We can look forward to seven concerts filled with musical surprises, discoveries and premieres, all performed by masters of their craft. The 17th Festival of Polish Music features Karol Szymanowski’s Hagith, Poland’s finest chamber music, and songs by Witold Lutosławski and Konstanty Gorski. This year’s performers include Elżbieta Szmytka and Janusz Wojtarowicz, Vilém Veverka and Kateřina Englichová, Ewa Biegas and ensembles: the Choir and Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic under the baton of Maciej Tworek and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble directed by Andrzej Kosendiak.
Mateusz Borkowski
Over the years, the only festival in Poland dedicated to our own classical music has grown a dedicated group of listeners awaiting the July events. “The majority of our audience is Cracovian music fans, but – depending on how many tourists are visiting Kraków – there are also many people who come to our city to explore its culture and monuments and to interact with high culture,” says festival director Paweł Orski. Despite the pandemic, last year the festival coincided with a period of looser restrictions and it was one of the few events in Poland held live rather than online, to the delight of the audience. “Last year showed the hunger for live concerts among our visitors. We are delighted to meet their expectations once again this year by showcasing more outstanding artists,” he adds.
One of the interesting points of the festival is the fact that while it is dedicated to Polish music, it doesn’t limit itself to any particular period. It presents the whole spectrum of styles, confirming that our music is and has always been an element of European music. So what will we hear this year? The festival opens with Karol Szymanowski’s Hagith (8 July, Church of St Catherine). The single-act opera, loosely based on the Biblical tale of King David (Old King) and the beautiful young woman Abishag (Hagith) is written in a German Expressionist style. It will be the second time the work is performed at the festival, having previously been shown in 2013 marking its centenary. This time, we will hear it with a new cast performing a version based on new scores which have been critically interpreted by PWM Edition. Joanna Zawartko performs in the title role with Wojciech Parchem as the Old King and the up-and-coming tenor Stanisław Napierała as the Young King. The work will be presented in a concert version with Maciej Tworek leading the Choir and Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic. “I don’t understand why performing operas in concert versions is still so unpopular in Poland. It’s standard practice at many philharmonics and opera theatres around the globe, yet many people still oppose it here. And a great concert brings much joy both to the performers and the audiences,” Orski explains.
During the second concert, we will hear pieces for clarinet and piano by composers such as Mieczysław Weinberg, Witold Friemann, Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and Krzysztof Penderecki performed by Krzysztof Grzybowski on clarinet and Piotr Sałajczyk on piano (9 July, Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University). The following day, the Church of the Holy Cross resounds with organ music from the Samogitian Tablature from 1618 penned among the others by Adam of Wągrowiec, and performed by Marcin Szelest.
A slightly unusual concert features dance songs by Witold Lutosławski (11 July, STU Theatre). They will be performed by the acclaimed soprano Elżbieta Szmytka accompanied by the accordionist Janusz Wojtarowicz, founder and leader of the Motion Trio. Lutosławski composed dance tunes for tango, waltz and foxtrot from the late 1950s under the pseudonym Derwid, and the composer’s real identity wasn’t revealed until many years later. “This is a brand new repertoire for us. Perhaps the time is right for the festival to start including lighter material on the boundary of genres,” admits Orski.
Chamber works by composers such as Maciej Radziwiłł and Mieczysław Karłowicz resound on 16 July at the Manggha Museum performed by the Chamber Ensemble of the Kraków Philharmonic under the baton of the Vienna-based Czech conductor František Macek. An important event will be Witold Lutosławski’s rarely performed Double Concerto for oboe and harp interpreted by the acclaimed Czech duo Vilém Veverka, winner of the International Oboe Competition in Tokyo (2003), and harpist Kateřina Englichova, winner of the prestigious Classical Prague Award (2017).
One of the festival’s specialities is performing music by forgotten or little-known composers. In previous years, we have explored works by Mieczysław Weinberg, Prince Józef Michał Poniatowski and Józef Kozłowski. This time we are introduced to largely forgotten music by Konstanty Antoni Gorski who worked at the turn of the 20th century. The concert titled Master and Pupil (17 July, Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University) features the soprano Ewa Biegas and tenor Stanisław Napierała performing Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s 12 Songs Op. 22 and Gorski’s cycle of 12 Songs set to words by Polish poets such as Maria Konopnicka and Władysław Syrokomla. “They are absolutely fascinating songs in terms of composition, highly expressive, filled with emotion and challenging for the pianist,” promises Orski. The previously mentioned tenor Stanisław Napierała, studying under Prof. Ewa Biegas at the Academy of Music in Katowice, is a winner of this year’s Polish Music Academies Vocal Competition held in June in Łódź.
The festival closes with the performance of the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble under the direction of Andrzej Kosendiak (18 July, Carmelite Church), experts in historically informed performance with the focus on exploration of the less well-known repertoire of Central Europe. The ensemble presents the pearls of Polish baroque music including works by Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński, Marcin Józef Żebrowski and Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki.
One thing is certain – each of the seven concerts sounds incredibly promising, and there’s plenty to choose from. From early music, via refined chamber music and opera to crossover music – there’s plenty for everyone! And, most importantly, they will be encounters with live music!
Mateusz Borkowski – graduate from musicology at the Jagiellonian University, music critic and publicist and pedagogue. He works with Radio Kraków and the “Ruch Muzyczny” weekly. Author of two books. He developed a tour of Kraków’s musical world of the 19th and 20th centuries for the Polish Music Association.
The text published in the 1/2021 issue of the “Kraków Culture” quarterly.
Thursday, 8 July 2021, 7:30pm
St Catherine’s Church
Hagith: Joanna Zawartko, soprano
Old King: Wojciech Parchem, tenor
Young King: Stanisław Napierała, tenor
Archpriest: Jakub Borgiel, bass
Doctor: Patryk Wyborski, baritone
Choir and Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic
Jarosław Wolanin, choirmaster
Maciej Tworek, conductor
Karol Szymanowski Hagith [concert version]
Friday, 9 July 2021, 7pm
Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University
Krzysztof Grzybowski, clarinet
Piotr Sałajczyk, piano
Mieczysław Weinberg Sonata for clarinet and piano Op. 28
Krzysztof Penderecki Preludium for clarinet solo
Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński Duo for clarinet and piano Op. 47
Juliusz Zarębski Grande polonaise in F sharp major Op. 6
Witold Friemann Sonata No. 3 “Romantic” for clarinet and piano Op. 222
Saturday, 10 July 2021, 7:30pm
Church of the Holy Cross
Marcin Szelest, organ
Adam of Wągrowiec and his contemporaries: organ works from the Samogitia Tablature (1618)
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Incepta 6 Toni
Adam of Wągrowiec (d. 1629) [Fantasia 1] Super 6 Tonum
Magnificat 6 Toni (3 verses)
Adam of Wągrowiec Alia [fantasia] [2] super 6 Tonum
Pro Finali Sexti Toni
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Adam of Wągrowiec [Fantasia 3] Super secundum Tonum
Adam of Wągrowiec Ricercata Secundi Toni
Psalm Dawida [Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612): Chi mi dimandarà (Canzonette a quattro voci, Nuremberg 1590)]
Vincenzo Bertolusi (d. 1608) Fantasia [del] secundo tono
[Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) Canzona]
Adam of Wągrowiec Fantasia super secundum Tonum
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Super primum Tonum
Adam of Wągrowiec Łobzowskie
Adam of Wągrowiec Ricercata Tertii Toni
Surrexit Dominus
Ricercata Tertii Toni
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Super primum Tonum
Magnificat pro Primo Tono (3 verses)
Pro Finali Primi Toni
Adam of Wągrowiec Ricercata 1. Tono
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Incepta 4 toni
Ricercata 4 Toni [sopra la sol fa re mi]
Quarti Toni
Adam of Wągrowiec Fantasia super quartum tonum
Adam of Wągrowiec Ricercata 4. Toni
Quarti Toni
[Francesco Usper Sponga (1561–1641)] Ricercata quarti toni (Ricercari et arie francesi, Venice 1595)
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[Fantasia] super primum tonum
Adam of Wągrowiec Ave maris stella
[Fantasia] super primum tonum
Vincenzo Bertolusi Ricercata del Primo Tono
Adam of Wągrowiec [Praeambulum] Pro organo
Sunday, 11 July 2021, 7pm
STU Theatre
Elżbieta Szmytka, soprano
Janusz Wojtarowicz, accordion
Derwid (Witold Lutosławski): Dance Songs
Friday, 16 July 2021, 7pm
Manggha Museum
Vilém Veverka, oboe
Kateřina Englichová, harp
Kraków Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble
František Macek, conductor
Maciej Radziwiłł Serenade
Mieczysław Karłowicz Serenade Op. 2
Ignacy Jan Paderewski Suite in G major for string orchestra
Witold Lutosławski Double Concerto for oboe and harp
Saturday, 17 July 2021, 7pm
Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University
Ewa Biegas, mezzo-soprano
Stanisław Napierała, tenor
Grzegorz Biegas, piano
Ignacy Jan Paderewski 12 Songs Op. 22
Konstanty Gorski 12 Songs
Sunday, 18 July 2021, 8:30pm
Carmelite Church
Wrocław Baroque Ensemble
Aldona Bartnik, soprano
Piotr Olech, countertenor
Maciej Gocman, tenor
Tomáš Král, bass
Zbigniew Pilch, Mikołaj Zgółka, violins
Fruzsina Hara, Justin Bland, trumpets
Přemysl Vacek, theorbo
Julia Karpeta, viola da gamba
Krzysztof Karpeta, violone
Marta Niedźwiecka, positive organ
Andrzej Kosendiak, conductor
Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński Sonata a due violini con bassso pro organo
Marcin Józef Żebrowski Vesperae in D: Dixit Dominus, Laudate pueri, Laetatus sum, Nisi Dominus, Lauda Jerusalem Dominum, Magnificat
Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki Tristes erant apostoli; Jesu corona virginum; Completorium
