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The success of the first edition of the Festival of Polish Culture in Luxembourg in 2008 led to a follow-up event, organised by the society polska.lu, in the cities of Luxembourg and Vianden. The event comes under the French theme of "Autour de Chopin / All Around Chopin" and takes an innovative approach to the subject...
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Film still from Aleksander Ford's "Chopin's Youth"
The success of the first edition of the Festival of Polish Culture in Luxembourg in 2008 led to a follow-up event, organised by the polska.lu association, in the cities of Luxembourg and Vianden
This year's edition comes under the theme of "Autour Chopin / All Around Chopin" While countries all over the world celebrate the 200th birthday of
Fryderyk Chopin, this festival takes an entirely original approach to the subject. br>
Works presented at "Autour de Chopin" cannot really be found in the Chopin National Edition. These are pieces that have been inspired by the music of the Polish composer and which often go far beyond what one associates with Chopin across the disciplines of music, poetry, film and visual arts.
Programme:
- Friday, September 17, 7 p.m. - official opening of the event.
- Friday, at 8.00 p.m. - Concert "2xChopin" (Jazz & classical music)
Venue: CCR Abbaye de Neumünster (Robert Krieps Hall) – Luxemburg
Performing: Kae Shiraki (piano) and Andrzej Jagodziński Trio: Andrzej Jagodziński (piano), Adam Cegielski (double bass), Czesław Bartkowski (percussion)
Kae Shiraki, a young talented Japanese pianist living in Luxembourg, will play a classical version of Chopin's Sonata in B minor Op. 35, followed by a jazz adaptation of the same piece performed by the Adam Jagodziński Trio. The latter is one of the best known Polish jazz groups, giving concerts all over the world for the past 20 years. They specialize in jazz adaptations of Chopin's works.
- Saturday, September 18, 8.00 p.m. - "The magical Polish countryside of Frédéric Chopin" (Chopin's piano works and original examples of Polish folk music)
CCR Abbaye de Neumünster (Robert Krieps Hall) – Luxemburg
Artists: Janusz Prusinowski Ensemble: Janusz Prusinowski (violin, hurdy gurdy, vocal), Michał Żak (flute, shawm), Piotr Piszczatowski (drum, baraban), Piotr Zgorzelski (cello, bass), Magdalena Wojciechowska (piano)
The concert is a dialogue between the traditional music of the Polish countryside and Chopin's music, demonstrating a bond between these musical worlds. Artists from the Janusz Prusinowski Ensemble have attained the harmony of the two musical languages.
- Sunday, September 19, 8.00 p.m. - "Anna Serafińska Groove Machine" (Rhythm & Groove)
CCR Abbaye de Neumünster (Robert Krieps Hall) – Luxemburg
Artists: Anna Serafińska and her Ensemble: Anna Serafińska (vocal), Paweł Tomaszewski (keyboards), Michał Barański (bass guitar), Artur Lipiński (percussion), Anna Karamon (backing vocal), Aleksandra Nowak (backing vocal)
Despite her young age, Anna Serafińska has a long list of artistic and pedagogic achievements. The winner of Grand Prix Montreux Jazz Festival in 2004 and of the Lady Summertime Jazz in Finland, she earned a Ph.D. in vocal jazz in the Academy of Music in Katowice. Anna Serafińska Groove Machine is a remarkable project combining the singer's electrifying voice and a highly energetic music with pulsing grooves.
- Tuesday, September 21, 8.00 p.m. - Film cycle "Chopin in Polish Cinema"
Venue: Ancien Cinéma – Vianden
Films: Youth of Chopin, directed by Aleksander Ford, 1951, 121 min
Within the framework of the Festival of Polish Culture, organised in co-operation with the Ancien Cinéma in Vianden, comes the "Chopin in Polish cinema" series. Features, documentaries, interviews, recordings of Chopin competitions and film chronicles have been restored and digitalised. The first night of the series features Aleksander Ford's "Youth of Chopin" (1951). The film shows five years of Frédéric Chopin's life against the chequered social and historical background which shaped him as an artist.
- Thursday, September 23, 8.00 p.m. - "The Chopin Project" (Classical music & multimedia visualisations)
Venue: CCR Abbaye de Neumünster (Robert Krieps Hall) – Luxemburg Artists: Katarzyna Borek (piano), Karolina Piątkowska (violin), Maja Kuta (multimedia visualisations)
The Chopin Project is an innovative combination of a concerto for piano and violin and a visual interpretation of the music. The visual animations are mixed in directly from a computer to a video projector, transmitting the images to a screen in the concert hall.
- Friday, September 24, 8.00 p.m. - Final concert: Lora Szafran "Only Chopin" (Jazz)
CCR Abbaye de Neumünster (Robert Krieps Hall) – Luxemburg
Artists: Lora Szafran Sextet: Lora Szafran (vocal), Bernard Maseli (KAT), Piotr Biskupski (percussion), Dariusz Szymańczak (double bass), Michał Tokaj (piano), Jarosław Zawadzki (keyboards)
Among jazz interpretations of Chopin, the one performed by Lora Szafran and Bernard Maselli is considered the closest to the original. The texts written by the eminent poet Justyna Holm enhance the repertoire of Chopin songs from the album of the same title published by Lora Szafran's label Polskie Nagrania.
- Friday, September 25, 9.00 p.m. - Chopin. His return (Jazz & vocal)
Venue: Ancien Cinéma – Vianden
Artists: Maciej Tubis (piano), Joanna Kondrat (vocal)
The Return is a recital of music, interspersed with letters from Chopin, written by him during different periods of his life. This interpretation, presented in a small, proper form is an attempt to preserve them in the melodies for voice and piano. A touching correspondence between Frederic Chopin and his parents; warm voice and sensitive interpretation, a combination of jazz and classical piano, everything quite new, with the free arrangement of Maciej Tubis.
- Thursday, September 30, 8.00 p.m. - Film cycle Chopin in Polish Cinema
Venue: Ancien Cinéma – Vianden
Films:Chopin's three études, directed by Eugeniusz Cękalski, 1944, 12 min; The Chopin Recital in Duszniki, directed by Tadeusz Makarczyński, 1944, 11 min; Mazurki Chopina, directed by Tadeusz Makarczyński, 1949, 12 min; Chopin in Paris, directed by Stanisław Grabowski, 1969, 15 min; Born in Warsaw, directed by Maria Kwiatkowska, 1996, 55 min.
The Ancien Cinéma hosts "Youth of Chopin" from 1951, followed by short films of the '40s and a documentary by Maria Kwiatkowska, Born a Varsovian... Remembering Warsaw Chopin Competitions (1996).
- Thursday, October 7, 6.30 p.m. - Chopin in film retrospective
Venue: Ancien Cinéma – Vianden
An evening with the movie Chopin: Desire for Love and the Polish actress Danuta Stenka (George Sand) , the actress who played the role of George Sand in the movie and won three prestigious awards. ul> For a complete programme and more information, see: www.festival-polonais.lu.
Source: press release, www.festival-polonais.lu.