A Genius at the Table
Stanisław Moniuszko was a great 19th-century composer, widely celebrated over the course of the last eleven months. The events of Moniuszko Year, commemorating the 200th anniversary of his birth, close this month with jazz interpretations of his works presented by Włodek Pawlik. The Grammy-awarded musician is joined by his regular collaborators Paweł Pańta on double bass and Adam Zagórski on drums for a live performance of their album Pawlik/Moniuszko – Polish Jazz.
The pianist has previously taken on classical music by performing works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Fryderyk Chopin. This time he presents interpretations of some of the finest music by the father of Polish opera: arias from The Haunted Manor and Halka and songs from the Home Songbook. But the leading composer of Polish Romanticism isn’t showered in romantic sentiment and the light arrangements intertwine folk influences with courtliness, perfectly captivating the composer’s spirit. Pawlik says that he wants to “use jazz to bring Moniuszko down to earth and sit him down with us at the table”. The musical feast comes to the Theatre Hall at ICE Kraków on 5 December. (Bartosz Suchecki, “Karnet”)
