Published in 1826, Adam Mickiewicz’s Crimean Sonnets introduced the genre to Polish readers, creating an instant sensation. And their inspiration reached beyond literature. Thirty-nine years after the publication of the groundbreaking collection, Stanisław Moniuszko adapted excerpts for a cantata which captivated Polish music lovers. It may seem surprising, then, that the masterpiece combining works by two leading Polish artists gradually fell into oblivion.
The 200th anniversary of Moniuszko’s birth is the perfect opportunity to rediscover the composer’s adaptation of Crimean Sonnets. On 30 August, the piece is performed by the Polish Radio Choir and {oh!} Orkiestra Historyczna at the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre. The concert is all the more special since the musicians perform on period instruments, while the choir is supported by the acclaimed tenor Aleksander Kunach. The Danish conductor Morten Schuldt-Jensen steps up to the pulpit to conduct the performance. Let’s discover how this select group of artists breathes new life into the 19th-century composition.
Performers:
Aleksander Kunach – tenor
Polish Radio Choir
Maria Piotrowska-Bogalecka – artistic director
{oh!} Orkiestra Historyczna
Morten Schuldt-Jensen – conductor
Organizers:
Sonoris Foundation for Art Development
Nowa Huta Cultural Centre
Project co-financed by the Municipality of Krakow
