, but I like to choose composers that are not so well known. Baroque music is undergoing a renaissance at the moment, and rightly so: it is modern and relevant. That fixed structure offers you a lot of freedom, in fact, because you can play with endless interpretations. That’s what makes it so fascinating.”