Great Polish Culture

POLAND'S MUSICAL TREASURE - LECH MAKOWIECKI

2013-01-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

Polały się łzy - Zayazd - Lech Makowiecki (00:02:45m)

For those of you who haven't yet discovered Polish music, you are in for an amazing experience! Lech Makowiecki is among Poland's great musical treasures, whose songs have entertained and inspired throngs of fans throughout Europe for years. Despite the Iron Curtain and brutal Soviet repression, the "new freedom-fighters" of Poland became the poets, writers and the musicians, struggling to get their message out to the world. With the fall of Communism, and liberation of eastern Europe, Polish music and culture is experiencing a new renaissance.

Lech's music comes from his very soul. Just think of a Polish Eric Clapton or Gordon Lightfoot, and you know what I mean! Lech Makowiecki is lead singer of a popular band called Zayazd, which translated in Polish literally means the "Inn". Zayazd (pronounced Zay-az-d) is a dynamic group of talented musicians whose compositions are a fusion of country-folk-rock-pop-gospel, and whose signature style leans towards ballads about Poland's tragic past. Ostatni List (The Last Letter) is one such unforgettable song - a sad tale of the last letter written by a Polish Officer before he, among 16,000 other Polish officers were systematically massacred in the Katyn forest by the Soviet NKVD during WW2.

It's about time that Americans sit up and take notice of Polish music. American culture has been far too isolationist since - since always! In hindsight, many foreign language songs have made a powerful impact on the US music charts but their rise to fame have been few and far between. Hits such as Volare, La Bamba, Dominique, 99 Luftballons, Eres tu, among many others. Whether the song was in French, Italian, German, or Spanish these songs have captivated audiences the world over. It's good to know that language is not a barrier any longer. It's Poland's turn now!!

Time to shake up that American lethargy! Look eastward America because the music from Poland really rocks! Yes, the words are Polish, but the twangs of soulful music will tell your heart what it's all about.

http://www.zayazd.pl/

Suggested Link:
Review of Zayazd (from Polish Greatness.com)

Polish Lyrics of Polały się łzy

Polały się łzy me czyste, rzęsiste,
Na me dzieciństwo sielskie, anielskie,
Na moją młodość górną i durną,
Na mój wiek męski, wiek klęski;
Polały się łzy me czyste, rzęsiste.

sł. Adam Mickiewicz
muz. Lech Makowiecki

z płyty: "Zayazd u Mistrza Adama"

English Translation (approximately)

My tears are pure, flowing
In my childhood idyllic, angelic,
In my youth at the top and carefree,
At my age, male, age oppresses,
My tears are pure, flowing

Music by Lech Makowiecki
From the album: "Zayazd with Master Adam"

GREAT OLYMPIC ATHLETES LONDON 2012

2012-08-11T16:30:00.000-04:00

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS Faster, Higher Stronger. This is the motto of the modern Olympic games. It symbolizes the spirit of competition and the celebration of greatness among those who win the much coveted Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Who has not watched in awe as Olympic athletes broke one world record after another. American swimmer Michael Phelps has been hailed as the greatest Olympian of all time with a record 22 Olympic Medals at the London Games. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world setting a new world record for 100 metre sprint at 9.63 seconds! It seemed that every race was merely a walk in the park for Bolt - a name befitting an athlete of his caliber. So many other Olympic athletes warrant our admiration and praise as their accomplishments are nothing less than superhuman. One thing is for sure, no matter your nationality, the memories of watching the London Olympic Games will last for a long time.

But what is true greatness? One look at the Olympic medal standings and there is no doubt that the United States, China, Russia, Great Britain and Germany are among the greatest international Olympians, holding the lion's share of medals. But if medals were the only criteria to greatness it would drastically undermine the value and ability of all the other Olympians large and small. When it is only a matter of split seconds to victory, all participants are winners, I believe. Just being able to participate in the Olympic Games is a sign of greatness.

Among Olympic virtues is also an intangible quality that cannot be measured but is certainly noticed by even the casual observer - a nobility, courage, and indelible humanity of an Olympian that supercedes their physical prowess. Most notable is Zofia Noceti-Klepacka, from Poland who recently won the Bronze medal in Olympic windsurfing. Even before the start of the London Summer Olympic Games, Zofia vowed that if she were to win a medal she would auction it off. Her motives were purely altruistic, intending to give the proceeds to a neighour whose child is stricken with cystic fibrosis.

Doubtless there are and have been many other Olympic athletes whose sacrifices have been as selfless and generous. I for one would like to make them a symbol for all the world to emulate. Its not the content of the medal but of the heart that truly matters. Isn't that the most admirable quality of an Olympian, or any athlete for that matter?

May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.

Pierre de Coubertin

Eurovision 2011 Poland: Magdalena Tul "Jestem"

2011-05-09T00:35:00.001-04:00

Interesting Facts about Eurovision Song Contest

In the year 2000 Eurovision made a revolutionary change in the way they broadcast the song competitions. For the very first time Eurovision was broadcast over the internet! This meant that the contest could be watched and enjoyed by countries whose national networks were not covering the event! And to answer your question, yes - all you Canadians and Americans can also watch the Eurovision semi-finals and final online right here! Mark it on your calendar - May 10, 12, and 14. The events will be very, very exciting! Don't miss it!

Politics and celebrity have always been intertwined: in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, Ase Kleveland, a Swedish-Norwegian singer/guitarist, who studied law, spoke five languages fluently (including Japanese), eventually became a politician. Likewise for Inger Lise-Skarstein,who started as a Eurovision presenter, and went on to win a seat in the Norwegian Parliament! Who knows, maybe one day, the winner of Eurovision will become president of their country!

The 1991 Eurovision Song Contest had two presenters: one was the Italian singer Gigliola Cinquetti famous for her 1964 smash hit single "Non Ho L'Eta" - the other presenter was Toto Cutugno, an Italian megastar, famous for his amazing song, "Sono Italiano" Toto came in second to ABBA's "Waterloo" at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. In the 1973 Eurovision Toto won with his song "Insieme". Quickly now, check out these songs on You Tube before the copyright holders disconnect them!!

DON'T MISS THE EUROVISION SEMI-FINALS

on MAY 10 and MAY 12, 2011

AND THE FINAL ON MAY 14, 2011!

WATCH IT LIVE ON-LINE RIGHT HERE!

Click here for news about the artist

List of Fan Sites of Eurovision Song Contest

Data and Statistics about Eurovision Song Contest

Every day until May 8 I will be posting a music video of each one of the semi-finalists of the Eurovision Song Contest. On May 9, I will post the last three (my top favorites). Enjoy the videos!

Celebrating the Genius of Chopin

2010-10-22T01:26:00.020-04:00

"Here is a young man who, taking nothing as a model, has found, if not a complete renewal of piano music, then in any case part of what has long been sought in vain, namely, an extravagance of original ideas that are unexampled anywhere.”

This is an excerpt from the Parisian Revue Musicale in 1831, expounding on the exceptional talent of Chopin, then 16. Born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, in Żelazowa Wola, a village in the Duchy of Warsaw his love for music began at the age of six. He tried to reproduce the sounds he heard from listening to his mother play the piano as well as create new melodies of his own. His first piano lesson, oddly enough, did not come from his mother, but from his older sister Ludwika. At the age of seven, “little Chopin” was already giving public concerts, and was often compared to Mozart. In that same year he composed two Polonaises in G minor and B flat major, works which rivalled the Polonaises of leading Warsaw composers. At eleven years of age, Chopin performed in the presence of Alexander I, Tsar of Russia.

Visit Polish Greatness to read more about Chopin and listen to several audio tracks online of some of his greatest works. The music directory gives a selection of some of the best known Polish composers past and present.

In addition I have found several websites that would be of great interest to devotees of Chopin.

Chopin Foundation of the United States
It is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the support of young talented American musicians in their career development and to making classical music accessible to general public.

Chopin Early Editions The University of Chicago Library
Digital Activities and Collections (online catalogue of the complete works of Chopin with complete scans of scores.)

Not to be missed is the jewel of a website called Info Chopin International Chopin Information Centre, which contains a list of all the places Chopin visited, and lived. The next time you visit Paris, think of visiting places such as 38, rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, the building where Chopin rented a two-bedroom apartment from September 1836 to September 1839. He performed many musical evenings there. Pass by 16 rue Pigalle in Paris. This is where Chopin rented summer residences from George Sand and gave piano lessons and received scores of visiting celebrities of the time. There are lists of memorial places, Chopin venues, libraries with Chopin collections, places named after Chopin and more.

And last but not least is the website called Chopin. It contains everything one would hope for and more. Articles such as the Origins of Chopin's output and Evolution of Style are sure to be of interest to Chopin aficionados as well links to Chopin exhibitions, events and organizations around the world, and so much more.

Ostatni List - The Last Letter

2010-10-16T20:35:00.003-04:00

I have been watching some videos on my special feature Polish Culture of the music of Poland and find myself always drawn to the same song. There is one Polish music video that stands out far above the others - a ballad by Lech Makowiecki, lead guitarist of the folk-rock band Zayazd. The song entitled, Ostatni List (translated as The Last Letter) tells of the last letter written by a Polish Officer to his family during World War II - before he and 20,000 other Polish Officers were arrested and executed by the Soviet NKVD in Smolensk, Russia. Segments of this video are taken from the Polish film "Katyn" directed by famous Polish Director Andrzej Wajda. The film premiered on September 17, 2007 on the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 80th Academy Awards.

This ballad is tragic and heart wrenching. Like many Polish songs it reveals the unhealed scars that the Polish nation still bears so many years after the war - their country and people virtually destroyed by the Soviet and German invaders. For decades the Soviet regime denied responsibility for the Katyn Massacre insisting that the Germans were the perpetrators. For decades the West believed this lie, and only recently has the Soviet government admitted that the massacre was ordered by Stalin.

Whatever efforts the Soviets have made at rapprochement with Poland now seem to be suspended since the catastrophic airplane crash in April 2010 which carried Polish President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of key Polish government officials. They all perished when the plane crashed coming in for a landing at Smolensk, Russia. They were to attend the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

President Lech Kaczynski

Though official reports indicate that the crash was accidental, it has not dispersed the general eerie feeling among many Poles that it might be another Soviet conspiracy in a long line of tragedies inflicted on Poland by Soviet Russia.

It should not seem strange that I mention politics in a blog about Polish Culture, since the two are closely intertwined. The political history of Poland is as much a part of the Polish soul as is the music of Frederic Chopin and Maria Szymanowska. In fact there was even a Polish Commander, Michał Kazimierz Ogiński in the 18th century, who was also a famous classical composer.

Modern Polish music is strongly influenced by the tragic events of World War II and the post war oppression suffered by Poles under the Communist regime. The "memory" still lives among the young generation of today, and so it should. What I found most intriguing are the biographies of some of the Polish rock bands of the 80s and the harassment and censorship they experienced from Communist officials who disapproved of their music.

There is a great depth to Polish music. Even from behind the Iron Curtain, musicians payed close attention to what was happening in the West, and their music is a reflection of these changes. Polish music is not just classical music, or protest songs, or even the polka.

Polish music has embraced every genre: cool and hot jazz, country, pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, rap, punk, ska. But the exciting part is that they have made it entirely their own. It's not just jazz, it's Polish Jazz. It's not just rock, it's Polish Rock. Do you see where I'm going with this? Polish music is a fusion of different styles, whose combination is unique and very exciting. Poland has always resisted the imposition of restrictions...and so Polish music cannot easily be defined. Pick any genre, and you will find much more to it! I am not a music expert. I just know what I like and I think Polish music Rocks!!

Opening of Polish Culture on-line

2010-10-15T22:27:00.003-04:00

After a brief absence from blogging, I am so pleased to announce that the special feature,
Music of Poland is now available for viewing online! I have wanted to undertake this project for quite some time and only recently had the impetus for doing so! To make a long story short, I was inspired by the work of one particular Polish musician and it naturally led to an all-out flurry of research and reading about every facet of Polish music! I was enthralled, captivated, and thoroughly delighted to "discover" what Europeans have known for...centuries! Polish musicians and singers are among the most talented, most original artists the world has ever seen! From classical to contemporary, past and present, Polish artists have set a high standard for musical excellence. It is a privilege for me to present this feature to you.

In order to avoid any confusion I should mention that this feature of POLISH CULTURE has recently been added to an existing website called Polish Greatness.com. While the original website is a tribute to the Polish Armed Forces of World War II, the feature, Polish Culture is a new, and integral part of this website. Moreover, since there are two divisions to this website, I have seen fit to create two separate blogs to address vastly different subject matter.

The first special as mentioned will be Polish Music, but eventually I will also update my website with information about Polish Art, Polish Film, and more!

The Music of Poland online provides a vast selection of videos, as well as biographies of the artists, and links to popular radio stations in Poland! I invite you to visit and leave your comments. I am very interested to know what other North Americans think about Polish Music!

Log onto: http://polishgreatness.com/polishculture/polishcultureentrance.html

Enjoy the music!

Welcome to Great Polish Culture

2010-09-26T17:34:00.005-04:00

What comes to mind when we think of Polish Culture? Is it Chopin, Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda? That, and so much more! In its thousand year history, Poland has given birth to a nation of great artists, scientists, and innovators. It was and still is one of Europe's elite cultural centers that continue to fascinate and charm the world. This blog will be a portal to discovering Great Polish Culture in all its diversity. Polish music, art, and film, are just a few of the genres that I will be showcasing.

On October 15, 2010, I will be hosting a special presentation of Polish Music-Past and Present. It will be a cornucopia of sights and sounds, and one which I am sure that you will enjoy! Videos and audio tracks will be presented online, accompanied by articles.

Please note: The complete version of this presentation will be available only on my website, but I will be providing links and snippets of information on this blog.

Log onto http://www.polishgreatness.com/polishculture/welcome.html and celebrate the splendors of Great Polish Culture!!