Polish Opera's 22nd Mozart Marathon May Be Its Last

The Warsaw Chamber Opera raises the curtain Friday on the 22nd edition of its celebrated Mozart Festival, which could be its last, given the opera's shaky financial situation, according to officials.

The small opera house in Poland's capital has been in the "globally unique" position of presenting all of Mozart's stage works every summer for the last 21 years, according to director Stefan Sutkowski.

But if fresh funding fails to arrive soon, the Mozart musical marathon unparalleled the world over will become a thing of the past, he insists.

The opera's future is on thin ice after Warsaw regional officials slashed 2012 subsidies in March by a quarter to 14.9 million zloty (3.5 million euros) in a bid to keep public spending in check in tough times.

Forced to tighten its purse strings, the 159-seat opera house is unable to pay staff beyond the summer, nor will it manage to continue renting its venue in central Warsaw, ensemble officials revealed.

On May 29, the chamber musicians submitted a petition of 27,000 signatures to the culture ministry in a bid to keep the opera house alive.

The 22nd festival begins Friday with "The Magic Flute" and will continue until July 26 with both the Austrian composer's greatest hits as well as his lesser-known pieces.

Along with his 22 stage works, the festival program will include a series of chamber concerts, the Mass in C Minor and the Requiem.