to rave reviews. Composition It is considered one of Moniuszko's greatest operas. Noted musicologist Carl Dalhaus in his book Nineteenth-century Music describes Halka as "The Polish national opera" (Dalhaus 222). The music in Halka is highly melodic, deeply lyrical and Polish in character. It includes moving poetic arias like "" (If by the Morning Sun) and (Sighing Firs), scenes depicting the life of the Polish nobility (szlachta) and highlanders (Gorals), as well as spectacular dance sequences. The story is that of the tragic love of the title character, the highlander girl Halka, for the noble Janusz, who abandons her to wed the daughter of the Esquire. It is a tale of jealousy and sacrifice. Hans von Bülow described Halka's G Minor aria at the beginning of act II as, "Full of originality and lively passion, to which its strongly native folk element adds a special flavor...The entire gamut of erotic emotions, from the tender to the most vehement note of despair finds appropriate expression in this aria and one must genuinely congratulate the composer" (von Bülow, as quoted in Maciejewski 1979, 74). Roles Synopsis Act 1 Guests at an engagement party are happy to note that the wedding of Janusz, a wealthy young landowner, to Zofia, the daughter of an even wealthier landowner named Stolnik, will unite two huge estates. Zofia and Janusz celebrate a toast with Stolnik, and Stolnik calls Janusz the son he has always wanted. The party is disturbed by a plaintive wailing from outside. It seems to be a troubled young girl, crying for her lost love. The kind-hearted Zofia asks Janusz to talk to the girl, hoping he will comfort her; he reluctantly agrees. Dziemba, the steward of Stolnik's estate, ushers in the woebegone creature. This is Halka. To the audience's surprise, she appears to know Janusz. It turns out that he himself is her lost love; he promised her marriage while in her village in the mountains but then disappeared. As soon as Halka looks into Janusz's eyes, she is convinced that his feelings for her haven't changed, despite the disquieting rumours she had heard to the contrary. Halka throws her arms around Janusz and he says that he still loves her as he did before. He tells Halka to meet him after dark at the statue of the Virgin Mary by the river; they will escape together to start a new life somewhere