“And This Is What Poland Is”

“And this is what Poland is,” says the Poet in his vision of liberation of his homeland in Stanisław Wyspiański’s The Wedding. The phrase is the title and leading motif of the concert forming a part of Kraków’s celebrations of the centenary of Poland’s independence and the ongoing major exhibition at the National Museum in Krakow dedicated to the great artist. The special concert, held on 20 December at the Gallery of the 19th-century Polish Art in Sukiennice, features the Sinfonietta Cracovia orchestra under the baton of Stanisław Krawczyński and the Octava Ensemble vocal octet. We will hear works including Fryderyk Chopin’s Scherzo in B minor interpreted by Mirosław Herbowski, J.S. Bach’s Concerto in D minor for two violins performed by Wiktor Modrzejewski and Piotr Marciak, and Polish a cappella songs. The concert closes with traditional Christmas carols, ushering in the festive season. The event is a joint initiative of the Janusz Korczak Association, the Janusz Korczak Youth Cultural Centre and the Academy of Music in Kraków, and it is the latest instalment of the educational cycle Dal concerto al concerto.