To the sounds of a joyful 18th-century overture, a breakdancer wearing bright red leaps and turns, throwing himself upside down to spin in a handstand on two hands, then just one. It’s thrilling to watch, his acrobatics unexpectedly capturing the spirit of the music. A brilliant dancer in an opera production is no surprise, perhaps, but if you’ve ever encountered Jakub Józef Orliński before, you’ll have guessed by now that this whirling figure is no stunt double. He is also the same person who, later, sings with bewitching beauty about love and loss, joy and sorrow. Orliński’s voice is something special. So transfixing are his performances that more than 11 million people have watched him sing rare Vivaldi on YouTube, casually dressed, not expecting to be filmed, apparently hungover – and yet singing from the heart.
I’ve caught up with the Polish countertenor, 33, on Zoom, while he’s having his morning coffee (‘just a tiny one’) at home in Warsaw, preparing to embark on a 21-concert European tour for his programme. He’s fizzing with energy – and I don’t think it’s the caffeine; that’s simply his character. He sings, he breakdances, he lives life at full throttle, full of enthusiasm and, in 2018, he has earned a reputation for digging up rarely known Baroque gems and giving them the Midas touch. is classic Orliński. ‘Not just lavish, but groundbreaking,’ wrote , naming it one of the best albums of 2023.
