NEW JERUSALEM 350 Concert commemorating the 350th anniversary of granting town privileges to Góra Kalwaria

27 September 2020, 5:00 p.m.
Culture Centre in Góra Kalwaria, Sports Hall

Performers:
Magdalena Lech – violin (Vivaldi)
Wojciech Niedziółka – violin (Wieniawski)
Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra
Marek Wroniszewski – conductor

Programme:
Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto No. 3 Autumn from the Four Seasons cycle
Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22
Wojciech Kilar – Orawa
Richard Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries (introduction to Act III of the musical drama Valkyrie)
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

With this exceptional concert, the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra celebrates the wonderful 350th anniversary of Góra Kalwaria; in 1670, on the initiative of Bishop Stefan Wierzbowski, owner of village Góra, King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki allowed to establish a town of New Jerusalem, the arrangement of which was to resemble the one of the Holy City.

The programme, including a number of well-known and popular pieces, has been well-thought of to correspond to the history of this beautiful town. The concert will start with Antonio Vivaldi’s “autumn” concerto (performed by the Orchestra’s concertmaster Magdalena Lech)  from his famous cycle Le quattro stagioni; the Venetian clergyman born in 1678 was nearly the town’s peer.

The 19th century was when Jewish community started to come to Góra Kalwaria and, as time passed, its role here started to grow. At a certain point, Jews represented half of the town’s population. The Jewish community called the town Ger (in Yiddish). This fact will be reminded by the performance of Violin Concerto in D minor by Henryk Wieniawski, great Polish composer of Jewish origins. The concerto will be performed by talented and successful seventeen year old Wojciech Niedziółka from the nearby ducal town of Czersk.

The cheerful, euphonic and folk-inspired Orawa by Wojciech Kilar is the composer’s tribute to his beloved region of Podtatrze, where the raftsmen tradition is still flourishing on the Orawa and the Dunajec. The tradition also had a share in the economic growth of the Urzecze region on the Vistula and of Góra Kalwaria.

The captivating Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner’s Tetralogy, which, in film scores in particular (e.g. in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now), often accompanied military scenes, will reflect the experiences of the town, which, due to its strategic location at the southern gates of Warsaw, was frequently where military units were stationed.

In the concert’s finale, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, one of the most popular and best recognised pieces in the history of music, will be performed. Not only because of its famous theme, but also due to its innovative form and instrumentation, and, above all, to its intensive expression, it enjoys unflagging popularity and – although very well known – always stirs intense emotions. The concert will be conducted by Marek Wroniszewski. [Piotr Maculewicz]

Organiser: Town and Commune Council of Góra Kalwaria

Ticket information: Free tickets will be distibuted on September the 27th, 2020 in the Sports Hall in Góra Kalwaria.

More information: http://www.kulturagk.pl/