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Polish spa town celebrates composer Moniuszko

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 24.08.2017 17:06
The annual Stanisław Moniuszko International Festival opens on Thursday in the spa town of Kudowa-Zdrój, south-western Poland.
Photo: Dibjo/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative CommonsPhoto: Dibjo/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons

The festival focuses on various aspects of the output of Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872), the father of Polish national opera.

The programme of the event includes “Halka,” one of the composer’s most popular operas, produced by the Wrocław Opera company.

Other highlights include Moniuszko’s little-known operetta “The New Don Quixote or a Hundred Follies,” a festival co-production with the Music Academy in Wrocław; the cantata “Widma” (Phantoms), with words by the Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz; and a selection of Moniuszko’s songs as well as his two string quartets.

The artistic director of the festival, Stanisław Rybarczyk, has told a press conference that, contrary to popular opinion, a large part of Moniuszko’s legacy remains unknown, with many autograph manuscripts -- kept in music libraries in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine -- still waiting to be discovered.

The Moniuszko festival in Kudowa-Zdrój is one of the oldest music events in Poland. It was launched in 1962, the 90th anniversary of the composer’s death. This year it is being held for the 55th time. (mk/str)

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