Time 14:00
The Home for Veteran Artists of Polish Theatre Stages (DAW) in Skolimów, Kazimierza Pułaskiego 6
In the sun blooms the white lily,
trembling, slender, quiet…
– this is the beginning of the song “Lilly,” for which both the words and music were written by the exceptionally talented and musically versatile Irena Białkiewiczówna. The rich symbolism of the white flower encompasses notions of beauty and innocence, as well as love and death – themes ubiquitous in Polish lyric songs, but also reflecting the often tragic fates of 19th- and 20th-century composers.
The concert will feature concise yet profoundly meaningful pieces – full of passion and lament, as well as delight and hope – set to words by leading Polish poets. The program includes songs by Stanisław Moniuszko, a “humble village lyre player” who made a significant contribution to the development of the genre. He was truly able to appreciate the beauty of folk simplicity and the natural melody captured in poetic text. One of the followers of Moniuszko’s idea of enriching the Polish lyrical repertoire and making the society sing was Stanisław Niewiadomski, whose work was distinguished, as Irena Poniatowska puts it, by “combining the spirit of Polish poetry with a vocally beautiful arrangement, characterized by accessibility, folklore, and, at the same time, a touch of salon sentimentality.”
Listeners will also have the opportunity to admire the lyrical talent of Władysław Żeleński, in whose songs – according to Felicjan Szopski, the composer’s first monographer – “not only the singing is captivating, but also the piano part, which often transcends the boundaries of ordinary accompaniment.” There will also be deeply emotional songs by Ignacy Jan Paderewski: the sorrow-filled Gdy ostatnia róża zwiędła (“When the Last Rose Withered”) from Op. 7, and Tylem wytrwał (“Pain I have Endured”) and Gdybym się zmienił (“If I Changed”) from Op. 18 – a collection likely inspired by the extraordinary strength of his affection for his future wife, Helena Górska. The program also includes beautiful compositions by lesser-known composers – Franciszek Maklakiewicz, who tragically died defending his homeland, Witold Friemann, Aleksander Wielhorski, and Helena Dorabialska.
PROGRAM
Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872) – Sołtys (lyrics W. Wolski)
Stanisław Moniuszko – Krakowiaczek (lyrics E. Wasilewski)
Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876–1909) – Zasmuconej (lyrics K. Gliński)
Irena Białkiewiczówna (1891–1957) – Lilja (lyrics I. Białkiewiczówna)
Helena Dorabialska (1895–1944) – Bronka (lyrics J. Krąkowska)
Helena Dorabialska – Deszcz jesienny (lyrics L. Staff)
Stanisław Moniuszko – Dwie zorze (lyrics T. Lenartowicz)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) – Tylem wytrwał (lyrics A. Mickiewicz)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski – Gdybym się zmienił (lyrics A. Mickiewicz)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski – Gdy ostatnia róża zwiędła (lyrics A. Asnyk)
Stanisław Niewiadomski (1857–1936) – Otwórz Janku (lyrics B. Ostrowska)
Władysław Żeleński (1837–1921) – Pieśń Jaruhy (lyrics J.I. Kraszewski)
Władysław Żeleński – Poleciały pieśni moje (lyrics M. Konopnicka)
Stanisław Moniuszko – Kozak (lyrics J. Czeczot)
Stanisław Moniuszko – Stary kapral (lyrics P.-J. Béranger, transl. Wł. Syrokomla)
Aleksander Wielhorski (1889–1952) – Są takie chwile (lyrics K. Przerwa-Tetmajer)
Franciszek Maklakiewicz (1915–1939) – Kocham Cię (lyrics K. Przerwa-Tetmajer)
Witold Friemann (1889–1977) – Cudne oczy (lyrics K. Przerwa-Tetmajer)
Witold Friemann – Noc majowa (lyrics K. Przerwa-Tetmajer)
PERFORMERS
AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA SOPRANO
JUSTYNA STĘPIEŃ SOPRANO
JUSTYNA RECZENIEDI SOPRANO
LESZEK ŚWIDZIŃSKI TENOR
ROBERT SZPRĘGIEL BARITONE
PIOTR CHWEDOROWICZ BASS
DAGMARA DUDZIŃSKA GRAND PIANO
Duration: approx. 45 mins
Patron of Opera on Tour
