For Our Eyes and Ears
Gothic walls of the Dominican Church and the Hall of the Blessed Jacob, the churches of Corpus Christi and St Catherine dating back to the days of King Casimir the Great, the splendid Baroque interiors of the Carmelite Church, Pauline Church and Church of Sts Peter and Paul, the Norbertine Church guarding the confluence of the Rudawa and Vistula rivers, the Tempel Synagogue dazzling with the light of its stained-glass windows, the Fontana Hall at the Krzysztofory Palace adorned with stuccos, the understated elegance of Florianka Recital Hall… During the second half of August, these stunning historic interiors will resound with the 46th “Music in Old Cracow” Festival.
Barbara Skowrońska (Kraków Culture Karnet)
The event has been captivating music lovers for almost half a century, focusing on its original idea: to bring music virtuosos to historic buildings, focus on performers (“We bring together the finest artists who promote their own repertoires and thus guarantee their finest interpretations,” explains Stanisław Gałoński, founder and artistic director of the festival), promote Cracovian composers and early masters, and support young musicians.
From Chopin to Wincenty of Kielcza
Like many other festivals the world over, Music in Old Cracow faced a major challenge in 2020 – but it not only didn’t submit to the pandemic, but it showed that it’s perfectly possible to build an extensive programme filled with terrific names and repertoires from Kraków and all over Poland. And since this summer is also marked by covid, this year’s events are also focusing on homegrown performers.
The programme features plenty of Polish music by favourite composers such as Chopin and Moniuszko (their songs will be performed by the mezzo-soprano Monika Korybalska with guitar accompaniment from Dmitry Golovenko) as well as Lessel, Kisielewski and Żeleński (performed by the young string quartet Veramo), Elsner, Maciejewski, Friedman and Lutosławski presented by the piano duo Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek. Polish Renaissance and Baroque will be the main themes of the concerts by Królewscy Rorantyści (including Wincenty of Kielcza, Pękiel, Szadek, Borek and Gorczycki) and the Zieleński Collegium ensemble.
Old masters
And there is more early music to come: the male vocal ensemble Triplum presents Couperin’s Messe pour les Paroisses, Kraków Viola da Gamba Consort showcases this instrument popular between the 16th and 18th centuries, while Flores Rosarum presents songs by St Hildegard of Bingen accompanied by Dorota Segda reading prayers by the mediaeval mystic and composer. The Octava Ensemble recalls rarely performed Baroque composers including Giovanni Felice Sances and František Tůma, while virtuosos of early instruments (including the harpsichordist Elżbieta Stefańska) focus on the inspired works by Bach.
For voices and instruments
Fans of instrumental music cannot miss Andrzej Białko’s organ recital, the concert for French horn and piano (Jacek Muzyk and Justyna Danczowska), and the evening for two violins and cello led by Daniel Stabrawa, regular guest and friend of the festival and the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Lost for words? Yes... and no! The programme Earth Song abounds with love, sensuality and nature performed by the vocal sextet Sei terre, while Jerzy Stuhr reads poetry by Fr. Maliński accompanied by music by Bach, Mozart, Morricone, Kilar and Chajdecki.
Import – export
The festival also features Orthodox Church music from 16th-20th century Ukraine, presented by Kalophonia. The concert of our eastern guests serves also as an reminder that the Cracovian festival has a sister event Music in Old Lviv – after all, best ideas should be shared far and wide!
15 August 2021, Sunday, 8:30pm
Corpus Christi Church
Andrzej Białko – organ
in programme: Olivier Messiaen, Johann Sebastian Bach, Guy Bovet
16 August 2021, Monday, 7:30pm
St Martin’s Church
Octava Ensemble:
- Alicja Ciesielczuk
- Magdalena Pikuła
- Małgorzata Langer-Król
- Joanna Święszek
- Zygmunt Magiera – kierownictwo muzyczne
- Błażej Wiliński
- Wojciech Góra
- Jacek Wróbel
Artur Szczerbinin – positive organ
in programme: Giovanni Felice Sances, František Tůma
17 August 2021, Tuesday, 7:30pm
Museum of Krakow, Krzysztofory Palace, Fontana Hall
Monika Korybalska – mezzo-soprano
Dmytro Hołowenko – guitar
in programme: Isaac Albeniz, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Tarrega, Stanisław Moniuszko, Fryderyk Chopin, Franciszek Maklakiewicz, Mieczysław Karłowicz
18 August 2021, Wednesday, 7:30pm
Hall of Bl. Jacob
Veramo Quartet:
- Aleksandra Steczkowska – violin
- Katarzyna Piotrowska – violin
- Edyta Butor – viola
- Gabriela Karpiesiuk – cello
in programme: Franciszek Lessel, Stefan Kisielewski, Władysław Żeleński
19 August 2021, Thursday, 7:30pm
Academy of Music
Książek Piano Duo:
- Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek – piano
- Krzysztof Książek – piano
in programme: Józef Elsner, Roman Maciejewski, Anton Arensky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ignacy Friedman, Maurycy Moszkowski, Witold Lutosławski
20 August 2021, Friday, 7:30pm
Florianka Recital Hall
Jacek Muzyk – horn
Justyna Danczowska – piano
in programme: Ludwig van Beethoven, Reinhold Gliere, Olivier Messiaen, Kenneth Fuchs, Aleksandr Skriabin, Paul Dukas
21 August 2021, Saturday, 7:30pm
St Martin’s Church
Daniel Stabrawa – violin
Maria Rabenberg – violin
Ignacy Miecznikowski – viola
in programme: Charles Bériot, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zoltán Kodály
22 August 2021, Sunday, 8pm
Tempel Syagogue
Told with Words and Music
Jerzy Stuhr – actor
Roman Widaszek – clarinet
Magdalena Duś – piano
Quintet of Silesian Philharmonic
in programme: Fr. Mieczysław Maliński, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wojciech Kilar, Ennio Morricone, Béla Kovács, Bartosz Chajdecki
23 August 2021, Monday, 7:30pm
Kraków Philharmonic
Earth Song
Sei Terre Vocal Sextet:
- Katarzyna Guran – soprano
- Joanna Stawarska – soprano
- Magdalena Pikuła – soprano
- Joanna Święszek – mezzo-soprano
- Aleksandra Kalicka – alto
- Anna Bober – alto
Monika Płachta – piano
Joanna Konarzewska – violin
Anna Migdał-Chojecka – viola
in programme: Philip Glass, Frank Ticheli, Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Edward Elgar, Arvo Pärt, Morten Laudrisen
24 August 2021, Tuesday, 7:30pm
Hall of Bl. Jacob
Royal Rorantists:
- Zygmunt Magiera
- Łukasz Dulewicz
- Piotr Windak
- Piotr Piwko
- Maciej Michalik
- Paweł Popowicz
- Wojciech Dyląg
- Marcin Wróbel
Wiktoria Swoboda – lute
in programme: Marcin Paligon, Wojciech Długoraj, Sebastian of Felsztyn, Bartłomiej Pękiel, Jakub Polak, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Diomedes Cato, Tomasz Szadek, Krzysztof Borek, Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, Wincenty of Kielcza
25 August 2021, Wednesday, 8:15pm
Pauline Church
Marek Kudlicki – organ
Alina Mazur – mezzo-soprano
in programme: Jan of Lublin, George Frideric Handel, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Stanisław Moniuszko, Gabriel Fauré, William Gomez, Marco Enrico Bossi, Marian Sawa, Ennio Morricone, Michał Lorenc, Sigfrid Karg-Elert
26 August 2021, Thursday, 8:15pm
Carmelite Church
Triplum:
- Piotr Windak – tenor
- Piotr Piwko – tenor
- Maciej Michalik – baritone
- Mariusz Zarzycki – bass
Michał Białko – organ
François Couperin Messe pour les Paroisses
27 August 2021, Friday, 7:30pm
Norbertine Sisters Church
Kraków Viola da Gamba Consort:
- Sylwia Heinrich, Agata Sanches-Martos, Rafał Gorczyński – bass violas da gamba
- Mateusz Kowalski – tenor and bass violas da gamba
in programme: David Funck, August Kühnel, works from Paris Manuscript
28 August 2021, Saturday, 8:15pm
Dominican Church
Kalophonia:
- Petro Szwajkowśkyj – tenor
- Maksym Szpynda – tenor
- Jurij Chortaszko – baritone
- Wołodymyr Hadzało – bass
- Taras Hrudowyj – bass, art director
- Taras Malnyk – bass
- Ihor Kohut – bass
in programme: Ukrainian Orthodox Church music from 16th-20th c.
29 August 2021, Sunday, 7:30pm
Church of Sts Peter and Paul
...in mirabili desiderio Dei surrexit...
Flores Rosarum:
- Adrianna Bujak-Cyran
- Susi Ferfoglia – musical direction, virginals
- Maria Klich – hurdy-gurdy
- Liliana Pociecha
- Anita Pyrek-Nąckiewicz
- Katarzyna Śmiałkowska
Dorota Segda – St Hildegard of Bingen’s prayers
in programme: songs of St Hildegard of Bingen
30 August 2021, Monday, 7:30pm
St Martin’s Church
Elżbieta Stefańska – harpsichord
Mariko Kato-Shioya – harpsichord
Tomasz Potaczek – traverso flute
Aleksandra Owczarek – Baroque violin
Anna Hara-Pióro – Baroque violin
Małgorzata Muzyka-Gołogórska – Baroque viola
Adrianna Kafel – Baroque cello
Rafał Gorczyński – viola da gamba
in programme: works of Johann Sebastian Bach
31 August 2021, Tuesday, 7:30pm
St Catherine’s Church
Aldona Bartnik – soprano
Collegium Zieleński
Stanisław Krawczyński – conductor
in programme: works of Mikołaj Zieleński
