Musical Polyphony
In days gone by, the pagan rituals of Kupała Night were bound by no rules or inhibitions. Today, this elemental evening of magic rites and love becomes a dazzling celebration of music!
We’ll be taken over by a musical frenzy during the Wianki – Fête de la Musique (23 June), based on the formula of the French music festival and bringing music to all corners of the city.
The Main Market Square resounds with a heady mix of jazz, hip-hop and R&B. The Hard Rock Café Kraków Stage welcomes the Bitamina trio, winners of the GaMa Audience Award, while Wojtek Mazolewski – co-founder of the yass scene and leader of Pink Freud – presents his latest project. The Main Market Square also welcomes O.S.T.R.: musician, one-man orchestra, producer, instrumentalist, rapper, author of twenty albums, four-time winner of the Fryderyk Prize, winner of the Empik Bestseller 2016 prize and the Onet O!Lśnienia 2016 cultural prize in the popular music category. Paulina Przybysz presents her latest solo album Chodź tu.
The Debut Stage stands on the nearby Szczepański Square. The event’s partner Radio Kraków presents finalists of this year’s Megafon Competition. We will also see Rosalie., the Berlin-based vocalist and songwriter, nominated for the Fryderyk Prize in 2018, whose work is inspired by American R&B and hip-hop sounds from the 1980s and 1990s and a great love to new electronica.
The Kraków Stage in front of the Powiśle 11 pavilion brings the unforgettable sounds of the Motion Trio, intertwining minimalism, jazz, rock and folk. We will also hear a captivating blend of klezmer, jazz and ethno sounds from the Max Klezmer Band. One of the most extraordinary Polish artists working today, Brodka, appears at the foot of Wawel Hill presenting special arrangements of her greatest hits Varsovie, Ten and Horses unplugged. The stage also welcomes the local band Hańba!, awarded this year’s “Paszport Polityki” for their album Będą bić!
The Jazz Stage comes to the Wolnica Square, hosting musicians including the veteran Marek Napiórkowski – composer, one of Poland’s most active jazz guitarists, co-leader of the Funky Groove ensemble and collaborator with some of the most important jazz musicians working in Poland. We will also see the Warsaw group Niechęć; impossible to pigeonhole, the musicians skilfully blend jazz improvisations with prog rock. Expect to be dazzled!
Kraków is home to myriad clubs, so Wianki wouldn’t be Wianki without the Club Night. The funk ensemble P.Unity comes to Forum Przestrzenie, while fans of electronica flock to Szpitalna 1 where the lineup includes Via App, Chino, Olivia, Catch_22, Dj Szy, Virtual Geisha and Discomule. In the “ethno” zone at Strefa we will see Kapela Maliszów, the a cappella vocal group Swada and the Dola song-and-no-dance ensemble, while Prozak 2.0 welcomes Neen, LayDj, ZuzaOk, Meg & Senthia, Kuba Sojka, Clockwork and Kontrol. Head to Pasaż on the Main Market Square to hear Phil Jensky, Not So Pro, Areg V, Blezz, Peetee S and SQB! You’ll be able to dance the night away at Serce in Kazimierz to the rhythms of DJ Octopus, Anatomy Of Mashup, Chateau Shatter, Spajder Jeruzalem, DJ Kubok, Kola, Wojtek Polok and gks_championfamily.
Late in the evening, fans of all music genres gather at the Czerwieński Boulevard by the Vistula to admire the pyrotechnics display.
There’s plenty for everyone, and all events held as part of the Wianki – Fête de la Musique are free! Let’s party!
(Barbara Zając, "Karnet" magazine)
