Colours of Poland in Rawa Mazowiecka: Sinfonietta Cracovia

Artists:

• Szymon Komasa – vocals
• Łucja Pych – violin
• Radosław Labahua – conductor
• Sinfonietta Cracovia

Program:

• Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22 [25']
  • Allegro moderato
  • Romance. Andante ma non troppo
  • Allegro con fuoco - Allegro moderato (à la Zingara)
• Tadeusz Baird – Four love sonnets to the words of William Shakespeare [12']
  • Sonnet 23
  • Sonnet 91
  • Sonnet 56
  • Sonnet 97
• Henryk Czyż – Canzona di barocco [6']
• Wojciech Kilar – Orawa [10']

Compere: Marcin Majchrowski (The Polish Radio)

Sinfonietta Cracovia has been a renowned ensemble for over 35 years primarily for its performances of Polish music and pieces from the 20th and 21st century. However, their concert in Rawa Mazowiecka will begin with virtuosity taken straight from the 19th century – Violin Concerto No. 2 of Henryk Wieniawski, where the standouts are the lyrical second part and the bodacious finale full of references to Gypsy music. The demanding solo part will be tackled by the fourteen-year old Łucja Pych, for whom the performance with the Cracow orchestra will be the prize for winning the Grand Prix at the Eighth Groblicz Family National Violin Competition. In “Four Love Sonnets” Tadeusz Baird utilized the immortal creations of William Shakespeare in the modern translation of Maciej Słomczyński. The archaic songs of Baird that reference the music of English renaissance lead the listener from the jocular weather through contemplative nostalgia, ending with inconsolable grief. This diverse array of moods will be invoked by Szymon Komasa, a baritone who won multiple awards at international competitions and the graduate of music universities in Łódź and London. Early music will also be referenced by the very short yet extremely expressive “Canzona di barocco” of Henryk Czyż, the legendary art director of the Łódź Philharmonic (1957-60, 1972-80), who was also a talented composer. The concert will end with the vigorous “Orawa” of Wojciech Kilar, where this composer, who today is associated mainly with film music, transforms the folklore of the titular mountainous region in the spirit of American minimalism. 

top photo: Sinfonietta Cracovia, phot. Karpati&Zarewicz

Listen to the concert playlist:

The post-Jesuit complex in Rawa Mazowiecka is a place with rich history. When William Shakespeare, the author of the sonnets which were the basis for the compositions of Tadeusz Baird, died in 1616, the first wooden chapel in Rawa Mazowiecka had just been finished and was intended for being used by monks that had reached Rawa four years earlier. When the baroque period was in full flourish, as referenced in the piece composed by Henryk Czyż, the local college was famous far beyond the Rawa region. Many of its graduates, such as the diarist Jan Chryzostom Pasek, constituted part of the elites of the Republic of Poland. In the mid-80s of the 20th century, when “Orawa” was being created, the sanctuary was being completely renovated under the leadership of the diocese priests. We can appreciate its full beauty even today. It is worth it to visit here for longer – to see the historic interior, visit the local museum, see the view from the bell tower or take a picturesque stroll through the picturesque Garden of Peace.

The concert is organized under the honorary patronage of the mayor of Rawa Mazowiecka, Piotr Irli.