The world premiere performance of Roger Waters' Ca Ira, being held in Poznan, Poland, took place on Friday night (August 25th), and was met with huge praise from those fortunate enough to be there.

Many of you will know that Ca Ira was performed in Rome, in November 2005. However, the Polish show differed from those, as it involved several hundred artists - a number of costumed actors, an orchestra, choir, stuntmen and opera singers - along with beautifully designed sets and scenery.

The show was performed in front of 14,000 people at the venue itself, and to the Polish nation via a live television broadcast.

Waters chose Poznan for the first performance of the opera, as the city had personal significance: "My mother left the Communist Party in Britain in 1956 after the uprising here, and of course after the Hungarian uprising," and, speaking in Polish to the audience, he dedicated the work "to those who fought for human rights".

The show was a key part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the June 1956 anti-communist demonstrations in Poznan.

For those who missed out on the show, the promoters revealed some excellent news - there are plans to hold at least 16 open-air productions of the opera in venues across Europe during 2007. From what we've seen so far of the Poznan show (more details of the event over at our dedicated page), this is a show that you must definitely not miss!

When Roger arrived to see the dress rehearsals, he said: "Everything I have seen so far here looks fabulous. Frankly speaking, never in my life have I seen such beautiful costumes. We put a lot of effort into this project and finally we have nearly reached our destination."

Naturally, as we get more detail on the additional shows, we will let you know straight away - so please don't email us to ask when and where they might be. Full information will be on the site!