Current issue:
ABOUT CULTURE - 07.2009
Britney Spears – you must see!
For the first time, Britney Spears will be giving a concert in Poland, on the 24th of July at the Racetrack in Służew. The American star is visiting Warsaw as part of her European tour, which includes concerts in London, Paris, Dublin, Copenhagen, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Berlin, among others. The singer will also promote her newest album, „Circus”, which critics call „a dazzling mix of music, dance, magic and theater”. Well, that we must see!
New acquisitions of the National Museum
The National Museum in Warsaw has been endowed with 34 paintings and drawings by outstanding Polish and foreign artists. The collection was given by the National Bank of Poland. In 1991, the collection was acquired by two people who later turned out to be criminals that obtained loans of 420 million zloty (more than 140 million dollars) on false securities. In the end, the National Bank of Poland took possession of the collection. The names of the artists whose works are part of the collection speak for its greatness: Picasso, Renoir, Axentowicz, Chełmoński, Malczewski, Kossak, and many other excellent painters.
Suzanne Vega again in Warsaw
Suzanne Vega, an excellent folk and folk-rock singer, is coming to Warsaw once again. The American will sing on the 28th of July at Sala Kongresowa (Congress Hall). It will be her sixth visit to our city. She has had world-famous hits like „Tom’s Diner” and „Luka”, and this time she is visiting Poland as part of her tour promoting her newest (seventh) studio album, „Beauty&Crime” in which the artist sings about life in her beloved New York City. She also returns to the tragic events of 11 September, 2001, when her brother died. For this album, Suzanne Vega received a prestigious Grammy award.
In honor of the Warsaw Uprising
On the 31st of July, on the eve of the ceremonies for the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a special concert will take place at Plac Krasińskich, where the monument to this dramatic event in Warsaw’s and Poland’s history stands. The program of the concert includes an oratory „Pamiętnik z Powstania Warszawskiego” (Diary of the Warsaw Uprising), which was created on the basis of works by the Polish poet, Miron Białoszewski (1922-1983). Leading Polish soloists will take part.
Dominos of freedom for Berlin
Warsaw artists are painting huge blocks that looks like fragments of the Berlin Wall, which was pulled down in November of 1989. At the same time, symbolically, that event marked the end of a divided Europe. There will be a thousand of these painted blocks, like dominos. Each block will be decorated with graffiti on the subject of regaining freedom. These blocks will stand along the former wall on the 9th of November, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. This symbolic fall will begin with Polish dominos falling, indicating that everything started in our country. On one of them (in the picture) there is a silhouette of John Paul II with the slogan „be not afraid”, which the Polish pope uttered during the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978.
Blechacz conquers France
Less than two months after a triumphant recital in Paris, Rafał Blechacz has once again inspired French spectators. The pianist gave a guest performance with the French National Orchestra with a program of works by French composers. In the Parisian Champs-Elysees Theater, Blechacz’s daring performance of Saint- Saens” „Second Concerto for piano and orchestra” ended with a flood of applause and two encores, for which the artist chose his favorite, Chopin. The audience, which included the director of „The Pianist”, Roman Polański, did not let the virtuoso leave the stage for a long time. One of the greatest talents in Polish pianism, 23-year-old Rafał Blechacz became familiar to a wider audience after winning the last International Chopin Competition. This success has opened the doors to performances in the greatest concert halls in the world. The pianist has been invited to perform in Tonhalle in Zurichu, at Tokyo Opera City, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Toyko, Royal Festival Hall in Londynie, and Carnegie Hall in New York. He is compared to Krystian Zimerman. Blechacz is the second Pole (after Zimerman), to sign an exclusive contract with the prestigious recording studio Deutsche Grammophon. His newest album, „Sonaty” consists of compositions by Beethoven, Hayden and Mozart.
A priceless discovery
While tidying up the gardens at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, a gardener found a carved marble slab under a pile of rubble. It turned out to be the cover of a Roman child’s coffin, which is 1800 years old. The cover had disappeared during the Second World War, and it is possible that the Germans, who plundered all of the most valuable treasures from Warsaw and Poland, had planned to take it away. The carvings on the cover portray a chariot race, which was a popular form of entertainment in ancient Rome. The cover will go to the National Musuem, where the sarcophagus that it came from is already located. After 70 years, this ancient sarcophagus, a unique artifact in the world, will once again be complete.
For the first time, Britney Spears will be giving a concert in Poland, on the 24th of July at the Racetrack in Służew. The American star is visiting Warsaw as part of her European tour, which includes concerts in London, Paris, Dublin, Copenhagen, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Berlin, among others. The singer will also promote her newest album, „Circus”, which critics call „a dazzling mix of music, dance, magic and theater”. Well, that we must see!
New acquisitions of the National Museum
The National Museum in Warsaw has been endowed with 34 paintings and drawings by outstanding Polish and foreign artists. The collection was given by the National Bank of Poland. In 1991, the collection was acquired by two people who later turned out to be criminals that obtained loans of 420 million zloty (more than 140 million dollars) on false securities. In the end, the National Bank of Poland took possession of the collection. The names of the artists whose works are part of the collection speak for its greatness: Picasso, Renoir, Axentowicz, Chełmoński, Malczewski, Kossak, and many other excellent painters.
Suzanne Vega again in Warsaw
Suzanne Vega, an excellent folk and folk-rock singer, is coming to Warsaw once again. The American will sing on the 28th of July at Sala Kongresowa (Congress Hall). It will be her sixth visit to our city. She has had world-famous hits like „Tom’s Diner” and „Luka”, and this time she is visiting Poland as part of her tour promoting her newest (seventh) studio album, „Beauty&Crime” in which the artist sings about life in her beloved New York City. She also returns to the tragic events of 11 September, 2001, when her brother died. For this album, Suzanne Vega received a prestigious Grammy award.
In honor of the Warsaw Uprising
On the 31st of July, on the eve of the ceremonies for the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a special concert will take place at Plac Krasińskich, where the monument to this dramatic event in Warsaw’s and Poland’s history stands. The program of the concert includes an oratory „Pamiętnik z Powstania Warszawskiego” (Diary of the Warsaw Uprising), which was created on the basis of works by the Polish poet, Miron Białoszewski (1922-1983). Leading Polish soloists will take part.
Dominos of freedom for Berlin
Warsaw artists are painting huge blocks that looks like fragments of the Berlin Wall, which was pulled down in November of 1989. At the same time, symbolically, that event marked the end of a divided Europe. There will be a thousand of these painted blocks, like dominos. Each block will be decorated with graffiti on the subject of regaining freedom. These blocks will stand along the former wall on the 9th of November, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. This symbolic fall will begin with Polish dominos falling, indicating that everything started in our country. On one of them (in the picture) there is a silhouette of John Paul II with the slogan „be not afraid”, which the Polish pope uttered during the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978.
Blechacz conquers France
Less than two months after a triumphant recital in Paris, Rafał Blechacz has once again inspired French spectators. The pianist gave a guest performance with the French National Orchestra with a program of works by French composers. In the Parisian Champs-Elysees Theater, Blechacz’s daring performance of Saint- Saens” „Second Concerto for piano and orchestra” ended with a flood of applause and two encores, for which the artist chose his favorite, Chopin. The audience, which included the director of „The Pianist”, Roman Polański, did not let the virtuoso leave the stage for a long time. One of the greatest talents in Polish pianism, 23-year-old Rafał Blechacz became familiar to a wider audience after winning the last International Chopin Competition. This success has opened the doors to performances in the greatest concert halls in the world. The pianist has been invited to perform in Tonhalle in Zurichu, at Tokyo Opera City, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Toyko, Royal Festival Hall in Londynie, and Carnegie Hall in New York. He is compared to Krystian Zimerman. Blechacz is the second Pole (after Zimerman), to sign an exclusive contract with the prestigious recording studio Deutsche Grammophon. His newest album, „Sonaty” consists of compositions by Beethoven, Hayden and Mozart.
A priceless discovery
While tidying up the gardens at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, a gardener found a carved marble slab under a pile of rubble. It turned out to be the cover of a Roman child’s coffin, which is 1800 years old. The cover had disappeared during the Second World War, and it is possible that the Germans, who plundered all of the most valuable treasures from Warsaw and Poland, had planned to take it away. The carvings on the cover portray a chariot race, which was a popular form of entertainment in ancient Rome. The cover will go to the National Musuem, where the sarcophagus that it came from is already located. After 70 years, this ancient sarcophagus, a unique artifact in the world, will once again be complete.
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Information published at 30 June 2009