The script for Chopin Without Piano is situated on the border of theatre and music and draws on a variety of material. It is based on interviews with prominent pianists, as well as musicological research, Chopin’s letters and biography, and philosophical texts. It is the verbal equivalent of the piano score, a guide to the concertos, their commentary and description. The structure of the text is analogous to the composition of the concertos.
Barbara Wysocka and Michał Zadara (who make up the group CENTRALA) replaced Chopin’s piano parts with text which is a passionate mediation on Chopin’s life and art. It tells the story of a young composer who writes two piano concertos months before he leaves Poland, furious at the political reality of his situation and suffering the loss of both his family and his country. It also tells the story of our generation – a generation which feels his anguish and his uncertainty as to what will come next. By combining the sensibility and style of a solo theatrical performance with with imaginative video projections and lucid probing text, Chopin Without Piano transforms the composer and his music into a visceral and provocative experience on several levels.
The idea for the work came to the pair when Jacek Kaspszyk told them about a pianist who 'was drunk or afraid and escaped through the bathroom window rather than attempt to play the concerti. ‘The first violinist suggested rather than give back the ticket money they play anyway with the empty piano just sitting there. We said, 'That's amazing opportunity for theatre and we should do that.' But we had to do it independently. Theatre wouldn't do it because the orchestra is so expensive, and the philharmonic wouldn't do it because it's so strange,’ revealed Zadara in an interview.
The world premiere of Chopin Without Piano was accompanied by the Sinfonietta Cracovia conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk and took place on 23rd March 2013 at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, Kraków. Subsequently, the project travelled to Warsaw for the Chopin and His Europe festival. In 2015 the production travelled to Swarthmore College and the FringeArts in Philadelphia and ArtsEmerson in Boston. In Philadelphia, Wysocka was accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia led by conductor Bassem Akiki from the Warsaw National Opera. Chopin Without Piano was listed among 2015 theatre picks by The Boston Globe.
To see more visit project's website: www.chopinwithoutpiano.com