The Santa Fe Opera will present Karol Szymanowski’s opera King Roger this summer starring Mariusz Kwiecien.
King Roger, an opera in 3 acts, with music by Karol Szymanowski and the libretto by the composer and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz premiered on June 19, 1926 in Warsaw, Poland.
The opera originated from Szymanowski’s enthusiasm for Mediterranean culture as a melting pot of different peoples and religions. The opera is set in 12th Century Sicily and relates to the enlightenment of Christian King Roger II by a young shepherd who represents pagan ideals.
The Kosciuszko Foundation invites you to meet Stephen Wadsworth and members of the King Roger creative team on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 p.m. at the Foundation, 15 East 65th Street, New York, NY. The presentation includes a panel discussion with Stephen Wadsworth, Director and Ann Hould-Ward, Costume Designer. There will also be a musical performance with Haeren Hong, Soprano and Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, Pianist. Contact the Foundation at 212-734-2130 for more information. Tickets are $25 per person or $20 for students and members.
A Recital by a noted virtuoso from Poland, Maciej Grzybowski, will take place at the First Presbyterian Church (1220 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90401) on Friday, May 11, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. The program will include music by Polish composers (Paweł Mykietyn, Witold Lutosławski, Paweł Szymański, Fryderyk Chopin), and Western classics – Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel.
Born and educated in Warsaw, Poland, Mr. Grzybowski, the winner of numerous prizes, has recorded for EMI and other companies, participated in festivals in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and has championed Polish music worldwide. Bohdan Pociej, one of the most famous Polish music critics said: “How refreshing and exciting it is to be in the presence of such great art of interpretation!”
The program is presented by the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club. Tickets are $15 at the door. Contact Krystyna Bartkowski at 818-248-3713 for more information and to make a reservation.
HAMTRAMCK– After a standing room only concert here at the PNA Concert Hall on Conant Avenue, the rock-pop band FEEL from Katowice, Poland had to rush off to play a gig in Chicago. The entourage took the train from Detroit to Chicago the next day to play The Club in Burbank, Illinois.
Post concert, FEEL was gracious after their Detroit performance and signed CD’s and posters and mingled with their supporters. With a few piwa’s to re-hydrate, after concert talk was primarily in Polish and the band members all knew that Techno-Music had its roots and history founded in Detroit.
The PNA Concert Hall in Hamtramck rocked as lead vocalist Piotr Kupicha wowed with an over two hour set and energized his audience while interfacing with the crowd. It was obvious that his on-stage presence connected with an all-age audience as “Feel” went through their repertoire of Polish hit songs.
The evening was a Polish musical showcase as local Polish-American rapper Dzejo started with a warm-up set and then Magda Kaminski got things really moving along. Kaminski did a few numbers from her CD, “This is Me.” The venue lent a good platform as Marcin Kindla showed off his warm but powerful vocals with some softer stylings. He also really connected with the primarily Polish crowd that rushed in to be front and center of the stage.
The presentations started late so the audience was ready. Emcee Rafal Nowakowski kept everyone informed so the attendance was anxious and anticipating the main attraction. “Feel” worked without a break and Kupicha had the audience wanting more as he did a couple of interaction numbers. The group sang all their popular Polish radio hits with two encores.
Before the concert Kupicha told me music was in his in his heritage as his grandfather, also Piotr, was a professional musician in Silesia. “Dzia-Dzia was a violinist,” he said in broken English. “So strings are in my bloodline,” he added smiling. He laughed even more with my broken Polish and the band members giggled with halting sign language augmentations. There was no barrier with communication though and we talked a bit about the international language of music. “Music is the global ambassador, I agree,” added the talented songwriter. Polish native Anya Nowakowski helped with the tougher translations and in depth questions. She was laughing with enthusiasm also. Idioms don’t get translated well sometimes.
While relaxing in the ready room Kupicha had questions about the Detroit Red Wings as most of the group knew about the local long time NHL ice-hockey success of this area. Group spokesman, Wojtek Grzesiok, told of the time a few years ago that former Polish hockey star Mariusz Czerkawski got Kupicha to play in a celebrity ice-hockey game in Poland. “No one expected Piotr to be so fast,” added Grzesiok. “Just like on the guitar, Piotr skated fast.”
In one of Kupicha’s songs he reached the audience with a soft staccato feel, “Listen-Listen,” he sang in Polish. It was colorful and touching to the audience. Offerings from their new CD “Feel-3” were front and center throughout the sets. An old favorite, “And When the Dusk Comes” got the crowd really moving (A gdy jest już ciemno).
Grzesiok said they had been looking forward to the Detroit date as it was the first time for “Feel” to play in this area. After this performance it won’t be the last. The only wrinkle in the evening was that the very popular Sebastian Riedel popped a disk in his back and was trying to recuperate at the band’s hotel. He wasn’t able to perform in Chicago either.
Local music promoters from Telewizja-Detroit and Kozi Vodka had the small concert ballroom set just right. Co-producer Tomasz Czuprynski said, “This is a great location and with this response we will do it again here.”
Hamtramck sausage provider Srodek’s was popular with the band and their post concert smoked sausage and pierogi offerings were well received. On this tour, “Feel” had previously played in New Britain, Connecticut, Brooklyn, New York and Passaic, New Jersey.
FEEL- Piotr Kupicha– Lead Vocals and Guitar, Łukasz Kożuch– Keyboard, Michał Nowak– Bass, Michał Opaliński– Percussion, Paweł Pawłowski- Guitar
"Feel" the pop-rockers from Katowice, Poland did a two hour plus performance at the PNA Concert Hall in Hamtramck and lead singer Piotr Kupicha wowed at the standing-room-only event. The concert was promoted by Telewizja-Detroit. Photo courtesy of the ROLCO SPORTS NETWORK
The Battle of Warsaw 1920, a new film by Jerzy Hoffman released this week. The movie tells the story of Polish – Bolshevik War of 1920 and the Battle of Warsaw, the pivotal moment in the war which stopped the spread of communism in Central and Western Europe.
The first world war is over; people are enjoying peace. But the Red Army is approaching and Lenin has ideas of world revolution. The Polish unite to resist and stop the Red Army outside Warsaw. In part this is a love story as well as a history lesson. We follow two newly married people caught up in the conflict. We sway back and forth from the front-lines, back to Warsaw, as the Red Army pushes east.
Wojtek The Bear That Went to War
Screening of Polish-British documentary about the bear who fought in World War Two: Wojtek The Bear That Went to War on Tuesday, November 15th, 6.30pm at Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, London W6 9RL
Wojtek The Bear That Went to War, directed by Will Hood and Adam Lavis, Narrated by Brian Blessed, and produced by Animal Monday and Braidmade Films, is the story of Wojtek the Soldier Bear – a magnificent 500lb military bear who fought in World War Two alongside a band of Polish soldiers, shared their beer and cigarettes – and eventually their fate. Told by those that knew him, his story will capture the imagination and provide a very different perspective of the Polish war story.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director and veterans who knew Wojtek
In his own lifetime, Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear adopted by Polish soldiers in the Second World War, was a celebrity among his comrades. Seven decades on, in Scotland, his legend is undergoing a renaissance thanks to the efforts both of the Polish community itself and of local artists and writers.
Acquired as an orphaned cub in Iran, the young Wojtek was soon well-travelled: with the Artillery Supply Command of the Polish Second Corps he saw fighting in the deserts of north Africa, where the Second Corps joined the British fight against Rommel’s forces, and in Italy…
The Polish Americans on PBS
The Polish Americans applauds the spirit, determination and solidarity of an immigrant success story like no other. Using vintage film footage, family photos, personal recollections and experiences, this documentary special embodies Polish pride in a televised “family album” of the Polish-American experience.
The Polish Americans takes viewers to the bastions of Polonia across the United States, from New York City and Schenectady to Cleveland and Chicago, where parents instill in their children the virtues and values of their native land and a love of its traditions, like the pierogi so many mothers filled and pinched just right.
While strongly American and part of the larger culture, Polish Americans maintained a desire to keep their heritage alive — with rewarding results. The Polish Americans celebrates these proud achievements.
The Officer’s Wife
The Officer’s Wife was screened in Chicago on Friday, October 7th at the Copernicus Center. The screening was sponsored by the Polish American Congress.
Piotr Uzarowicz’s grandfather was one of the nearly 22,000 Polish prisoners of war executed in the Katyn massacre of 1940. Piotr recently completed “The Officer’s Wife,” a documentary about Katyn and the far-reaching effects the massacre – and its cover-up – had on the Uzarowicz family. The film is an ode not just to Piotr’s grandfather: Piotr’s grandmother and father, deported to Siberia during the war, are also key players – as is Piotr himself, who journeys to Poland, Russia, England, Canada, Ukraine and the U.S. on his film-making and personal odyssey. “The Officer’s Wife” was first previewed in May at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.
Warsaw Jewish Film Festival
The Warsaw Jewish Film Festival will take place in Warsaw, Poland from November 8-13. Screenings will be at the Kinoteka and Świt Theaters. This year’s Honorary David Camera is dedicated to Polish film and TV director and screenwriter Mrs. Agnieszka Holland.
Among the films competing, David, about the unlikely friendship between a Jewish and Muslim boy in Brooklyn, directed by Joel Fendelman.
Into the Wind is Steven Hatton’s first feature length documentary, capturing the life and wartime experiences of former Bomber Command veterans from the Second World War. As well as a document of unique historical value and significance, Into the Wind is a record of deeply personal stories, tales of friendships gained and lost, the perpetual possibility and proximity of death, the importance of love and family, the shared passion for flying and the moral implications of warfare.
The documentary features interviews with former aircrew originating from Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom, all of whom share the weight and responsibility of having helped change the course of history.
One might say that living a bilingual life offers enriched experience, but I say it also brings confusion and struggle during the first years of learning, especially when the second language enters someone’s life in the second or third decade. I am not sure if there is a moment when two different languages can merge and become “one” or if they always exist as separate platforms of experience and expression.
Translating my novel, Zabić Innego, originally written in Polish, into To Kill the Other, taught me the value of time and persistent repetition, something that’s hard to admit and even harder to accept in today’s fast-paced world.
For those of us who are born into single-language families — meaning the mother and the father speak the same language — the world becomes entrenched in the sound of the language in a singular if not monotonous way. In this case language becomes unequivocal with objects, actions, feelings, and emotions. I can’t decide if the context of life imposes itself on language or if the language underlines the context. Perhaps the two options are intertwined and impossible to separate.
…
The interesting question revolves around the second language. What happens when we learn another language, the so-called “second language,” later in our lives?
My experience tells me that the second language becomes an exotic realm of existence: appealing, promising, and — against all hope — unattainable…
Florence Waszkelewicz Clowes of the Polish American Journal has invited authors to contact her if they have interest in a review by the Journal.
oriana-poetry reflects on the poetry, theology, and alcoholism of Czesław Miłosz in Milosz At The Gates Of Heaven. A excellent reflection contracting the faith of Agape with the faith of predestination and damnation.
Sober Reader, you yawn: yet another famous poet turns out to have been an alcoholic. “Heaven is the third vodka” – should we even bother discussing what for non-alcoholics is sheer nonsense? And is it really true that great writers need a “charismatic flaw,” as the literary critic Leslie Fiedler claimed, that flaw generally being dependence on alcohol?
Milosz writes: “My real drinking began in earnest in occupied Warsaw with my future wife Janka and Jerzy Andrzejewski (author of Ashes and Diamond) . . . I drank a lot, but always took care to separate time for work from time for letting go . . . Alas, too many generations of my ancestors drank for me to have been free from the urge for the bottle.” (Milosz’s ABC, p. 18)
…I am interested in the acutely bitter tone of this unique poem. Is this Job speaking, subtly accusing the Old One (as Einstein liked to refer to God)? Let’s not forget that Milosz is a metaphysical poet, and can provide us with a certain metaphysical shiver when we consider the kind of cruel deterministic theology that is still very powerful, while progressive Christian theologies remain anemic.
“An Alcoholic Enters the Gates of Heaven” is especially interesting in the light of the recent prediction by a fundamentalist preacher, Harold Camping (a happy camper, since he regards himself as one of those predestined to taste paradise) that the Last Judgment would take place Saturday May 21st at 6 PM (Eastern Standard Time, I think). I have also just read an interesting summary of crucifixion-centered theologies versus progressive theologies. The preacher who was predicting the end of the world belongs to the first tradition, of Christ seen both as a sacrificial victim, a “sin sacrifice,” and – this seems an egregiously un-Christian concept – as the ultimate judge who will accept the chosen few and hurl billions of souls into eternal torment.
Progressive theologies, on the other hand, are fascinated by early Christianity that emphasized agape (loving kindness; a community of affection) and paradise rather than hell. The basic tenet of progressive theologies is that the Second Coming is the birth of Christ Consciousness within us and among us, in the global community. We are here to build the kingdom of God on earth. God intends all souls to be saved. Paradise is here and now.
Alas, progressive theologians do not seem to have the PR resources commanded by the “blood of the Lamb/Armageddon” theologies. The only time there seemed to be true hope for progressive theologies was when Rabbi Kushner’s famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, became a best-seller. Kushner posited a deity with limited powers, one who neither causes nor prevents cancer, heart attacks, tsunamis, and other disasters. God does not decide which child will get leukemia, or who will grow up to be an alcoholic. Some evil is the work of natural laws (these days, an earthquake is rarely called an “act of God”); other kinds of evil are the work of man. Afterwards, everything depends on our response: do we curse and despair and can’t move on, or do we summon the strength to transcend the tragedy? Faith is one of the resources that can increase people’s strength to endure and recover. (Twelve-step programs also come to mind.)…
John Guzlowski reads Beets, about his mother’s experience in the Nazi slave labor camps in Germany during WWII. The poem is taken from his book Lightning and Ashes.
…and from yours truly, a friend I assisted in assembling Poetry and Sundry, a book of poems on a myriad of subjects, particularly interpersonal relationships, sex, passion, regret, faith, commitment, love, places, and Polish related subjects:
Constructed sequence events.
Latin: narrare, “to recount.”
Latin: gnarus, “knowing.”
Recounting what we know.
But for us, history unwritten.
No available narrative.
Certainly members of narratives,
Other definitions,
Background stories.
Ours unwritten.
So we have begun, to inscribe.
And the poem Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen.
Kohanim.
You know God – serving Him as priest.
Touching all the essentials
in poetry and song —
love, longing, war, eroticism, spirituality.
Things at our core
that transcend.
Things that quake us.
Check out this YouTube page for a whole bunch of CONVO 2010 videos, including this most excellent, Be a Priest in the PNCC video. The video was shot at the closing beach party and bonfire.
