Cultural bulletin 34 (531)

News in brief

• Eric Clapton, British rock and blues musician played and sang at Kościuszki Square in Gdynia, northern Poland, on August 14. The two-hour concert at the 27-metre long and 14 meter wide stage was shown on two big screens. Before the concert of the British guitar virtuoso and singer Dżem band from Poland played.
• Kocaeli Armelit, Turkish dance and folk group won the Grand Prix of the 19^th International Folk Music Festival held in Żywiec, between August 6 and 9. The festival was held as part of the 45^th Beskidy Mountains Culture Week on August 2-10 that attracted more than 20,000 fans. 18 folk bands from Poland, Turkey, India, Brazil, Mexico, the Czech Republic and La Martinica competed for the Grand Prix.
• An out-door concert of Czech bassist Miloslav Gajdos opened the 3rd World Bassist Festival in Wrocław, south-west Poland, on August 10. The event lasted till August 17. Gajdos played at Wrocław market square with laureates of the 1st International Bassist Festival "Wratislavia". The agenda of the festival envisaged different type o music like e.g. jazz, flamenco, folk or pop music. Organisers of the event prepared topical concerts, recitals, and out-door concerts as well as master’s workshops with professional musicians as teachers. In all some 30m concerts were given in Wrocław including those given by pianist Kevin Kenner, Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson accompanied by singer Ceacillie Norby, Poland;s Jagodziński Trio jazz band or Adam Skrzypek, jazz bassist from Wrocław.

Reports

Wajda starts filming "Sweet Flag"

Andrzej Wajda has started filming a new feature movie entitled "Sweet Flag" (Tatarak) and based on a story by Poland’s writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz with Krystyna Janda in the main part.

First shots were taken in Grudziądz north-west Poland on August 12. The filming will last until the end of September, Ewa Turczyńska from Michał Kwieciński’s Akson Studio, the producer of the movie has told PAP.

„Sweet Flag” tells a story about an aging doctor Marta who after a hard life tries to cope with boredom. But Marta will be given yet another chance to experience youth once again and to recall the meaning of love and fascination. Unfortunately the episode will end tragically. "Sweet Flag" is a story about the passage of time and a dominating sense of loss.

Starring are also Jadwiga Jankowska–Cieślak, Jan Englert, Lesław Żurek and American actor of Polish origin Paweł Szajda.

Quay Brothers to shoot movie about count Jan Potocki

The Quay Brothers, the world renowned animated movie directors will shoot their newest movie in the Palace-turned- Museum in Łańcut, southern Poland, this year. The animated movie, entitled the "Inventarium śladów" (Inventory of Traces) will be an unconventional tribute paid to Poland's count Jan Potocki(1761-1815), director of the museum in Łańcut Wit Karol Wojtowicz told PAP on Friday.

Stephen and Timothy Quay visited Łańcut last year during the "Laterna Magica" festival, the director said. They were so impressed by the palace that in January they returned with a ready idea of the movie, he added.  The movie will be dedicated to count Potocki, the author of the "A Manuscript Found in Saragossa" (Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie). The movie was born out of the Quays Brothers' fascination with Wojciech Has' movie, the adaptation of Potocki's book.

Great Britain: Polish writers at Edinburgh Book Fair

This year jubilee International Book Fair in Edinburgh hosted three writers from Poland, namely Marek Krajewski, Wojciech Tochman and Anna Mycek-Wodecka apart form some 600 authors from all over the world.

Krajewski, the author of detective stories met with the audience together with Austrian writer of crime stories Paulus Hochgatterer on Sunday, August 10.

On August 17 Anna Mycek-Wodecka chaired a bilingual workshop for children called "The Minutka Word Workshop.”

On August 24 readers met with Wojciech Tochman, writer and reporter who described the war in the Balkans between 1992 and 1995 in his book entitled Like Eating a Stone.

Doda wins „Hit of Polish Summer 2008"

A song by Doda "Don’t Give Up" (Nie daj się) won the title of the Hit of the Polish Summer 2008" during Sopot Hit  Festival, organized by TVP Channel Two and Eska Radio that started on August 8.

Doda received a statuette and 50,000 zloty. The best Polish hit had been chosen by the audience via text messages.

Doda outdid Ich Troje (The Three Of Them) band with the song entitled "We Play in The Team" and Ewelina Flinta and Łukasz Zagrobelny who sang "Don’t Lie that You Love Me" (Nie kłam, że kochasz mnie).

The festival attracted 12 other Polish musicians including Kasia Nova, Papa D. or former Papa Dance, RH+, Ania Dąbrowska, Kasia Cerekwicka and Mezo & Paula.

Ryan, Monrose and Arash were special guests of the 1st day of the Sopot Hit Festival.

In the 2nd and final day of the festival 15 foreign artists player and sang in an effort to win the title of the „Foreign Hit of Summer 2008. The award went to Shaun Baker feat. Maloy "Hey Hi Hello".

Festival "Chopin and his Europe "

The 4th edition of the International Music Festival "Chopin and his Europe with a concert by Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelic opened in Warsaw on August 15. One of the event organizers Leszczynski recalled that this year edition of the festival was entitled "From Pogorelic to Tchaikovsky ".

In all more than 200 pianists are taking part in the festival with 23 concerts on the agenda including nine symphonic concerts and 14 piano recitals and chamber concerts.

Among pianists who arrived to take part in the festival are Grigory Sokolov, Dang Thai Son, Olli Mustonen, Kevin Kenner, Howard Shelley, Dina Yoffe, Michie Koyama. Poland will be represented by Janusz Olejniczak, Maciej Grzybowski, Piotr Różański and Jan Lisiecki, the 13-year-old Canadian of Polish origin.

Traditionally the festival is accompanied by Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk and  Howard Shelley, The National Philharmonic Orchestra led by Antoni Wit and the 18^th Century Orchestra playing instruments of the period and conducted by Frans Brueggen.

Concerts are held in the National Philharmonic Hall, the Grand Theatre-National Opera and the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio. This year festival ends on August 31.

PAP envisages

• "Halka" by Stanisław Moniuszko, Polish Tenors Turnemount, recital by Jadwiga Rappe singing in alto are only some of attractions of the 46th Moniuszko Festival to be inaugurated in Kudowa Zdrój (Lower Silesia) on August 27 to 30. Festival’s artistic director Sławomir Pietras has told a news conference that the performance of „Halka”, that will mark the 150th anniversary of the premiere of the four act opera will accompany the audience during the entire festival. "The audience will listen to archival recordings of „Halka” conducted by Jerzy Semkow, Valeryan Bedayev, Antoni Wicherek and Robert Satanowski", the director said. The most important event will be “Halka’s” performance directed by Kazimierz Kowalski, performer by the Polish Chmber Opera conducted by Kazimierz Wiencek and starring Barbara Kubiak, Sylwester Kostecki and Adam Szerszeń. Moniuszko workshop will be open during the festival for the public to see performances of Cracovia Danza that will present European dances of the Renaissance and Baroque and listen to Jadwiga Rappe. "She will sing songs by Polish composers including Stanisław Moniuszko’s songs," Pietras said.