The Zgorzelec audience, which fills the concert halls to capacity every year, values these events for their attractive, varied repertoire and the artists’ meticulous preparation. The programmes of the Carnival concerts are a skilful combination of well-known and popular classical sounds with popular music, in keeping with the principle that there should be “something pleasant for everyone”. This applies from the first piece to the last, briefly revealing another, less familiar side of the Zgorzelec school. Although children and young people have been taught classical music here primarily for 50 years, the doors are certainly not closed to popular and entertainment music genres.
Youth
This year’s concert opened with Lloyd Conley’s “Aura Lee”, performed with piano accompaniment by French horn player Hubert Grabowski. Despite its serious sound and rather slow tempo, even an untrained ear could easily pick out a familiar-sounding melody in the piece, bringing to mind, not without reason, Elvis Presley’s hit “Love Me Tender”.
Surprising? No more so than the idea for the next programme item: the Baroque Sonata in E minor by Italian composer Benedetto Marcello, whose first and second movements were played on… the saxophone by Marcin Marciniak. The audience rewarded both performers with thunderous applause, as it did their older female colleagues, this year’s graduating students, whose performances filled the rest of the evening. Accordionist Aleksandra Zimnicka in Albert Vossen’s lively polka “Flick-flack”, flautist Magdalena Duda in Nobuo Uematsu’s atmospheric, exotic “Autumn Ikebana”, and the young violinists Julitta Bartolewska in Erik Valentin’s poignant gypsy romance “Janosch” and Karolina Szymańska in Henryk Wieniawski’s energetic “Obertas” delighted the audience with beautiful interpretations of the works performed and their instrumental technique. Their performance also served as an introduction to the next part of the concert, in which the teachers of the Zgorzelec institution appeared.
and Experience
It opened with the first movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, performed by a trio warmly received by the audience: violinists Anna Krupa and Aleksandra Wojnarowska, and pianist Michał Błaszczyk. Immediately afterwards, Agata Żak and Anna Burgielska, accompanying her on piano, performed Cecile Chaminade’s highly expressive flute Concertino Op. 107 and were rewarded with resounding applause.
The atmosphere of Carnival revelry, somewhat subdued by the classical music, returned with melodies from the musical “Notre Dame de Paris”, performed by the piano duo Przemysław Bereziuk and Antoni Bartula. Astor Piazzolla’s sensual tango “Adios Nonino” and Ludmiła Szukajło’s “Scherzino”, performed by violinist Anna Krupa, as well as Carlos Gardel’s composition “Por una Cabeza”, brilliantly played by the trio of Anna Krupa – violin, Anna Polewaczyk – accordion, Dominik Lewicki – piano, raised the temperature and prepared the audience for the arrival of the energetic percussion group Krzysztof Palmowski Band, greeted enthusiastically by the public every year. This time the group performed with an expanded line-up: Jadwiga Leśniak – vocals and saxophone, Małgorzata Płucinnik – saxophone, Adrianna Wołowicz – violin, Emil Smardzewski – guitar and piano, Adam Ostapiuk – bass guitar, Albert Pająk – drums, and Krzysztof Palmowski – piano. The band’s performances of Irving Field’s “Miami Beach Rumba”, “Chicken” and “Merci, merci, merci” sparked a genuine storm of applause, while the hit “Stayin’ Alive” from the Bee Gees’ repertoire was played as an encore at the audience’s request.
A sweet treat, to which the organisers invited all concert participants, provided a pleasant ending to the musical evening.
As is traditionally the case, the Carnival Concert was also an opportunity to present official thanks to the sponsors of the January International Zgorzelec-Gorlitz Piano Competition, which has become an important musical event in Poland and abroad.
Renata Burdosz