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Showing posts from May, 2022

Dimitry Ablogin at Żelazowa Wola, Poland, the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin, Sunday afternoon, 8th May 2022 at 3.00 pm

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The Dworek at Żelazowa Wola, the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin, 1st March 1810 Classical concerts in Poland today lie under the shadows of an unspeakably brutal war. In addition there is the poetry of attending a recital at Chopin's birthplace and absorbing the nostalgic anguish and yearning for aesthetic tranquility that lies at the heart of much of his music.  I had admired Dimitry Ablogin from when I heard him in impressive recitals  during  the  1st International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments. 2–14 September 2018.  Before I examine this recital a little, I would like to quote my first impressions in 1992 of that deeply eloquent domain of Żelazowa Wola, the birthplace, taken from my book concerning Poland entitled A Country in the Moon. *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * "In late winter, in a despondent frame of mind, I decided to raise my spirits with a visit to Chopin’s birthplace at Żelazowa Wola, a hamlet about fifty kilometres from Warsaw. The flat Mazovian lands

'Music for Peace' Project : Hiroshima, Warsaw and Chopin - A remembrance of things past certainly but surely now is a time to browse through this post once again and deeply reflect

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European Council President Charles Michel is in Japan where he's visiting the city of Hiroshima this morning (Friday May 13th) In 1945 that city suffered the first atomic bombing, and Michel used a visit to a memorial there to discuss the current state of global security. Please browse this relevant account sometime ….. the account of Chopin played on Akiko’s piano that survived the bomb (although this innocent young girl Akiko did not) is desperately moving. As I said before, a timely reminder ….. This appalling device was many times less powerful than those of today. The EU leaders and Japanese  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida  said in a joint statement released after the talks  "We remain committed to the ultimate goal of realizing a world without nuclear weapons, regardless of the current severe international situation." European Council President Charles Michel lays flowers at the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan,