Because of the cold, the concert was moved from the Market Square to the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which was an excellent decision by the organizers. In the packed and welcoming church, the artist and the orchestra accompanying him gave an outstanding concert.
Czesław Niemen, an extraordinary musician, has a worthy successor. One equal to him in talent, who does not imitate him or duplicate his ideas, but sings superbly in his own interpretations with excellent arrangements.
Radek began with a brilliant performance of “Ciuciubabka.” These were the days when Niemen, together with Niebiesko-Czarni, was Poland’s Beatles. Radek got the audience swaying and invited them to join in the fun. Then came “Płonie stodoła” and the beautiful “Wspomnienie,” with lyrics by Julian Tuwim, followed by the melancholic song “Pod papugami” and “Sen o Warszawie.”
The culmination was, of course, the song everyone knows and had been waiting for. We remember it with the Hammond arrangement in the opening bars. “Dziwny jest ten świat” – this song is to the singer what the role of Hamlet is to an actor. By singing “Dziwny jest ten świat,” Janusz Radek proved that Niemen’s repertoire is his artistic legacy.
This protest song, which could be an excellent anthem for the European Union, rang out with redoubled force within the church walls. It was an extraordinary song that the former authorities disliked and would not allow to be played on the radio, yet it sold 600,000 copies, and Niemen received the first Gold Record in history for it.
Czesław Niemen left us quite recently. He died after a long battle with cancer in 2004. Janusz Radek is undoubtedly the very good-willed person about whom Niemen sang in “Dziwny świecie.” Radek’s performance program was refined and rich and, as the artist himself said, proved that wise lyrics and good arrangements still have many fans.
The City Days celebrations began with a first-class spectacle, perfectly chosen and warmly received by the residents of Bolesławiec gathered in the church. Together with the artist, who ended by singing “Wesołego, powszedniego dnia,” we wish our readers exactly that, as well as a good time during our city’s festival.
(information: GH)