This year's edition of one of Europe's most important events dedicated to the music of the Renaissance is undergoing a transformation, with the Debuts and Trance series expanding upon the traditional Mainstream series
Filip Berkowicz, the festival's Artistic Director, explains that "every festival, even those to which we have become drawn and end up enjoying, requires a change every so often. It prevents falling into a routine. It allows for new forms of excitement linked with the prospect of experiencing fresh challenges and discoveries, as well as appealing to a new audience on whom we greatly rely". Mainstream will be the festival's headlining event, featuring the finest artists in the field of period performance. "Starting this year, Kraków will play host to seven projects prepared especially for us by numerous world renowned conductors and ensembles", says Berkowicz, citing several artists on this year's repertoire: Marc Minkowski (Les Musiciens de Louvre-Grenoble), Fabio Biondi (Europa Galante), Ottavio Dantone (Accademia Bizantina), Jordi Savall (Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya) and Christina Pluhar (L'Arpeggiata), alongside new artists Emmanuelle Haïm with his phenomenal ensemble Le Concert d'Astrée and Christophe Rousset with Les Talens Lyriques.
Berkowicz continues:
One cannot ignore the newly formed ensembles and styles created by those performers who aren't necessarily linked with lucrative recording contracts or a powerful PR machine. Which is why Misteria Paschalia, in creating the Debuts programme, is able to welcome younger artists at the outset of their careers in period performance.
One of the first acts invited by the festival's organizers is an ensemble from Basel called La Morra. The artists will perform a specially prepared programme entitled Lacrime de Leo – the Secret Music of Pope Leo X. The concert will take place at 17:00 on April 23, in the chapel of Saint Kinga in the Salt Mines at Wieliczka.
A spectacular inaugural concert for the Trance programme is likewise planned for that evening at the Kraków Opera, starting at 20:00. Adrian Utley of Portishead and Will Gregory of Goldfrapp have once again joined forces to create a moving score to the film The Martyrdom of Joan of Arc (1928), which has found itself on the so called Vatican List - an index of images of specific religious significance. The musicians will be arriving in Kraków together with an orchestral ensemble directed by Charles Hazlewood, accompanied also by Capella Cracoviensis.
Misteria Paschalia is one of the most important European festivals dedicated to music of the Renaissance and the Baroque. Its content is determined largely by the presentation of music linked with Holy Week and Easter, as performed by world-renowned musicians and the finest interpreters of ancient music. During the festival, Kraków's finest concert halls, unique sacred venues as well as the chapel of St. Kinga at Wieliczka will reverberate with the sound of some of the most beautiful works of that bygone period. The festival likewise enjoys the presence of numerous renowned critics and the unfailing interest of scores of music lovers. It has won the award for most interesting cultural event (as drawn up by the Polityka weekly) no less than three times, and has represented Poland twice at the MIDEM music trade fair in Cannes.
The festival's artistic director is Filip Berkowicz, while the organizer is the Kraków Festival Bureau. The Eighth edition of Misteria Paschalia takes place in Kraków between April 18-25, 2011. A detailed programme of events and performing artists can be found at
www.misteriapaschalia.comSource: press materials