WHERE TO GO - 02.2009

Let us begin our invitations to cultural events in February with the National Philharmonic, where from the 14th to the 26th, the 13th Annual Lutosławski Forum will take place. Witold Lutosławski (1913-1995) is regarded as one of the greatest Polish composers of all time, after Frederic Chopin and Karol Szymanowski. The festival, which is dedicated to his music, is gaining a larger and larger group of fans, not only in Warsaw but also abroad. That is why there are many music lovers from abroad at the concerts at the National Philharmonic.
The Grand Theater, which is the leading opera stage in Poland, invites you to come on the 14th of February for the premiere of two one-act operas: an Old Polish cultural landscape by Stanisław Moniuszko, „Verbum nobile”, and Aleksander Tansman’s „Przysięga”, a libretto based on a text by Honore de Balzac. The second performance of these two operas will take place on the 24th of February. In addition, the repertoire of the Grand Theater includes „La Traviata” (the 17th of February), „Rigoletto” (on the 20th and 22nd), „Swan Lake” (the 25th and 28th), and „Lucia Di Lammermoor” (on the 27th).
Warszawska Opera Kameralna (WOK – the Warsaw Chamber Opera) is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of F. J. Hayden with the wonderful oratory „Creation”, which will be performed at the Grand Hall of the Royal Castle. In the same hall, on the 21st of February, the musicians of WOK will perform Hayden’s Symphony in F-major and the Symphony in G-major.
The Roma Music Theater invites you to the ever-popular musical „Phantom of the Opera”, inasmuch as an invitation is necessary at all. It is the greatest pleasure a musical stage can give its audience.
In turn, the Syrena Theater is showing the famous „Three Penny Opera” (on the 27th and the 28th), with music by Kurt Weil and a libretto by Bertold Brecht.
At the National Museum, there is going to be a great attraction: on the 27th of February, an exhibition will be opened which will last for two months: „French Art of the 18th Century”. The expositions will be comprised of Polish, Russians, and, of course, French collections. We will see, among others, works by Boucher, Chardin, David, Fragonard, Greuze, and Watteau.
At the Royal Castle, there is a popular exhibition „Twenty years – in the face of modernity”, which shows the accomplishments of Polish fine arts between 1918 and 1939.
At the Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej (CSW – the Center for Contemporary Arts), there is an interesting exhibition with a provocative title, „Niech sczezną mężczyŸni” (May Men Rot), which is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the artistic formation called £ódŸ Kaliska. This exhibit is inspired by contemporary culture, in particular, the aspects of gender and feminism. Women are depicted naked – just as in classic symbolic/romantic paintings.
For a lighter musical repertoire, it is worth recommending the performance by Ayo, the creator of soul-folk hits such as „Down on My Knees” or „Lonely”. The artist will perform on the 17th of February at the Congress Hall in the Palace of Culture and Science, and during two other concerts outside of Warsaw, in Zabrze and Poznań. It will be to promote her new album called „Gravity at Last”.
On the 19th of February, also at the Congress Hall, there will be a performance by James Blunt, regarded as one of the biggest British music stars, with the hit song „You’re Beautiful”.
At the Stodoła Club, on the 21st of February, the most popular Finnish rock band in the world, The Rasmus, will give a concert. These musicians performed at Warsaw’s Stodoła four years ago, but now they will be playing a completely new repertoire.
In the month of February, we also recommend seeing Marillion, who has made 15 albums and has a huge following of fans around the world (on the 10th, at Stodoła). Additionally, on the 13th of February, an exhibition will be opened at Galeria Zachęta which is devoted to the great revivalist of theater, Jerzy Grotowski, on the 10th anniversary of his death.