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Showing posts from July, 2013

9th CHOPIN AND HIS EUROPE FESTIVAL (Chopin i jego Europa) from Chopin to Lutosławski 15th August - 1st September 2013

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After the Duszniki Zdroj International Chopin Festival (see below) it is always straight into the  Chopin i jego Europa   (Chopin and His Europe) Festival in Warsaw. The programme this year looks to be as fascinating and imaginative as ever. Masterpieces of the romantic music interpreted on period instruments Music of the 19th century and the contemporary music Polish Music: Chopin, Nowakowski, Janiewicz, Moniuszko, Szymanowski, Penderecki, Górecki, Lutosławski… Great composers of the 20th century Legendary interpretations, interesting debuts Highlights this year include performances  by Barry Douglas (piano) – winner of the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow (1986) Russian National Orchestra  Krzysztof Penderecki (conductor)  and Mikhail Pletnev (conductor) Nikolai Demidenko (period piano) The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Sir Roger Norrington (conductor)  Nelson Freire (piano) The truly great artist Nikolai L

68th International Chopin Piano Festival Duszniki Zdrój, 2-10 August 2013

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     SALVE!   WELCOME!       The pianists are not without significant musical competition in the Spa Park! In English his sign reads: Time and Direction to the Organ Grinder Click on photos to enlarge Welcome once more to the International Chopin Festival at the lovely Polish town of Duszniki Zdr ó j, a charming spa in Silesia on the mountainous Czech-Polish border not far from Wrocław. A modicum of history first. Part of the way through his studies Joseph Elsner recommended that Chopin ‘take the waters’ or 'go into rehab' not far from where Elsner was born in the small Silesian spa of Bad Reinerz (now Duszniki Zdrój). Originally on the Prussian-Bohemian frontier, the village is now in the south-west of Poland on the border with the Czech Republic. Frycek’s studies and intense partying into the small hours during his third and final year at the Liceum had begun to affect his health. He was a bit of a 'party animal' was Frycek! In his youth not the melanc