Polish composer, conductor and teacher Stanisław Moniuszko is widely known as ‘the father of Polish national opera’. Halka tells the tragic story of its title character, a peasant girl whose love for the noble Janusz is betrayed when he abandons her to wed Zofia, daughter of the Esquire. Recorded here in an acclaimed production by Poznań Opera House, Halka possesses a deeply lyrical character making it one of the composer’s greatest works. The aria ‘Szumią jodły na gór szczycie’ (‘The firs are rustling on the mountain top’) is considered one of the most beautiful of the 19th century.