PU B LISHED SIncE 199 6 No. 228 /2015 :: www.polishmarket.com.pl
SPEcIaL EDItIon
maecenases Wojciech Szpil
preSident of totalizator SportoWy
Principal Partner of 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
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lmost 20 years ago, when I decided to bring to life “Polish Market”, Poland’s economic press market was only beginning to sprout. I was driven by the mission to create a monthly magazine that will promote Poland internationally, a magazine that will extol the achievements of Polish economy, Polish science and Polish culture. In building a positive image of Poland abroad, we have been supported by governmental institutions, perfectly realising the importance of making Poland known as a brand on foreign markets! But while promoting entrepreneurs, we must not forget the people and institutions whose activities bring honour to our country. We must not forget those who are ambassadors of our country. In my work, I have frequently met with allegations that Poland lacks a well-developed brand as a country, which entrepreneurs would be able to rely on. Well, Dear Readers, this brand does exist! Our brand is our culture! Our brand is our creator! The names such as Fryderyk Chopin, Ignacy Paderewski, Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska or Krzysztof Penderecki speak for themselves. The extraordinary talents of these Poles are a capital we impress the world with, and sometimes it is the world itself that reminds us of this capital! Where would Poland be without its culture? After all, it is our culture, our outstanding artists that helped us survive 123 years of slavery under occupation! In the struggle for Polish identity, culture played a very important, if not the most important role. Addressing the United Nations in New York on 5 October 1995, Pope John-Paul II said: “The history shows that in extreme circumstances (such as those which occurred in the land where I was born), it is precisely its culture that enables a nation to survive the loss of political and economic independence.”
The Order of “Merit for Polish Culture”, a national distinction awarded in 2004 by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland to Rynek Polski Publishing House, the publisher of “Polish Market”, in recognition of its merits in promoting Polish culture.
These are notable words, spoken by a prominent Pole. Poland is a country with over a thousand-year tradition and its history is the history of a great nation, whose culture has lastly inscribed itself into the common European and world heritage. “Polish Market” is an economic magazine, but it has always, from the beginning of its existence, devoted much room to culture, because it is culture that represents our identity as a nation, awakens our national pride, serves us as a beacon, like the path we have gone since 1989 became a beacon for other countries. Our efforts were appreciated by Prof. Jerzy Buzek, who as Prime Minister wrote in a letter to “Polish Market” in December 2000: “It is with great attention that I have followed all your initiatives. They are extremely valuable because our country needs constant promotion matching both high content and editorial standards. (…) It is people such as you who shoulder the task of creating a conducive climate, which would encourage investors not only to drive the country’s economic development, but also to support a variety of cultural projects.” I am extremely pleased to acknowledge that we have fulfilled the expectations placed on us. Not only do we promote Polish culture by rewarding its outstanding personalities with the Pearls of Honour, which will be conferred for the tenth time this year, or by organising the events such as last year’s concert celebrating the 25 years Polish Freedom, but we also share good examples of people supporting Polish culture. We show the sponsors of culture, both public and private, without which many artistic ideas would never see the light of day. The sponsorship of culture has a number of roles, but it is most effective when part of the communication strategy. Such an attitude to culture promotion offers corporate sponsors an opportunity to build the brand. Who knows, you may not have seen the 18th Easter Festival of Ludwig van Beethoven, organised by Krzysztof Penderecki and most of all his wife Elżbieta, had it not been for its sponsor – Totalizator Sportowy. Who knows, perhaps few projects – local, national and international – would materialise were it not for the support of Polish companies such as KGHM Polska Miedź. These are merely examples, as there are many more such companies. Therefore, from the bottom of my heart, I wish to say THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who cares about the Polish culture and supports it. Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Editor-in-Chief President Rynek Polski Publishers Co. Ltd.
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CONTENTS 4.
24.
Waldemar Dąbrowski, Director General of Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera: There is no reason why the law of large numbers should not work with Poles
The arts patron from the Lower Silesia Wilderness, or culture, beauty and nature of the Kliczków Castle
7. Paweł Potoroczyn, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute:
Ewa Bałdyga, Vice-president of Martis Consulting: Responsible business, good practice
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We generated demand for Polish culture
8. Wojciech Szpil, President of the Board of Totalizator Sportowy:
27. Culture helps build up a brand
Culture is our ties with the past, our roots, but also an engine of innovation
28. Marcin Haber: Polish cinema under wings
11. Marcin Haber: Healthy synergy
29. Benefactors of the National Museum in Krakow
12. Maciej Proliński: The important role of maecenases 14.
Maciej Proliński: Ignacy Paderewski: a Patriot and an Artist The weight of culture in building the country’s image
16. Maciej Proliński: Ambassadors of Polish culture in the world
18. Maciej Proliński: Cultural sensations! 22.
Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of Wrocław, Jarosław Fret, Chairman of the Board of Curators of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016: In half a year Wrocław will be European Capital of Culture
30.
Sabina Salamon, Head of Corporate Communication at Deutsche Bank Polska: Today’s currency is not only money
32. Art on the Metro 34.
The Pearls of Honour, or the people who are one-man institutions
37.
The 19th International Song Festival of Disabled Youth “Artistic Impressions 2015”
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The 1st International Music Festival for Children, Youth and Adults with Hearing Disorders “Cochlear Rhythms”
Cover: Wojciech Szpil, President of Totalizator Sportowy Photos on issue: www.shutterstock.com
SPECIAL EDITION 228/2015
President: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek
Writers/Editors: Maciej Proliński, Jan Sosna, Sylwia Wesołowska- Betkier, Grażyna Śleszyńska, Janusz Korzeń, Jerzy Bojanowicz, Janusz Turakiewicz,
Vice - Presidents: Błażej Grabowski, Grażyna Jaskuła
Contributors: Agnieszka Turakiewicz
Address: ul. Elektoralna 13, 00-137 Warszawa, Poland Phone (+48 22) 620 31 42, 652 95 77 Fax (+48 22) 620 31 37 E-mail: info@polishmarket.com.pl
Graphic design: Godai Studio Agnieszka Andrzejczak -Charuba, Joanna Wiktoria Grabowska
Publisher: Oficyna Wydawnicza RYNEK POLSKI Sp. z o.o. (RYNEK POLSKI Publishers Co. Ltd.)
Editor-in-Chief: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś redakcja@polishmarket.com.pl Marcin Haber m.haber@polishmarket.com.pl
Sales: Phone (+48 22) 620 38 34, 654 95 77 Marketing Manager: Marianna Dąbkowska marianna.dabkowska@polishmarket.com.pl
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Oficyna Wydawnicza RYNEK POLSKI Sp. z o.o. Nr KRS 0000080385, Sąd Rejonowy dla m.st. Warszawy XII Wydział Gospodarczy Kapitał zakładowy 80.000,- zł. REGON 011915685, NIP 526-11-62-572 Published articles represent the authors’ personal views only. The Editor and Publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for their contents. Unso-licited material will not be returned. The editors reserve the right to edit the material for length and content. The editors accept no responsibility what-soever for the content of advertising material. Reproduction of any material from this magazine requires prior written permission from the Publisher.
TEATR WIELKI - OPERA NARODOWA
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There is no reason why the law of large numbers should not work with Poles Waldemar Dąbrowski, Director General of Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera, talks to Maciej Proliński. How would you evaluate the last decade in Polish culture, I mean the period following Poland’s accession to the EU. Polish culture received in the years 2007-2013 more than PLN 5.3 billion in EU funds. As a result, cultural infrastructure and artistic education changed for the better, let alone the condition of historical places and objects. These are essential investments. But if you stop for a moment beside the Citizens of Culture (Obywatele Kultury) or the Pact for Culture (Pakt dla Kultury), you can hardly say if culture occupies the place it deserves in public policies in these crisis times or even military times. Let us also take a closer look at patronage - both public and private - and reflect on its historically shaped and unchanging role. Krzysztof Penderecki once said: “How can you know whether people will be coming to concert halls in Poland if we don’t have such professional facilities.” Today, with this completely changed landscape of cultural infrastructure, we know that people do come to the concert halls. Just take a look at the phenomenon of concert halls in Katowice, or the Szczecin Philharmonic. To recap - the Szczecin Philharmonic’s building has won this year’s prestigious “Mies van der Rohe Award” - the most important European award in the field of architecture, awarded since 1988 by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation. Such distinctions are extremely rewarding. Most importantly, however, attendance has already increased there by several hundred percent! Cultural infrastructure is simply indispensable. It is a fundamental matter, which has been neglected for years in Poland. In the European tradition, it is the state – or royal in the past – patronage that prevails. And countries that managed to maintain the continuity of statehood are happy to have the Louvre, the great collections in Russia, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Poland’s history, from the point of view of statehood and its continuity, was difficult right since the first royal election in the 16th century. In the context of what we are talking about, resources accumulated pm
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by the king used to end up becoming the private property of the royal family. Because of that, Poland failed to keep its national treasure in one hand over centuries, as opposed to countries like Russia, Prussia, and Austria. But private patronage was important, too. After all, it gave rise to some amazing phenomena in the history of European culture. Out of four composers, who were born within 21 years’ time: Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and Verdi, only Bellini came from a family with musical traditions. The others were born into ordinary, even lower-class, families. It was precisely the patronage provided by aristocracy that allowed to pick up these talents and helped Italian Bel Canto to make it to the top of European culture. Therefore, patronage, both public and private, is indispensable in the historical perspective and nowadays. This is worth remembering, especially in the context of the upcoming election marathon in Poland. We still lack a mechanism of elite creation in Poland. And yet every modern society is led by 1% of those whom “God favours”... These people need to be searched for and brought together. Such a community generates meaningful ideas.
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I admit that I had no great faith in the Pact for Culture. For me, these are the artifacts wrapped in a promising-looking media envelope but rarely leading to real change for the better. I have always been more interested in things that produce tangible results, like the creation of the Polish Film Institute (PISF), representing the highest European standards. We are faced with a big task - defining new sources of civilisational vitality, something that requires a major long-term plan. Already today, we should ponder on who we will become after the depletion of these simple reserves, simple legal patterns, organisational models and EU rules, after consuming the second and final tranche of EU funds and after foreign capital inflows lose momentum and shift eastward where labour costs are lower. During one of the recent debates on innovation, I heard Prof. Buzek saying: “In 15 years’ time, the entire EU, and Poland in particular, we just have to land on another planet, which will represent a completely different economic level.” And the question is: How are we going to become “innovative” a fashionable and overused word today - without this base that culture is for a child, pensioner, doctor, engineer, philosopher, but also for a musician and a poet? The level of culture we represent largely facilitates confrontation with the challenges ahead, helps understand the complexity of the world around us, allows to make diagnoses necessary to properly formulate the goals we want to reach. A cultured man works more efficiently and accurately, lives his life more intelligently. But equally important is, for example the need to ask about the meaning of being together. We need to strengthen social bonds and eliminate military discourse from public debate. We need to create a new quality in mutual relations, enhance the labour ethics and the ethics of everyday life. The culture of being at home and the culture of being in the public sphere are often two different worlds, and we have to get them to approach each other. Another issue to be dealt with is awakening positive energy resulting from success. We have a great hunger for success. I once read a headline in the “Rzeczpospolita” daily: “Artur Wichniarek scored in the 2. Bundesliga.” It made me feel sorry... Really, there is no reason why the law of large numbers should not work with Poles... It is not grandiose to say that one of the best Polish brands today is culture. And so it is one of the best tools of public diplomacy. My argument in front of those who are still not convinced is to study facts, projects that have been successfully seen through in recent years - Chopin’s Year, the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU, Polish “Cultural Seasons” in Europe and the world, a fantastic debut of Teatr Wielki on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera and fabulous performances of the Polish National Ballet in New York and Washington - and that played a role in building the image of Poland through culture. Many of them were prepared with consideration of what they will leave as lasting effects. It was actually about extensive infrastructure and a robust network of contacts at the institutional level, but also at the level of individual stakeholders operating in the field of cultural exchange. We are still trying to give them a stable and regular character. pm
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A prestigious festival certainly does not have to cost a fortune, but it is impossible to make it without money. Recently, the organisers of the “Chopin and his Europe” Festival complained that the Mayor’s Office of Warsaw is decreasingly interested in this festival which, wonderfully designed “Jolanta / Bluebeard’s Castle”. and developed by Stanisław Leszczyński, is after all the most Photo by Krzysztof Bieliński / Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera imminent music hallmark of Warsaw. polish market
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I fully agree: this festival is the most valuable one among those organized in Warsaw. I remember Stanisław Leszczyński, Artistic Director of the “Chopin and his Europe” Festival, often receiving phone calls, in my presence, from Jerzy Waldorff who, if uncertain, used to ask: “Dear Stanisław, if I put it the following way (...) , would it be a mistake?”. Every year, Warsaw becomes more and more attractive as a city, but the shortage of sensitivity to culture can still be felt. The fact that Warsaw does not have a modern art museum is dramatic proof of that. Of course, much depends on the aspirations of politicians - local and MPs. I hope that this will evolve in the right direction. And perhaps, paradoxically, savings will prove to be the reason behind the improvement of the situation of Polish musicians. If the organiser cannot afford to pay Mischa Maisky EUR 20,000, the money will go for Rafał Kwiatkowski who will agree to play for PLN 1,000. That is an argument I happened to hear. This is a very populist argument. First of all, Maisky does not come to Leszczyński to play for EUR 20,000. But even if we spend such an amount on many other cellists, there is no guarantee at all that their careers will skyrocket. Perhaps they get themselves better cars only... I do believe that by attending Maisky’ s concert Kwiatkowski gets much more than these EUR 20,000, with his artistic aspirations being set at new levels. pm
In June, you were awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Thanking the patrons of culture, President Bronisław Komorowski stressed that he refers to them as “enterprising people who, by using the money they made in business or the opportunities they were given when put in charge of large business ventures, or simply by reaching into their own pockets, bring us closer to the standards of the Western world where state patronage, social patronage and private patronage co-exist.” Taking as an example the Teatr WielkiPolish National Opera, how would you assess private patronage in the last decade? Definitely, it is worth mentioning several important private patrons. First of all, Jan Kulczyk. He funded the Quadriga of Apollo, a sculpture standing on a vast pedestal at the top of the main facade of Teatr Wielki; contributed financially to several opera productions, and most recently, co-financed our ballet performances in Bydgoszcz, New York and Washington. Among our golden patrons are also: Jerzy Starak, the late Aleksander Gudzowaty and companies such as Siemens, Deutsche Bank, City Bank and PKO BP. Ten years ago, it was certainly easier. It was a time when Polish entrepreneurs, extremely successful, felt the need to share their joy with others, and the sphere of culture was dear to their hearts. Over the years, they have created corporate structures. Sponsoring comes within the competence of 30-year-old officers who slide a caliper to measure how far the customers will be marketed to, before making a decision to get involved in any venture. People do not really understand that a mature democracy is when the private sector takes responsibility for the public sphere - which covers culture. I hope that that moment will come back. pm
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The National Opera increasingly exists in the minds of foreigners. The season 2014/2015 was another important and diverse artistic message, another step in your dialogue with the world. What will the new season be like? Its first premiere in November will be Moniuszko’s “Haunted Manor”, directed by David Pountney, who has already staged in Warsaw “King Roger” by Szymanowski and “The Passenger” by Weinberg. What are your
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emotions as you are waiting for this premiere? Any significant messages you would like to get across before the next season? I showed David “The Haunted Manor” and, when he read the libretto, he asked me: “OK, but what is it about?” A man coming from a different culture simply did not understand what made this work so valuable at the time it was written - in 1861-1864, that is under the tsarist censorship. I explained to him that the most important here is what is unwritten: the power of symbolism that rises above the limitations imposed by censorship. So it is with all the great works of Polish romantic literature. David realised that the plot is set in the final years of Poland’s First Republic. So we have a free Poland, but we can also feel its nearing twilight... He found a parallel with another moment of Polish freedom, the 1920s and 1930s. The twentieth century. Naturally, this will cause a lot of discussion. But I think one of theater’s missions is to open debates around things that are subject to all sorts of interpretations. In this case it is also about checking the chance of “The Haunted Manor” for an international career. In January, we will have a premiere of “La Clemenza di Tito” by Mozart, a co-production with La Monnaie, directed by Ivo van Hove; in March – Strauss’s “Salome” directed by Mariusz Treliński. Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde” directed by Mariusz Treliński will be staged in Warsaw a month after its premiere in Baden-Baden and three months prior to the opening of the season 2016/2017 at the Metropolitan Opera; in August 2016 it will travel to Beijing. It is already a success if you make it to the Metropolitan Opera. But this success will not be complete unless you manage to establish cooperation. I will remind you that Mariusz and the National Opera received such a proposal in the wake of the successful premiere of “Jolanta / Bluebeard’s Castle”, which took place on a New York stage on 29 January 2015. Together with the Polish National Ballet will develop in the upcoming season Shakespeare’s series - “Taming of the Shrew” choreographed by John Cranko (27 November) and “The Tempest” choreographed by Krzysztof Pastor (9 April). As regards concerts, I recommend, among others, the jubilee of maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk (80 years!) and Yehudi Menuhin (the centenary of birth and a special concert by Sinfonia Varsovia). One of the most important works of Polish music of the 20th century, the monumental “Passion according to St. Luke” by Krzysztof Penderecki, will be played in the National Opera precisely 50 years after it was first performed. The Polish edition of the Crazy Days of Music will start in September 2015. It is the world’s largest classical music festival in terms of the number of concerts, performers and attendees, originated by René Martin. In May 2016 we will host the 9th Moniuszko Competition. The Opera Gallery is a joint project of the National Opera and the Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) in Warsaw. When going for concerts or performances, it is really worth having in mind this place. In the season 2015/2016, we will present here the works of the creators of the contemporary Polish art, starting as early as in September with Franciszek Starowieyski. Also, we are slowly summing up the 5 years of the Opera Academy, whose purpose is to build a bridge between education and professional life for exceptionally talented singers, by allowing them to further develop and improve their skills under the eye of outstanding educators and opera artists, including: Isabella Kłosińska, Olga Pasiecznik, Doris Yarrick-Cross, Paola Larini, Richard Cross, Andrzej Dobber, Eytan Pessen and Andrejs Žagars. My ambition is to help these talents-nightingales make a name for themselves in the world. And to have 10 of them, not 3! This will happens in some 5 years! • You will see.
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We generated demand for
Polish culture Paweł Potoroczyn, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, talks to Marcin Haber about the role of the Institute, Poland as a brand and the features that the Poles want to be associated with. Please tell our readers more about the role of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute tells the world about Poland, about this specifically Polish set of values. We are responsible for the cultural dimension of Poland as a brand. As you know, the brand is made up of several dimensions - sport, tourism, people, economy, nature and culture. We are the custodian of the cultural dimension. The axiological and cognitive core of what we do are relationships. We initiate, invest, deal with and treasure relationships. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is also not a simple exporter of cultural goods. We are a doorman – for foreigners who prospect for culture in Poland – we open the doors in Poland, for Polish artists who go abroad – we open the doors abroad. In this sense, we are neither a sponsor nor a curator nor an exporter, we are a doorman, and that is how we understand our role, necessarily subordinate, vis-à-vis the creative class in Poland. pm
To use your comparison, what doors did the Institute manage to open over 15 years of its existence? Actually, all we knocked on. I have no sense of failure, or that something was neglected. The geography of our activities is determined by the government. We are implementing state policy by telling about Poland where we have or want to have business. But what we tell remains within our responsibility only. All the doors we knocked on opened, some wide, others a bit less, but we certainly generated a genuine demand for authentic Polish culture. pm
Where are we heading for now? The Far East - China, Korea, soon also India and, from this year, Brazil. Quite recently, we have finished a strong season in Turkey. We are
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also almost permanently present in key countries of the European Union and, from next year, also in the Baltic basin. The aim is to increase the value of Poland as a brand in these countries where, we believe, it is underestimated. We want to dismantle the unjust and anachronistic stereotype, but most of all we want to give the face of the Baltic. The Mediterranean Sea has the face of the south’s joker and we know what to expect from this cheerful joker – we were shown by Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal. By contrast, the eager beaver from the north is underestimated. Through this project we want to convince our foreign environment that Poland belongs more to the north than to the east as indicated by many of the economic parameters and cultural characteristics.
Do we have the aces we can boast about right away? Lots of! Now, there are already as many as three or four generations of artists who are legends in their field. This list begins with A like Abakanowicz and ends with Z like Zachwatowicz. It counts about 200 names from the global premier league. But I would speak of ideas and values rather than of specific names. pm
What values does Poland want to be associated with? Pride without vanity, freedom without factiousness, seriousness without swank, humor without croaking. pm
Very poetic ... Not poetic, very down-to-earth. That is the way we define brand Poland. pm
You are talking about promoting Poland as a brand through culture. Do you think it has a big impact on your business? Opening two years ago the Civic Congress in Warsaw, Jan Szomburg, PhD, from the Institute for Market Economics, one of the leaders of what is called the Gdańsk School, a liberal economist par excellence, began his speech with the words: “Nations are competing with culture.” If an ultraliberal says so, then everyone sees it. A purely economic value added is largely generated by culture. pm
So brand Poland can sell well? There are places where it sells well. There are products that sell well, precisely because they are Polish. One of them is culture, including design, animation, alternative music and so on. For some reason, a watch must be Swiss, a car - German, chocolate - Belgian and wine - French. Exactly for the same reason, culture can well be associated with Poland. It is the flagship of brand Poland. pm
We talked about artists Poland can boast about abroad, but there are also collections of artworks, which were plundered and sent abroad for many years as a result of wars and partitions... According to various data, it is estimated to be between 70% and 85% of the entire heritage. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has a dedicated department that deals with its recovery and these fantastic people achieve spectacular successes. Then, if some part of Polish collections can be seen in the world’s museums - and Poles are travelling everywhere now - this might not be so bad for our image. Of course, it would be best to have these items here in Poland, yet it is better to have them displayed in museums around the world than hidden, for example, in the depots of the Hermitage. • pm
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Wojciech Szpil, President of the Board of Totalizator Sportowy, talks to Maciej Proliński.
Culture is our ties with the past, our roots, but also an engine of innovation 8 polish marketspecial edition 2015
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For years, I have insisted that the strongest Polish brand, the most recognisable in the world’s opinion-forming elites, is culture. A few years ago, we even came to put the equals sign between the words “culture” and “capital.” In your opinion, will the ongoing global economic and military crises affect it? Let me start by saying that culture and art have for me an extraordinary importance, not least because of my artistic education. They are close to me primarily because of my full conviction of their absolute uniqueness and invaluable role in the history of the world. Antoni Kępiński once said that “civilisation is power over the world, and culture is love of the world.” And I guess, the world, from the very beginning, suffers from the shortage of love... But back to the question... Indeed, Polish culture, as an export, can be called a brand, which has long been recognised almost everywhere. The credit for this goes not only to our outstanding artists, but also to museums, cultural managers or simply thousands of art lovers and promoters who every day post on social networking websites everything they find interesting. You could say that it is the latter who make for the massive, though somewhat chaotic, promotion of Polish art. This means that Polish culture thrives, especially that it is “exported” primarily to the parts of the world where the risks you mentioned are not as serious as to make people forget the timeless need for contact with art. In the context of the risks, those facing the world of culture, I believe I must mention the situation in the Middle East. More and more sites, which for hundreds or even thousands of years attracted the eyes of people hungry for contact with the past disappear from tourist maps. I will just mention the sad example of ancient temples in Palmyra, a city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These losses cannot be recovered. It is something far more than just criticising artists and their works for political or religious reasons. It is a sheer barbarity that nothing can excuse. If I mention this, it is because culture is not always able to defend itself. We should not forget that destroying sites of great historical value means a return to the darkest times of human history. Artists should loudly protest against the destruction of world heritage. pm
What about state funding? It was rather poor over the last quarter century. If the current growth rate of expenditure on culture is maintained, the target of 1% of the state budget to be disbursed to culture will probably not yet be achieved in 2015. Arguably, culture is still insufficiently catered for relative to the country’s GDP growth rate. Do you share this view? I am afraid I am not really entitled to make statements in this respect. Systemic solutions are the responsibility of politicians. Our task, I mean that of Totalizator Sportowy, is to collect as much funds as possible for sport and culture, and we fulfill it really well. As a man who has for many years dealt with art, I think culture has always been treated with neglect. I am not sure we are aware of the fact that underfunding of this area always produces pm
negative effects. Culture was, is and will be part of emotional development of each individual. If it goes into decline, then the tastes of young Poles will be shaped by computer games, social networking sites or tabloids. If I ask about the role of the Polish state, it is because for me the meaning of culture resides in its causative nature, in what I would call civilisational creation. How are we going to become “innovative” - a fashionable and overused word today - without this base that culture is for a child, pensioner, doctor, engineer, philosopher, but also for a musician and a poet? You are right. Culture is the building block of our development. Belittling its importance certainly ends up badly. It is like forgetting about education. Interestingly, in principle, no one would risk saying that culture and art are dispensable, but when it comes to budget cuts, then, unfortunately and regardless of the country, it is always at the expense of culture. I can understand it, but it does not mean that I agree with that. Culture is our ties with the past, our roots, and at the same time, as you mentioned, an engine of innovation, a business, and above all, great values that build everyone’s sensitivity. I think I can take this opportunity to appeal to all those who have at heart the good of Polish culture: Let us do all we can to make it last and develop. pm
The role of patronage - institutional and private - in supporting and advancing Polish cultural life has a centuries-old tradition. How is it perceived today by Totalizator Sportowy? Is it more difficult or easier than, for instance, 10 years ago? What is the development strategy of Totalizator Sportowy for the near future in this area? If I were to tell you in one sentence what we want to do in this area, I would say that we get involved in all events important for Polish culture. We have plans for several years ahead. I would rather not reveal them yet, but I can assure you that your readers will learn about them at the right time. Being a patron of culture is an extremely nice role. The mere knowing that you are doing something important for the Polish culture is the greatest reward for every effort and every penny spend. Is it more difficult to carry out this type of activity today? It depends to whom. We, as a state-owned company, have to observe all the procedures, we have to watch every penny twice before spending it. So, the effort it takes to make an endeavour reach a happy ending is not easy, but the finale is always satisfying. It is worth noting that Totalizator Sportowy is an element of the funding system of Polish culture but not the only one. For decades, we have supported culture and art. We use our own funds, as well as revenues from extras to numbers games and lotteries that have long exceeded PLN 1 billion and are even greater every year. Therefore, whenever I talk about the money transferred in the form of extras paid by our players, I thank them for their trust and this undeniably great contribution. They are the biggest patrons of Polish culture and Polish sport. pm
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I always say that you need to look to the future, attempt to stay ahead of market needs, without forgetting about your roots and values that influence the overall image of the company. The company is not only machines, plans, turnover, marketing, sales and so one, but also reputation, image and responsibility.
Castle in Warsaw and Czartoryski Palace in Kraków. The projects that benefited from our direct support include multimedia shows as part of the “Lost Museum” project, the 18th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival and Off Plus Camera film festival. These are just a small percentage of all our contributions – a few examples from recent years which we are really proud of. Totalizator Sportowy is traditionally committed to sports events followed by all Poles... Let us recall the most important ones that were held last year with the participation of Totalizator Sportowy and its brand Lotto. It is good that you ask about last year’s events because, like in the question about cultural events, I would have difficulty in selecting a few or a dozen out of the hundreds that we supported in our 60-year history. The past year was full of various events that we were proud to be able to support. Doubtless, one of the most interesting and important was 5th Lotto Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Warsaw with the participation of Usain Bolt. Moreover, there was the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, Sopot 2014, the 71st Tour de Pologne, the Official International Show Jumping Competition CSIO *** Sopot. I cannot fail to mention the cooperation with the Polish Olympic Committee. In 2014 we supported our Olympians in Sochi, this year in Baku, and in 2016 we will accompany them in Rio de Janeiro. Finally, I cannot forget about masters and students from the Lotto School of Champions which is already in its third season. pm
Totalizator Sportowy is involved in the modernisation of the Służewiec Racecourse in Warsaw to make it regain its luster and the status of a popular spot on the map of the capital. What are the results? I will put it this way: come and see it for yourself! This is the fastest and the easiest way to find out whether and how the capital’s racecourse has changed. I can assure you that there is what to admire, where to walk and to relax. This magical place, full of greenery, in a classy pre-war style attracts more and more people. It is a quiet green enclave in the big city, whose charm cannot be resisted. pm
The company has had the best year in its 60-year history. What is the secret behind the financial success? Evidently, the success of Totalizator Sportowy was possible thanks to the bold but realistic vision of the company, good planning based on the analysis of the market development trends, bold decisions, innovation, as already mentioned, and the focus on continuous development. Another key to success is well- qualified personnel, as well as creative ideas that help create new products and rejuvenate those already on the market for a long time. For a company like ours, whose products cannot be sold online, it is also extremely important to expand the sales network. Please note, however, that success is something you build for years. I always say that you need to look to the future, attempt to stay ahead of market needs, without forgetting about your roots and values that influence the overall image of the company. The company is not only machines, plans, turnover, marketing, sales and so one, but also reputation, image and responsibility. Each of these elements has its bearing. It is worth remem• bering it in an effort to build a strong company. pm
What are the flagship, and perhaps also some completely new, important cultural projects supported by Totalizator Sportowy? It is a very difficult question. After all, these events were so many that it is really challenging to name at least those most important from our point of view. Let me remind you that one of the first and really important tasks performed by the company was participation, since 1971, in the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Since then, Totalizator Sportowy helped realise thousands of smaller and bigger cultural projects: from development or renovation of cultural facilities, to national and international events. To be clear, I will add that we support culture and art directly, that is using our own resources, as well as the money from extras to numbers games and lotteries. The total value of extras transferred to culture since 2003 has exceeded PLN 1.75 billion. These funds were used, among others, to co-finance the development of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, as well as the renovation of the Royal pm
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Healthy synergy Business and sport ceased to be independent domains.
T
he cooperation established recently between PL.2012 +, the operator of the National Stadium in Warsaw, and the Polish Energy Group (PGE) has been widely commented on, not only in the sports community, but also in the business world. As a result of the agreement, one of the capital hallmarks received a new name – PGE Narodowy. Those who do not to follow sports events regularly may be surprised, but fans are well accustomed to such a policy. Suffice it to look at the names of the leading sports leagues in Poland. Premier leagues of the most popular sports - football, basketball, volleyball, speedway - have title sponsors, including the biggest Polish companies operating in various industries: energy, telecommunications, betting. The same is true of sponsorship of the largest Polish stadiums. At the time of construction of these facilities, especially before EURO 2012, a debate was raised on how the stadiums will be financed and maintained after the tournament. One of the solutions - apart from using them for cultural events and as conference centres – was precisely finding title sponsors, making a close link between the world of business with the world of sport. Thus, most of the arenas hosting EURO 2012 bear the names featuring the logos of the biggest Polish companies. Another example of business presence in sport is direct sponsorship agreements between companies and sports clubs. This form of cooperation is a preferred one, mainly due to benefits it offers to companies. If you consider that the main goal of any business is making a profit, then there is no reason to think that - often multimillion - sports sponsorship is a purely philanthropic activity. Sponsors, whose name and logos are displayed on players’ outfits, banner adds or gadgets relating to the competition, count on the wide exposure of its brand. For example, if a team from the domestic football premier league qualifies for the UEFA or FIFA, the sponsor’s logo is displayed during every match, before the eyes of tens of thousands of spectators in
Sport has always been associated with big emotions; now it is associated with big emotions and big money. One can hardly find a sports league or club that would not be named after a company having, interestingly, no direct link with sport.
the stadium and millions of television viewers. In this case, the amount invested in sponsorship – the logo exposure on outfits is disproportionately low compared to what it would require to pay for such a large-scale promotion in Europe or in the world. In writing this, I aim to show the mutual benefits of sponsorship contracts. The club has its financing secured and can get itself better players, raise its sports value and invest in image, while the sponsor gains wide exposure and enhances its image among the supporters of the team and the entire discipline. The third phenomenon, increasingly popular these days, is sponsorship of major sports and sport-related events. Marathons, rallies, races, cycling races or other unusual events that attract a broad spectrum of observers who not necessarily regular supporters. Running has become extremely popular among Poles in recent years, you can say that Poland has been affected by the epidemic of marathons, half-marathons and all kinds of runs. The trend for running did not escape the attention of big companies that have been eagerly taking up sponsorship of the biggest running events, e.g.: PZU Maraton Warszawski, Orlen Warsaw Marathon or marathons sponsored by T-Mobile. All over the year, Warsaw hosts several runs sponsored by the companies from various industries. This is also the case of races organised in central parts of the largest Polish cities. Of course, large companies support individual athletes, too. Thanks to business support, Polish fans can watch struggle Polish drivers Krzysztof Hołowczyc, Robert Kubica, Adam Małysz, Rafał Sonik, tennis players, swimmers, and many others. Business and sport ceased to be independent domains. Both sectors of the economy - because sport can be qualified as such - have come to overlap. It should be noted, however, that such a cooperation is beneficial to both parties. One can hardly imagine today the biggest sports clubs without support from business and, reversely, the effective promotion in business with• out investment in sport. A kind of synergy.
Marcin Haber
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The important role of maecenases The terms maecenas (Latin for “patron of arts”) and maecenate (Latin for “patron of arts”) are derived from the name of Caius Maecenas, a Roman aristocrat, a friend of Emperor Octavian. The institution of arts patronage as once offered by kings, noble families or church dignitaries was replaced in modern times by various forms of support provided by specialised bodies, both public and private. Maciej Proliński highlights the never-changing significance of Polish arts patrons in 2015.
The state Patronage is usually associated with support, mainly financial, provided to artists by influential individuals and by the state, i.e. public authorities at all levels. That is something we cannot wealthy art lovers. However, in most cases, patronage over cultural and artistic activity is exercised escape. This is done by supporting and promoting creativity, cultural education, cultural activities and initiatives, and by taking care of cultural heritage. The Minister of Culture and National Heritage provides financial support for projects relating to the cultural policy of the state, run by cultural institutions and other entities that do not belong to the public sector (e.g. NGOs). The state exercises patronage over activities in the field of cinematography, which is part of the national culture. This involves in particular support for the production and promotion of audiovisual artworks, dissemination of the cinema culture and protection of the cultural heritage in cinema. It also lies within the competence of public authorities to take action in the field of protection of cultural heritage, running archives and libraries, which is no doubt an important part of cultural heritage. Pursuant to Art. 2 of the Act on Organising and Conducting Cultural Activities of 25 October 1991, “cultural activity shall in particular take the following forms: theaters, operas, operettas, philharmonics, orchestras, film institutions, cinemas, museums, libraries, community
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centres, art centres, art galleries, as well as research and documentation centres in various fields of culture.” Removing barriers in access to culture, broadening the scope of cultural resources legally available on the Internet, stopping the downward trend in readership, increasing expenditure on culture to the highest level in history, completion of many investment projects, the National Programme for the Protection of Cultural Heritage – these are only some of the most important tasks that Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska has dealt with as Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the government of Ewa Kopacz. A total of PLN 3.266 billion was earmarked for culture and national heritage protection in the 2015 state budget, which represents a 10% increase as compared to the previous year and the highest ever level. We are approaching the target of 1% of the state budget stipulated as the most important provision of the social contract concluded with the Citizens of Culture (Obywatele Kultury). The Polish History Museum is scheduled to open on 11 November 2018. The new building will be erected on the site of the Warsaw Citadel, in a museum complex which houses: the existing Museum of X Pavilion, the Katyń Museum now under construction, and the Polish Army Museum, whose construction has just started. The Polish History Museum will take the main place in the complex. The end of 2014 marked the last phase of implementation of the Priority XI “Culture and Cultural Heritage” within the framework of the Operational Programme
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- Infrastructure and Environment, with 64 out of 79 facilities being already in use. Among the newly launched investment projects are the International Cultural Centre in Warsaw’s Teatr Nowy and the Wreckage Conservation Centre in Tczew. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has secured funds in its budget for 2015 for the implementation of the following projects: World War II Museum in Gdańsk, National Music Forum in Wrocław, Audiovisual Institute in Warsaw, for completing overhauls of art schools and universities, as well as national museums, including the Łazienki Park and the Wilanów Palace in Warsaw. The implementation began of the National Programme for the Protection of Monuments and the Conservation of Monuments for the years 2014-2017. This is the first such strategic document relating to the protection of cultural heritage to be adopted by the Council of Ministers. This year, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has also started working on a systemic solution designed to remove competence, financial and informational barriers in access to culture, particularly with respect to groups at risk of exclusion. The “CULTURE Available” (KULTURA Dostępna) programme expands to offer cheaper access to artistic events, national museums and selected theaters. “CULTURE available” (www.kulturadostepna. pl) is primarily an easy-to-use search engine of cultural events throughout the country. In addition, it offers a list of interesting places, historical sites and cultural institutions, as well as links to legally available online cultural resources. The website, whose operation and content fall within the responsibility of the National Cultural Centre, aims to reach out to a wide audience with information about free or cheap (of up to PLN 20) cultural events.
Business patrons It should be borne in mind, however, that many brand-name, minor or major, artistic initiatives would not come to fruition were it not for the support of private sponsors. The market economy has forced cultural institutions to adapt to its realities and requirements. Manifestly, cultural institutions rely not only on state subsidies, but also look for private sponsors. The sponsoring of culture performs a variety of functions, but it appears most effective when considered as an element of a communication strategy. It then gives a chance to reach out to a wide audience and to create positive associations linking the sponsor and the initiative being the object of support. This kind of culture promotion affords companies an opportunity to build up a brand, using the wealth of associations offered by the world of arts. Companies that decide to contribute to cultural initiatives are generally seen as socially responsible, courageous and credible. Thanks to sponsorship, entrepreneurs are able to present themselves as active, responsible and aware participants of social life. However, for sponsorship to make sense, it must be a long-term activity, and that involves considerable expenditure. If a company wants to raise its profile by supporting artistic activities, a one-time splash-out for a random concert is not enough. In order to be effective in terms of image building, sponsorship needs to be part of a carefully planned, longterm strategy. Let us name some good examples of businesses which use cultural sponsoring as a strategic tool as far as they take regular
actions and invest large amounts in these, and whose brands are evidently gaining on such consistent activities. One of the greatest patrons of culture in Poland is the Totalizator Sportowy lottery company, and as a matter of fact its players, we, the Poles. Totalizator Sportowy was the patron of the 18th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. A remarkable fact for the company was it being a strategic partner of the “Lost Museum”, a project intended to underpin the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage aimed at finding and recovering lost cultural property. Jan Kulczyk must be mentioned, too. He supported cultural projects with several hundred million zlotys, including scholarships for young artists, festivals and cultural institutions, such as the Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw and the Museum of Polish Jews POLIN, which was the largest private donation in history - PLN 20 million. Samsung, which cares about its image of a modern and dynamic company, supports debuts of young artists through a cyclical programme Samsung Art Master (along with the Contemporary Art Centre - Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw). Culture and art patronage is among the main sponsorship activities carried out by PKO Bank Polski, which has offered its support to the National Philharmonic in Warsaw for several years, and has been its strategic patron for the past three seasons. Bank Zachodni WBK has promoted various projects, not least those that cause its business to grow. It is guided by the notion of common interest and the belief that running a successful business involves a duty to promote culture, education and national heritage, an attitude that found its expression in the involvement of Bank Zachodni WBK in the biggest cultural event of 2015, namely as a patron of the 17th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition. The PZU Group enjoys an established presence in Poland, not only in financial terms, but also in the context of corporate social responsibility as a sponsor and patron of all kinds of cultural events, both local and nation-wide, including especially the sponsorship of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, or the patronage over the Łazienki Park in Warsaw. KGHM Polska Miedź, too, is an active patron of arts and culture. For years, it has participated in the organisation of or has given its patronage to major local, national and international initiatives. The company has consistently supported film and theatre productions and festivals: the Moniuszko Festival, the Polish Film Festival “Wisła” in Moscow, and the Russian Film Festival in Warsaw “Sputnik nad Polską.” Strongly committed to the idea of strengthening cultural institutions, T-Mobile Polska has for several years in a row given its patronage to one of the most unique places in Warsaw – the Royal Castle. Since 2009, the company has held the title of its strategic partner. Orange Polska has for years been involved in events important for Polish culture and Polish people. The cocreation of projects such as the Museum of the History of Polish Jews is one of the best (and already tangible) proofs of such a policy. Orange Polska has collaborated, with the Zachęta National Gallery of Art and Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera in Warsaw, with the International Cultural Centre and Teatr Nowy in Kraków, with the National Museum and the Museum of Silesia. The Żywiec Group has been involved in the organisation of cultural events, such as Open’er Festival, Maltafestival, or Men’s Playing (Męskie Granie) – a series of concerts held every summer, promoting Polish artists from different music genres (rock, jazz, electronic music, pop) and sponsored by the flagship brand of the whole Group - Żywiec. •
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Ignacy Paderewski:
a Patriot and an Artist
The weight of culture in building the country’s image Last year, “Polish Market” and Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera organised an extraordinary event. On 4 June 2014 they co-hosted a concert of the Symphony in B minor “Polonia”, Op. 24, by Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The concert was held under the honorary patronage of President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski. Totalizator Sportowy was a patron of the concert. We recall these moments in this special edition of “Polish Market”, because they are in our opinion a perfect and never-changing, example of coexistence of Polish art and its imminent sponsors.
Waldemar Dąbrowski, Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek and the Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera.
Maciej Proliński
2014 was a special year for Poland because marked three important anniversaries: 15 years in NATO, 10 years in the EU and 25 years since the first free elections of 1989. Therefore, the date of the concert – 4 June – was not accidental. “We are celebrating freedom, the notion so dear to each of us individually and so deeply rooted in the Polish community. However, the value is represents was put to very difficult tests by history. Polish freedom has a name. On the battlefields, this name is Tadeusz Kościuszko and Józef Piłsudski; in a laborious process of political dispute - Lech Wałęsa; in the world of art and artistic achievements that became home to Poles in the centuries when there was no Polish state - Fryderyk Chopin and Adam Mickiewicz. But the person and the name that binds all these threads is Ignacy Jan Paderewski. It is a great Pole belonging to the catalogue of the most cultivated national myths,”
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greeted the audience Waldemar Dąbrowski, Director General of Polish National Opera. “The life and work of this great, extraordinary man should be for us and future generations a beacon, while carrying a message that you can serve your homeland not only with weapons, but also your talent, knowledge, work, sacrifice for others. His life should be for us a lesson of patriotism and an indication of importance of the care for our national heritage, as well as the role of culture in preserving our national identity,” added for her part Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek, Editor-in-Chief of “Polish Market.” The work of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, endowed with many features of good crafts, has an important place in Polish music. It represents a neo-romantic and emotional style by bringing to the fore deep lyricism and, at other times, firm, strong
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expression. In the rendition of Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera’s Orchestra under the baton of Jerzy Maksymiuk, the monumental, nearly hour-and-a-half long, “Polonia” symphony, written more than 100 years ago to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the January Uprising, was endearingly remindful of Paderewski as a composer blessed with exceptional verve and great maturity. Also, as an enthusiast of sound order, full creative awareness and technical discipline. This unusual piece of music, so imbued with some fervent confession, still, after many years, makes you feel the extraordinary temperament of the brilliant piano virtuoso. But on the festive evening of 4 June we also admired maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk, one of the greatest conductors in this part of the world - attentive to every detail, including to the exposure of distinct sounds of individual instruments. Listening to these very personal notes by Paderewski, it is difficult not to mention that this is an example of communicative music and not to repeat, after maestro Maksymiuk, that “Polonia” contains themes which certainly can be perceived very visually and tied to the history of our homeland, so painfully experienced.
“It is a great Pole belonging to the catalogue of the most cultivated national myths.” Waldemar Dąbrowski
The sponsorship of Totalizator Sportowy was extremely helpful in organising the concert and publishing the special issue of “Polish Market” dedicated to it. “There are events that are important for all Poles, thus also for us. This concert reminds one of the most important dates in our history. We could not fail to be there. It is a real honour and a source of pride for us,” declared Wojciech Szpil, President of Totalizator Sportowy. •
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
The Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki -Polish National Opera under the baton of Jerzy Maksymiuk
“The ‘Polonia’ symphony appeals to the intellect and emotions. The tumultuous and dramatically expressed moments are mixed with lyrical themes. I do not know any other piece that would stimulate our patriotism in such a simple and obvious manner. The structure of part II is exceptionally beautiful and has grand climaxes! The lyrical fragments of Part III are very emotionally intense. And Mahler himself would be proud of the march in this part. To me, this march is characteristic. It begins as though it comes from under the ground. I see references to our tragic history, but also heroism and bravery. There is also the theme of the national anthem, concealed, because we were still under occupation then. Perhaps this is a sign – an obligation guiding the entire life of the composer. In short: ‘Polonia’ is a very valuable piece filled with seriousness and emotion, a piece which should be performed as soon as possible,” said Jerzy Maksymiuk in an interview with “Polish Market” last year.
An example of a multidimensional person: a rare combination of an artist creating beauty around him, nobility, spirituality, and a politician moving around the harsh realities of the new state. He made his debut as a pianist in 1887. A year later, he was already performing on the biggest stages in the world. In 1919 Paderewski was appointed as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Second Republic of Poland. As a politician, he became famous for taking part, along with Roman Dmowski, in the Paris Peace Conference, which led to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I. It is also said that Paderewski was so influential as to cause the US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson to include, in his “Fourteen Points” speech delivered to the Congress in January 1918, a postulate that an “independent Polish state should be erected.” In 1922, he moved to the US where he continued to tour successfully. Ignacy Jan Paderewski died on 29 June 1941 in New York. He was buried with the highest military honours in the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, among Presidents, prominent politicians and commanders. In 1992, his ashes were brought to Poland and buried in the crypt of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw. polish market
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Ambassadors of Polish culture in the world We sometimes complain that we still do not have in Poland one brand we could boast about in the world, that we are not an economic power and that we suffer from economic retardation. At the same time, we repeatedly forget that we had and still have a huge asset. It is the artists. Thanks to these extraordinary talents, we are able to delight the world, which not infrequently reminds us of this asset - sometimes discovers it for us. Maciej Proliński guides you through the hallmarks of Polish culture.
Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004), a Nobel Prize winner in 1980,
was a poet of culture, shaped by the Mediterranean tradition and, more generally, the European one. Among his philosophical and literary masters were in particular: Eliot, Shakespeare, Blake, and finally - Mickiewicz. He used high style, but the pathos of his words always mingled with irony, sometimes self-irony. What does the work Miłosz mean for me? It is still and always beautiful literature. In 2000, on the occasion of the release of one of the last works of Miłosz (“To”). Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012) is another Polish winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1996). Szymborska’s poems represent a unique, intellectual lyricism with deep reflection, often containing a clear philosophical subtext. Her work is characterised by precise words, conciseness, frequent use of irony, paradox, contradiction, joke and distance... This poetry opens horizons, helps understand the human condition. Although it arises from the Polish background - historical and geographical - it is a very versatile poetry. One of the authors most frequently staged in Polish theatre and widely recognised abroad (mostly also translated) is undoubtedly Sławomir Mrożek (1930-2013). He quickly gained a reputation as a mocker who, following the example of Witkiewicz and Gombrowicz, negates our national mythology... Mrożek’s work grows from the experience of living in Communist Poland. His grotesque stripped the rules of the system under which Poles lived until 1989. Very often, however, this grotesque was so general in nature and broad in expression that it rose to the rank of a universal story about the absurd mechanisms governing the world, the challenges of freedom and dangers posed by modern civilisation. It is no different in “June’s carnival” of the free world - Mrożek’s last and captivating drama titled “Carnival.”
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Krystian Lupa, a stage director and designer, writer and ed-
ucator, is certainly the greatest ambassador of Polish theatre in the world. The winner of the two most important Polish theatre awards: Konrad Swinarski Award (1988) and Leon Schiller Award (1992) and a number of national and international festivals, he returned this year with much celebrated “Holzfällen” by Thomas Bernhard in Wrocław’s Polski Theatre. It is his best play in many years, nearing the status of a masterpiece. Interestingly, the play has been successfully shown in the Grand Theatre in Tianjin and the Century Theatre in Beijing during the 6th Lin Zhaohua Theatre Art Festival. “Mr. Lupa, we need you in China!” is just an example of comments that could be read in the Chinese media (traditional and social) immediately after the performance. Lupa’s theatre is always a journey into a self... I guess no one in Polish theater has so deeply described what is elusive in man... When asked about the biggest names contemporary Polish music, Poles will immediately and proudly cite four that enjoy international reputation. And, interestingly, these composers belong to the same generation: Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994), Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933), Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) and Wojciech Kilar (1932-2013). The great Polish composer of the Romantic era but whose work went far beyond it, exerting influence on many later composers is obviously Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849). A talent comparable with the greatest only. His compositions, indented for one instrument the piano, have become the work of all time, making him immortal. Each of his etudes and preludes, ballads and nocturnes, sonatas, songs, and two piano concertos is a separate musical chapter. Henryk Mikołaj Górecki made beautiful references to Chopin’s work, saying: “This greatest of the greatest ever said that he belongs to a nation, that is Polish. He wrote these etudes and these mazurkas... You take one measure, no matter of what composition, one measure - and you feel like you were in a particular place on Earth.” The image of today’s Polish music, hosted in philharmonic halls, is as rich as colourful. It manifests itself in various forms and shapes. This is also what makes for its attractiveness and forms a good prognosis for its future development. The masters do have
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their worthy successors. One of them is Paweł Mykietyn (born in 1971) - a clarinetist and composer, who is also a model example of a postmodern creator, drawing both inspiration and material from all possible sources. His Third Symphony, written to mark the end of the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU, combines classical music with short telephone messages. Among those singing in the world’s largest opera houses are: Aleksandra Kurzak , Piotr Beczała and Mariusz Kwiecień. And they continue to delight the whole world. Kurzak could be admired in La Scala (as Countess in Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory”), in London’s Covent Garden - Royal Opera House (as Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto”) and New York’s Metropolitan Opera (Gretel in “Hänsel und Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck). Beczała performed, among others, in New York (as Prince in Dvorak’s “Rusalka”), Salzburg (“Stabat Mater” by Rossini) and Vienna (“Requiem” and “Rigoletto” by Verdi). Kwiecień sang the part of Marcello in Puccini’s “La Boheme” and the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in the Metropolitan Opera last season. He also sang the part of Onegin in the famous opera by Tchaikovsky in the Palais Garnier in Paris, in Warsaw’s Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, the Chicago Lyric Opera, and most recently in the Krakow Opera and the Grand Theatre in Poznań. Polish Jazz has always fared well. The 2014 Grammy Award for the Polish jazz musician Włodek Pawlik for the album “Night in Calisia”, recorded together with the American trumpeter Randy Brecker and the Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Adam Klocek, is only the brilliant confirmation of the trend. Pawlik, a distinguished pianist and teacher, the winner of many national and international competitions, cooperates with the American band Western Jazz Quartet and plays concerts on all continents. In addition, he composes symphonic, vocal, chamber and film music. Let us remember, however, that the jazz movement in Poland dates back to the second half of the 1950s, a time when an extraordinary talent appeared on the Polish jazz scene who left his mark on musicians working with him – today’s pillars of the Polish jazz scene: Tomasz Stańko, Michał Urbaniak, or Zbigniew Namysłowski – as well as on the next generations of Polish jazz musicians. This talent was Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969), a prematurely deceased self-taught pianist and composer (otolaryngologist by education), a legend of Polish jazz. His music, which reflects the process
of maturing of this music genre in our country, echoed different directions and impacts of world jazz. Tomasz Stańko, a trumpeter, the greatest Polish composer and jazz musician, is considered to be Komeda’s ideological heir. “Stańko trumpets freedom in spirit, thoughts and jazz,” wrote about him “The New York Times.” “One of the most original and creative jazz trumpeters in the world,” added “The New Yorker.” Leszek Możdżer is one of the most outstanding Polish jazz musicians, a brave experimenter, pianist with his own tone. “I masterminded such a plan as to be a total musician and develop in all directions,” he said in an interview many years ago. Live albums recorded recently splendidly confirm these words. On the occasion of the concert, which took place at the Berlin Philharmonic on 11 December 2012, Germany’s ACT label made available its best piano players. Możdżer performed beside: Iiro Rantala (graduate of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Manhattan School of Music in New York, working in parallel in the field of classical music and jazz) and Michael Wollny a (leading German pianist of the younger generation, extremely versatile and creative, who plays modern music, combining different directions of jazz with the avant-garde elements of the 20th century) . The meeting of these personalities was fully successful, and listening to this album is a sheer pleasure. For years, Polish cinematographers have been making dazzling careers in the US. Janusz Kamiński has photographed all of Steven Spielberg’s films, including “Jurassic Park”, “Munich” and “Schindler’s List” (for which he won an Oscar and numerous critics awards in Los Angeles and New York). Another sought-after Polish director of photography, Sławomir Idziak, photographed several parts of “Harry Potter.” In the past, he worked with Krzysztof Kieślowski (“A Short Film About Killing”, “The Double Life of Veronique” and the “Three Colours. Blue”) and Ridley Scott (“Black Hawk Down”). A special credit is also due to Adam Holender. Born in Kraków, he left Poland for Canada in 1966, then he moved to the US and settled down in New York. In 1968 he photographed the famous movie “Midnight Cowboy” directed by John Schlesinger. In the following years he made more than 35 feature films in New York, Los Angeles and Europe, working with such directors as Agnieszka Holland, Paul Astera and Wayne Wang. But Polish cinema is no longer only cinematographers, but (again!) directors! The 2015 Oscar for “Ida” by Paweł Pawlikowski is simply a fantastic crowning of what has been going on in Polish cinema in recent years. In 2003 Andrzej Jakimowski made its debut in Polish cinema with a brilliant full-length story “Squint Your Eyes.” Since then, his filmography has come to include: “Tricks” and “Imagine.” He is winning the hearts of viewers and critics around the world. What characterises his cinema? Artisanal perfection, artistic beauty, philosophical defiance and wisdom, as well as great music (by Tomek Gąssowski who plays most of the instruments, but also invites great instrumentalists, such as Adam Bałdych, Leszek Potasiński, or Mateusz Pospieszalski). This year marks a decade since Wojciech Smarzowski made his first film. Since then, he has shot six full-length feature films, won dozens of awards (including the most important awards in Polish cinema), and recognition from critics and audiences. His cinema is like when you are confronted with something unpleasant, for example with drinking kerosene (no metaphors!). So we are “going in for this kerosene” to get a bit sick, but eventually, we are cured and restore faith in the highest values. Yes! Because this cinema echoes an urgent necessity for purification, reflection and rescue. It is always this way. •
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Cultural
sensations! 250 years of theatre in Poland; the 17th edition of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw; Wrocław’s intensive preparations for being the European Capital of Culture 2016, the most important cultural project in the city’s history. It covers eight areas (architecture, film, literature, music, visual arts, theatre, performance art, opera) and comprises a total of 400 projects which will produce almost 1,000 artistic events! An account by Maciej Proliński of the year 2015 in Polish culture.
The only such festival 32 concerts: recitals, chamber and symphonic concerts; great performers; known and unknown masterpieces of European music from Bach to Mahler; the classical music greats: Beethoven, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Rachmaninoff, Paderewski, Sibelius and Elgar in masterful renditions; Polish music from Chopin, Ogiński, Dobrzyński, Kurpiński, Szymanowska, Wolff and Lipiński to the first performances of works by Andrzej Czajkowski and Paweł Szymański. The 11th International Music Festival “Chopin and His Europe”, Warsaw, 1529 August 2015, is not to be missed!
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This year’s edition, following the example of previous years, will take an open-minded and curious look at the 19th century to get a feel for its legacy and the role played in it by the Festival’s patron. It will not, however, pass over the earlier artists whose œuvre gave rise to Romanticism, not infrequently seeing them as its models. It will also introduce us to the œuvre of later composers – heirs of the Romantic tradition. As has also become a tradition, it will highlight the significance of the jubilees which the whole musical world is observing this year: Piotr Tchaikovsky, Alexander Scriabin and Jean Sibelius. Among the performers who will be appearing are orchestras from Moscow, London, Freiburg and Warsaw; Chopin Competition winners, including those who triumphed at its most recent edition; but also other musicians of great international renown, such as Alexandre Tharaud, Sergei Krylov, Louis Lortie, Nelson Freire, Andreas Staier, Nikolai Lugansky, Jan Lisiecki, Ivo Pogorelić, Truls Mørk, Matthias Goerne, Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou. The charismatic Apollon Musagète Quartet will also perform. Two concerts are scheduled by Tobias Koch, a pianist who won the hearts of music lovers with his interpretations of Polish music. He will play music from Chopin’s era on at least three different
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pianos, not forgetting, either, about Michał Kleofas Ogiński, a distinguished artist of great significance to at least three different nations. The final concert, contrasting three different styles of piano interpretation, promises to be a sensation the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk, will be accompanied by Yulianna Avdeeva, Ingolf Wunder and Krzysztof Jabłoński. This edition of the Festival, subtitled “Before the Great Competition”, will also present in a special manner the Polish participants in the world’s most important Chopin competition, which will begin on 1 October and feature Martha Argerich: from 17 to 25 August, there will be an hour-long Chopin recital daily at 22.00 at the Holy Cross Basilica. The young pianists will play in the presence of Chopin’s heart on an original period piano: an 1849 Erard.
The Great Competition
The Competition will be inaugurated on 1 October by Martha Argerich. This will be a symbolic reference to the past, since her programme will feature Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto in B flat minor, with which she inaugurated the Competition in 1980. She will be accompanied by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under Jacek Kaspszyk. Performing on 2 October will be
another juror and former winner of the Competition, Garrick Ohlsson. The subsequent three weeks will belong to young pianists from around the world. Over four rounds, they will be vying for the main prize of EUR 30,000 and many special prizes (including the chance to perform in prestigious European concert halls). The winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition will be announced on the evening of 20 October 2015. We now know the names of the 84 pianists who will take part in this prestigious Competition. The international jury, led by Prof. Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń and comprised of Ludmil Angelov, Akiko Ebi, Adam Harasiewicz, Yves Henry, Andrzej Jasiński, Ivan Klánský, Anna Malikova, Alberto Nosè, Piotr Paleczny, Ewa Pobłocka, Marta Sosińska, Wojciech Świtała and Dina Yoffe, heard 152 candidates from all over the world. According to Competition rules, the pianists presented a programme approximately 30 minutes in length, comprised of a selection from among Chopin’s etudes, mazurkas, nocturnes, scherzi, ballades, fantasies and barcaroles. The greatest number of contestants comes from China and Poland – 15 people from each country, but other nations will be represented, too: 12 pianists from Japan, 9 from Korea, 7 from Russia, 5 from the United States, and 3 each from Canada, Great Britain and Italy. The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world. It is held in Warsaw every five years. It is also among the group of few monographic piano competitions dedicated to the musical performance of one composer. It was founded by the Polish pianist and teacher Jerzy Żurawlew (1887-1980) in 1927. The rules of the competition provide for a multistage selection, with works from Chopin’s distinct collections being performed at each stage. The evaluation is made by a jury of distinguished artists and teachers from around the world. The list of winers includes, among others.: Martha Argerich (1965), Krystian Zimerman (1975), Stanisław Bunin (1985) and Rafał Blechacz (2005). The East of Culture is an interesting initiative which came into fruition thanks to the joint involvement of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Centre for Culture, the local governments of Eastern Poland and the creative sector. Organised for the third time, it aims to bring together artistic milieus from Poland’s eastern areas: Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów, and the countries of the Eastern Partnership. The idea behind it is to make a joint effort of discovering what is unique to each culture and sharing artistic experience. This year’s East of Culture festival was inaugurated with the European Stadium of Culture in Rzeszów (25-28 June). As in previous years, it was an opportunity to learn about new trends in the Polish urban and electronic music. On the menu were open-air performances, workshops and photo exhibitions and art projects in public space. Lublin’s Different Sounds Art’n’Music Festival, 8-12 July, followed. The East of Culture will end with Another Dimension Festival in Białystok, 27-30 August, featuring the “Collection” exhibition with the participation of artists from Ukraine, Belarus and Armenia and the “Triple Portrait” project engaging photographers from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. Cultural events, concerts, film screenings and exhibitions are supported by local communities. Participation in all the events of the East of Culture is free! polish market
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250 years of theatre in Poland Public theatre was born in Poland in 1765, with the establishment of the National Theatre by King Stanisław Aug ust Poniatowski. An important step in building the state patronage over the widely available culture, it was also an irrefutable testimony of Polish contribution to shaping a modern, democratic Europe. Today’s direct heirs of the then National Theatre are the Narodowy Theatre in Warsaw, the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera and over a hundred theatres artistic institutions - subsidised from public funds. The Narodowy Theatre was put in charge of the programme of jubilee celebrations. The plans include, among others, staging of the outstanding Polish classics, including “Forefathers’ Eve” by Adam Mickiewicz, directed by Eimuntas Nekrošius, and “Kordian” by Juliusz Słowacki, directed by Jan Englert with a gala premiere on 19 November 2015 - the day of the 250th anniversary of the National Theatre. From October to December, the 4th edition of the Festival of National Theatres will take place in Warsaw, with the participation of several leading European theatres. This time, however, they will put on plays from the Polish repertoire. For example, the Théâtre National de La Colline in Paris will stage “The End of History” based on “History” by Witold Gombrowicz, directed by Christophe Honoré. A symposium of directors of national theatres will be organised, too. One of the most important events addressed to foreign audiences will be the international, scholarly and artistic showcase “Polska New Theatre”, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute and the Hieronim Konieczka Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz, which will be held on 25-27 September 2015 in Bydgoszcz. It will be attended by young curators, researchers and artists from all over the world. A dedicated programme showcasing the latest performances by young Polish directors will be an opportunity to meet and discuss the major themes of the contemporary theatre, regardless of latitude. Participants will also be able to benefit from lectures, presentations and workshops.
Polish cinema feast Each year, Gdynia Film Festival presents the best Polish films, promoting domestic cinematography on an unprecedented scale. Its 40th edition will take place from 14 to 19 September 2015. The Main Competition is intended for full-length feature films produced in Poland between 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015.
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The Festival’s Organising Committee has already decided to admit 18 productions to the Main Competition, including “Body/Ciało” directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, “Chemistry” directed by Bartek Prokopowicz, “A Grain of Truth” directed by Borys Lankosz and “Life Must Go On” directed by Maciej Migas). The 2015 Oscar for “Ida” directed by Paweł Pawlikowski is a tangible testament to Polish cinema’s strengthening position in the world, to the new quality of its artistic message, as well as a good omen for the whole Polish culture.
Invariably intriguing Kantor UNESCO has declared 2015 the Year of Tadeusz Kantor, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. 6 April marked the centenary of his birth. Born in 1915 in Wielopole Skrzyńskie, in the province of Tarnów, he was stage director, creator of happenings, painter, set designer, writer, art theoretician, actor in his own productions and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. He died in 1990 in Kraków. The Year of Kantor will see a number of artistic, scholarly, educational and publishing events in connection with this exceptional individual. The National Audiovisual Institute will launch a monographic collection devoted to Kantor. A film will be shot telling the story of his life and œuvre. Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Edinburgh - these are some of the venues of this year’s events marking the centenary of his birth. On 25 July, the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture, one of Scotland’s most important cultural institutions,
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will open an exhibition titled “The Water Hen: Kantor, Demarco and Edinburgh Festival”. It will be presented at the peak of the festival season in Edinburgh, which attracts every year theatre lovers from all over the world. Another highlight of the Kantor Year is a major exhibition entitled “Tadeusz Kantor Machine: Theatre+happe nings+perform ances+paintin g+other modes of production” which will be held in SESC Consolacao in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s leading cultural institution, on 18 August -14 November. It will feature over 130 objects: originals and replicas of stage objects, oil paintings, watercolours, gouaches, drawings, collages, as well as vast photographic and film documentation. The exhibits come from the collections of Cricoteka, the Art Museum in Łódź, National Museums in Warsaw, Poznań and Wrocław, and from private collections.
Wrocław – the European Capital of Culture 2016 The National Music Forum, which is scheduled to open in autumn, will be the main stage for the music events of the ECC 2016 in Wrocław. The programme of the European Capital of Culture, the title Wrocław will hold in 2016, was revealed in June. The National Forum of Music (NFM) is a flagship cultural investment of the capital city of Lower Silesia and the most modern concert hall in Poland. The building houses, among others, Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Wrocław Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum and Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. It will also be the venue for Wrocław’s biggest festivals, including Wratislavia Cantans, Musica Polonica Nova, Forum Musicum and Jazztopad. The programme of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 covers eight areas: architecture, film, literature, music, visual arts, theater, performance art and opera. A total of 400
projects will give rise to nearly 1,000 cultural events: festivals, concerts, performances, screenings and events in urban space. The European architectural legacy will be shown at many exhibitions. The most important of these are the “Constructing Europe. 25 years of Mies van der Rohe Award” and the “Mies van der Rohe Award 2015”, summarizing the 25-year-long history of the most prestigious European architectural prize, awarded since 1988 by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation (this year’s winner is the Philharmonic in Szczecin). The block of film events will feature a special edition of the T-Mobile New Horizons In-
ternational Film Festival and the project “Film Operas” by outstanding European directors. From 23 April 2016 Wrocław will be UNESCO World Book Capital 2016. With this extremely prestigious title, Wrocław will join cities such as Madrid, Amsterdam and Buenos Aires. In cooperation with UNESCO and other capitals of books and culture – as part of the ECC 2016 – a world book anthem will be created based on Tadeusz Różewicz’s poem translated into a dozen of languages. The music will be composed in an open competition for musicians and composers from Wrocław and Lower Silesia. The motto of the theatre programme of the European Capital of Culture and the motto of its key event - the Theatre Olympiad is: “The world should be a place of truth”, a quote from Jerzy Grotowski. The Theatre Olympiad will be an international festival presenting the works of the most prominent stage directors from all over the world. The guests: Tadashi Suzuki, Robert Wilson, Peter Brook and Romeo Castellucci will put on their most important plays. One of the major music events will be “Singing Europe” in July and August 2016, a meeting of several dozens of European choirs and world classical music stars who will perform operas and oratorios. The World Jazz Day (30 April) will sound off throughout the city from morning until late at night, and especially in the Centennial Hall with the Pergola, the Four Dome Pavilion, the National Music Forum and the Quarter of Four Denominations. Another item on the menu of the ECC 2016 is “Spanish night with Carmen - Zarzuela Show”, a great opera referring to the Spanish musical traditions, directed by Waldemar Zawodziński based on the concept of Ewa Michnik. There will be a highly diverse programme of visual art exhibitions. The National Museum in Wrocław has announced the exhibition “Wrocław’s Europe”, recalling the work of Bartłomiej Strobel, a great artist living in the city at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. In contrast, the project “Wrocław From the Back Yard” will be an attempt to revive the forgotten and neglected corners of • the city through contemporary artistic interventions.
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In half a year Wrocław will be European Capital of Culture Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of Wrocław, Jarosław Fret, Chairman of the Board of Curators of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016
Rafał Dutkiewicz
T
he title of European Capital of Culture 2016 is a great honour for Wrocław. After several years of preparations, in a few months’ time the city will present 400 cultural projects and programmes, consisting of about 1,000 artistic events: concerts, performances, exhibitions, screenings, festivals, outdoor events and happenings. Apart from the residents of Wrocław, this great cultural event will attract tens of thousands of guests from across Poland and tourists from all over Europe. This is a great opportunity for Wrocław to make Europeans feel its uniqueness, to position the region of Lower Silesia and Poland as places where there are so many magnificent, often unique, cultural events going on, to show a remarkable potential and limitless creative possibilities harboured by Polish culture.
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Wrocław residents love theatre, which is why we were so keen to be the organiser of the Theatre Olympiad, the festival of festivals, which will travel to Poland for the first time. For a few weeks, we will have the opportunity to see plays and the most outstanding figures of the contemporary world theatre. Furthermore, we will launch a lot of new theatrical events that will permanently fit into the cultural landscape of the city, region and the whole country. For many years, or perhaps it would be better to say “since always”, Wrocław has been associated with cinema. Here films are watched fervently, so there is no better place for awarding the prestigious European Film Awards which, alongside a special edition of the famous festival T-Mobile New Horizons, will be an opportunity to meet in the European Capital of Culture the most famous filmmakers and see their productions. Some of them will return to Wrocław next year... to create remarkable realisations under the project “Film Operas.” Always surrounded by music, we have become a city of tens of exceptional opera and musical events. So will it be in 2016. In a number of already well-known places but also in new ones, in public spaces and concert halls, and above all in the newly opened National Forum of Music, sounds and voices coming from many, often distant, cultures will be heard. The new projects of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016, such as “Singing America” or “Zarzuela Show – Spanish Night with Carmen” involve thousands of artists, choirs, dance groups, both professional and amateur. The home city of Tadeusz Różewicz, Marek Krajewski, or Olga Tokarczuk has on its 2016 agenda dozens of events related to literature and readership. Poetry around every corner, Wrocław immersed in reading and in love with the best novels, documentaries and crime fiction. That is what awaits us by the end of next year when the city will become UNESCO’s World Book Capital – an hounour that obliges, so we will have more literary projects than anywhere else in Poland. The public venues and outdoor facilities will turn into exhibition halls featuring works of visual arts and the greatest works of the Wrocław, Polish and world architecture - both modern and historical. The European Capital of Culture 2016 draws upon its past and thinks about its future and builds WuWA 2, a modern, model housing estate “Nowe Żerniki”, responding to the needs of residents.
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Jarosław Fret
Besides, thanks to some great open-air artistic events, Wrocław, with its rivers, bridges, squares and parks, will not only be a city of culture, but also a city-stage, with a story about ourselves, for themselves and for the whole of Europe going on for 365 days. These spectacular events, some of them unique in Poland’s history, but also smaller cultural events, which we will organise in 2016, could be cited endlessly. But the most important challenge we are facing is increasing the participation of the inhabitants of Wrocław in culture. In each city, in Wrocław too, there are people affected by exclusion in terms of culture, whose exclusion becomes established or who exclude themselves. When thinking about the lasting transformation brought about by the year 2016, it is to these people that we devote most attention. There is no doubt that access to culture is a factor that has a strong impact on our individual development and social relations. We believe that inviting people to participate in cultural events generates social empathy, a sense of responsibility for those we live with, and for the world around us. Nothing shapes our personal and social life better than active participation in culture, its sharing and co-creation. We want to build and sustain such habits among the residents of Wrocław. We strongly believe in the success of this great undertaking. We know the potential of Wrocław’s culture, we know Wrocław people’s potential and their interest in the world, we have confidence in our determination and openness. Wrocław will be a unique and beautiful European Capital • of Culture in 2016! ADVERTISEMENT
PROJECT MANUFACTURE
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“ MAKE THE NOW THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF YOUR LIFE.”
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The arts patron from the Lower Silesia Wilderness, or culture, beauty and nature of the Kliczków Castle Southwestern Poland abounds in extraordinary castles and palaces. But it is only the Kliczków Castle that does attach so much importance to the promotion of culture and art.
A castle with a history
The Kliczków Castle, an estate in the Kwisa old river-bed, hides a mysterious power, which attracts so many artists from all over the world. They are writing the castle’s most recent history, with their unique, beautiful works, often thematically closely linked with the place where they are created. Majesty, calm, soothing coolness and the shade of centuries-old mighty oaks and lindens give rise to a unique collage of dependencies, which exert a creative influence on painters, sculptors, musicians and artists at large.
A park of art
This poetic name conceals an annual open-air painting workshop organised in the Kliczków Castle and in the Prince Manor House. For six years, the Association of Polish Artists and Designers of Wrocław has regularly visited the picturesque corners of western Lower Silesia, especially the palace park surrounding the castle. Over a few days, they express their talents by painting and sculpting, and - importantly - integrate with each other. The Kliczków Castle was visited, among others, by Róża Kordos, Manfred Bator and Waldemar Kremser. The event is overseen by its curator, Krystyna Szczepaniak. It has become a tradition that a post-event exhibition is held in Wrocław’s galleries or museums. But these are not the only examples of the impact the Kliczków Castle exerts on creative attitudes in painting and graphic art. The annual Equestrian Gala is accompanied by the exhibition of watercolours using the horse motifs, clearly associated with the place, authored by Dr. Natalia Przesmycka of the Lublin University of Technology. The gala’s leitmotiv also appears in special prints by Henryk Sawka, a famous satirist. These highly distinctive works are like an artistic chorus of the exclusive horse ball. They serve as a teaser for the media prior to the event and a unique keepsake that can be bought at post-event charity auctions. The watercolours using the Kliczków estate as motifs hang on the walls of the Castle’s interiors. Their author, Jan Edward Koziołek, likes to render in his paintings the castle’s distinctive facade and an eye-catching swimming pool in the erstwhile manège square. Interestingly, the artist paints his alluring, light pictures on the fly, as they are among the classic souvenirs brought home from this unique place.
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The orchestra! Music!
Music lovers could always choose from the wide range of events offered by the Kliczków Castle. For many years, jazz and blues lovers have met at the heart of the Lower Silesian Wilderness for the “Blues nad Bobrem” Festival. The Kliczków Castle has made a huge impression on the best Polish bass guitar player and teacher, Wojciech Pilichowski. In early August, he will conduct a few days’ long bass workshops, crowned with an exciting jam session concert! The Kliczków Castle was also a spectacular backdrop for the composers of old music. The “Persona Grata” series, performed in the castle’s Court Room by the ensemble Arte dei Suonatori and the outstanding violinist Johannes Pramsohler, was the interpretation of the Baroque works of Johann Sebastian Bach. It was publicised throughout the region long before and long after the show.
A unique cuisine
Owing to its unique situation at the heart of the Lower Silesia Wilderness rich in berries, game, honey and mushrooms, the castle has developed a unique culinary heritage over the centuries. The cultural richness of diverse ethnic groups, which inhabited (or returned to) the western part of Lower Silesia after World War II, was reflected in the culinary offer of Kliczków. Profound influences of a number of cultures – Serbian, Austrian, Lusatian, Czech, German, French, Ukrainian and, of course, Polish – had left a lasting mark on today’s menu offered to visitors of the castle. Interestingly, special cookbooks devoted to court style cuisine – “Za stołem w Kliczkowie” and “Dawne smaki Dolnośląskiej Krainy Karpia” – were published by the owner of the castle. The impulse for these publications – the second collection of historic court recipes has come out recently – was daily menus composed by J.G. Roessler, who had served as chef. The menus were found in the castle’s attic.. The book was compiled by Grzegorz Sobel, a well-known Wrocław culinary critic and mentor, specialising especially in old cuisines. The Kliczków Castle has been supporting artists working in many fields of art. The natural environment of this unique place, hidden in the Lower Silesia Wilderness, favours concentration, nurtures inspiration and creative work. That is why creative people with open minds visit us so willingly and so often. •
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Responsible
business,
good
pr ac tice Ewa Bałdyga Vice-President of Martis Consulting
The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and the ways businesses pursue it, not as an obligation, but as a deliberate activity in line with the objects and the mission of the company.
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orporate Social Responsibility is a management approach that takes into account the organisation’s social and environmental impact. Regardless of its scale and nature, every business exerts a certain influence on the environment, and a socially responsible approach strives to minimise the negative and maximise the positive impact. We provide our clients with day-to-day support in achieving their CSR objectives by defining sustainable development strategies supporting the conduct of business, by identifying parametres allowing to monitor the scale of the above-mentioned impact, by improving the organisational culture and carrying out communication activities towards an image of a socially responsible business, inspiring confidence in investors, customers, business partners and other stakeholders. Our clients include CSR leaders who have for years been going far beyond
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the existing home market standards and obligations provided for by statutory law. The project CSR Academy “Corporate Social Responsibility Development”, whose originator and key partner is Martid Consulting, represents a series of free conferences organised since 2012 by the publisher of “Puls Biznesu” under the auspices of the Ministry of Treasury. One of the project partners used to be the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Its aim is to support SMEs in overcoming barriers associated with the development of Corporate Social Responsibility. Generally, small and medium-sized companies have an intuitive and less formal approach to CSR. It happens that they have concerns about the implementation of CSR practices for fear of lack of relevant competence or necessity to incur significant organisational and financial expenditure. Moreover, most trainings and conferences devoted to CSR are paid, which is an
insurmountable barrier for SMEs. Additonaly, CSR is often approached from the point of view of a large company. Therefore, workshops organised as part of the CSR Academy are valuable experience, as far as they allow our experts and companies considered as CSR leaders to discuss practical aspects related to the implementation of such an approach. It inspires regional SMEs to take specific actions. So far approx. 1,300 people interested in building a competitive market position based on CSR rules have attended our conferences. The approach we represent has found recognition as the CSR Academy won an award in 2013 in the 16th edition of “Corporate Social Responsibility Report”of the “Gazeta Finansowa” weekly. The series of conferences did not pass unnoticed by the experts of the Responsible Business Forum who included the initiative in the report “Responsible Business in Poland 2014. Good Practices”. •
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The Shrine of Our Lady of Grace in Krzeszów
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ulture is a building block of our development. This is clear. Interestingly, in principle, no one would risk saying that culture and art are dispensable. However, when it comes to budget cuts, then, unfortunately and regardless of the country, they are always at the expense of culture. When it comes to promoting Poland beyond its borders, everyone has no doubts to bring up the idea of cultural events. Foreigners invited to visit Poland are tempted not only with beautiful views, but also with cultural events, cultural heritage and theatre plays. But it must not be forgotten that if we want creativity, education and culture to prosper we need to support and promote them. It is fair to say that many artistic initiatives would not have come to fruition were it not for private sponsors as opposed to mere state support. As we are living in crisis times, culture is always an obvious area for politicians to look for savings. Therefore, many cultural institutions rely not only on state subsidies, but look around for private sponsors. The sponsorship of culture performs a variety of functions, but it appears most effective when part of a communication strategy - CSR. Corporate Social Responsibility is an attitude that takes into account social and environmental impacts of the organisation. There are many companies, large and small ones, whose support is crucial for the existence of cultural institutions. But let us not forget that it is a tie-in deal. The promotion of culture affords companies an opportunity is build up a brand, using the wealth of associations offered by the world of arts. Companies that decide to contribute to cultural initiatives are generally seen as socially responsible, courageous and credible. One of such companies is KGHM Polska Miedź, a fullfledged art and culture sponsor. For years, it has participated
Photos KGHM
Culture helps build up a brand
The Cistercian Monastery in Lubiąż
in the organization of or has given its patronage to major local, national and international initiatives. The company has consistently supported, among others, film and theatre productions, and festivals: the Moniuszko Festival, the Polish Film Festival “Wisła” in Moscow, and the Russian Film Festival in Warsaw “Sputnik over Poland.” KGHM is a partner of the National Music Forum in Wrocław. It supports Wrocław’s Opera, Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, Festival of Film Direction, and perhaps less spectacular but locally important projects, such as: Poetic Song Review “Wyśpiewać Poezję” as part of Stachuriada in Kotla near Głogów, Legnica Festival of Culture “Świat pod Kyczerą”, Legnica Festival of Silver, Copper Museum in Legnica, etc. One interesting project was financing “Orchestra”, a play written by Krzysztof Kopka and directed by Jacek Głomb, Director of Helena Modrzejewska Theatre. KGHM sponsored its TV version, too, which was shown by TVP 2. The KGHM Polska Miedź Foundation was established in 2003 to oversee the company’s sponsorship activities. Its mission is care for local identity and traditions, and financial support to areas that are important to people. The company supports theatres, operas, film productions, sports events and facilities. So far, the Foundation has granted over 3,000 donations for institutional projects totalling over PLN 110 million and more than 7,500 individual donations worth almost PLN 20 million. CSR activities are an integral part of the strategy of KGHM Polska Miedź. Certainly, there are many other companies that feel so strongly about supporting cultural institutions, the so• called ambassadors of Polish culture!
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Polish cinema under wings Since the beginning of July passengers travelling aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliners operated by the Polish national carrier PLL Lot have been offered an opportunity to watch the best Polish films of the past decade. This is thanks to cooperation established between PLL Lot and the Polish Film Institute (PISF). The repertoire of the project, called Picture Poland, includes such films as “Ida,” a winner of an Oscar, “Gods” (Bogowie), “Little Rose” (Różyczka) and “The Cathedral” (Katedra). Marcin Haber
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he project, initiated by PISF, is designed to promote Polish cinema among passengers on intercontinental flights, mainly foreigners. PISF is getting films translated into a number of foreign languages so that passengers can truly enjoy the film shows. On the first flight, one to Beijing, passengers had an opportunity to watch “Ida” in Chinese.
“The Picture Poland project, which we are carrying out in conjunction with the Polish Film Institute, will be present on the flights since the beginning of July,” said Krzysztof Moczulski, product director at PLL Lot. “There are always 10 films offered aboard. They constitute a review of the past 10 years in Polish cinema. We offer the films and onboard entertainment aboard our wide-body planes used for intercontinental flights, that is aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliners. A wide range of films is available because our passengers come from different countries. Thanks to this initiative, carried out in conjunction with PISF, we want to show our passengers – not only Poles, but also foreigners – what Poland has to offer. We want to proudly show them Polish cinema, show them the good things we have so as to popularize Polish culture.” “At the moment, it is a set of 10 films, but we are going to successively expand it by two more films every month,” said Anna Sienkiewicz-Rogowska, who is responsible for popularizing film
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and promotion at PISF. “In the middle of next year, there will be 20 films in the Picture Poland package. We will be preparing new language versions, depending on the passenger profile for individual destinations as provided to us by PLL Lot. We are ready to prepare up to five language versions for each flight.” Picture Poland is the world’s first project designed to promote the cinema of a single country on airlines. Thanks to the campaign, selected Polish films are available for viewing to PLL Lot passengers flying to and from Poland. This still-untapped potential to reach a large group of viewers offers quite new opportunities for raising the awareness, particularly among foreigners, of how important and good the films made in Poland are. Polish films are still rarely distributed internationally. Making it possible for potential viewers to come into contact with a wide range of titles, representing different kinds and genres, creates new opportunities for promoting and popularizing Polish cinema on a broader scale.
The first set of 10 films shown aboard the Dreamliners consists of “Ida,” “Gods” (Bogowie), “Little Rose” (Różyczka), “Rewers” (Reverse), “Nasza Klątwa” (Our Curse), “Papusza,” Piotruś i Wilk” (Peter & the Wolf), “Imagine,” “Joanna,” and “Katedra” (The Cathedral). These are productions supported by the Polish Film Institute. They have won the most important film awards in the world, including the Oscar, or were shortlisted for the • awards.
Benefac tors
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of the National Museum in Krakow
“We want this museum to serve us as a comforter in times of doubt in the work of our own. We want it to be a treasure of national feelings, we want the charm and beauty of its collections to be the source of consent, love and unity,” Władysław Łuszczkiewicz, the first director of the National Museum in Krakow, said during its inauguration in 1883.
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he newly formed “national” museum became a matter of the entire nation - all Poles living under occupation and those in exile. Museum halls, arranged in Krakow’s Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) - the museum’s first premises - were filled with works of art, mostly gifts from artists and collectors, who often gave away their most precious belongings. The first painting submitted to the new Museum was the picture of “Torches of Nero” by Henryk Siemiradzki. The museum was successfully securing funds for the purchase and acquisition of new facilities, namely by public fundraising, patronage and charity. One of the most important Polish art patrons - and the biggest donor of the National Museum in Krakow - was Feliks Jasieński (1861-1929). On 11 March 1920 he transferred his collection to the city Krakow to be offered to the National Museum in Krakow. Since June, the finest items from his collection are showcased by the National Museum in Krakow as part of the exhibition “Long live art! Feliks Jasieński Collections. From Japan to Europe.
Things beautiful and useful”, arranged in Szołayski House, 9 Szczepański Square. It features, among others, paintings of Malczewski, Pankiewicz, Wyczółkowski and Wyspiańskiego, graphics of Francisco Goya and Giovanni Piranesi, Japanese woodcuts of Hokusai and Hiroshige. “Graphic French from Impressionism to Art Nouveau” is a separate exhibition and Poland’s first such a great show of modern French graphics from the collection of Jasieński. It covers more than 300 works (including over 20 posters exhibited for the first time in Poland) by such world-renowned artists as Pierre Bonnard, Paul Gauguin, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Odilon Redon, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Alfred Sisley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edouard Vuillard. Our present-day Patrons, Donors, Sponsors and Partners support a multitude of activities of National Museum in Krakow, allowing the implementation of numerous projects. Partnership and cooperation lie at the root of many projects carried out by the museum, like for example another temporary exhibition titled “Ottomania. The
Photo: Jacek Malczewski, “Portrait of Feliks Jasieński with a Portfolio”, 1903, oil on panel, National Museum in Krakow, Photo Laboratory of the National Museum in Krakow
Ottoman Orient in the Art of Renaissance”, displayed in the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow and sparkling with big names. “The National Museum in Krakow increasingly offers its visitors the opportunity to see the works of the greatest artists of world class and fame. After Impressionists, Chagall and Turner, we are now presenting the artists of the European Renaissance. The works of such artists as Durer, Memling, Titian and Bellini will certainly be interesting to our guests,” says Zofia Gołubiew, Director of the National Museum in Krakow. While inviting to cooperate in organising and publicising exhibition projects, and supporting programmes addressed to the audience, we would like to give special thanks to PZU, which is the Patron of the National Museum in Krakow, for its courage in the implementation of the mission of business-culture, as well as to our Sponsors: Kärcher, PKO Bank Polski, Siemens, Totalizator Sportowy, NBP, BNP Paribas and EDF Polska. •
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Deutsche Bank is strongly committed to social, scientific and cultural initiatives, being guided by the principle “Giving More Than Just Money.” Why such a philosophy? We are convinced that today’s currency is not only money, so we believe that corporations and large companies, including financial institutions, should actively get involved in activities going beyond the sphere of day-to-day business operations. By supporting sustainable development we are building our common future. We strive to engage in social dialogue and be a responsible player. We operate not only centrally, but also locally. Our employees are leading, also independently, many social projects: we have about 20,000 volunteers worldwide. There are several foundations within the Group that focus on social needs of people around the world. pm
What is the reason behind the idea for the promotion of contemporary art, which is difficult to understand? Supporting contemporary art is one of the pillars of Deutsche Bank’s corporate culture. For over 30 years, the bank has been working with museums, art fairs and institutions, rewarding and promoting emerging talents. As part of its global structures, Deutsche Bank has for years been implementing Art Works, a programme the aim of which is to make art accessible to the broadest possible audience. It is an integral part of the Deutsche Bank Group’s CSR strategy, which provides for contemporary art to be available to customers and employees in our branches and offices, as well as the general public through, for example, Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle in Berlin, exhibitions around the world, educational programmes and awards. Deutsche Bank has one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary art (over 56,000 exhibits). Almost 2,000 of them are displayed in Deutsche Bank’s branches and offices (primarily in Frankfurt). The Deutsche Bank’s collection includes works of more than 5,000 artists from 40 countries, also from Poland. It is one of the most important corporate collections in the world. Contemporary art opens horizons and makes you look at the world in a variety of unconventional, innovative ways. pm
Today’s currency is not only money Sabina Salamon, Head of Corporate Communication at Deutsche Bank Polska, speaks about cultural patronage.
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This year, we will have the 7th edition of “Views” (“Spojrzenia”), one of the most important competitions for young artists, organised jointly with the Zachęta National Gallery of Art. “Views” - Deutsche Bank Award is definitely one of the most important artistic events in Polish contemporary art. We have been organising it, together with Zachęta, for twelve years. The award, as shown by the past editions, is for young artists like a turbine driving their artistic careers, a gateway to the world’s largest galleries. Participants of the past editions: Paweł Althamer, Monika Sosnowska, Janek Simon, Wojciech Bąkowski or Konrad Smoleński are among the most acclaimed representatives of Polish contemporary art. This reaffirms our conviction that “Views” makes sense and, despite the hermetic nature often met in an attempt to interpret modern art works, it is worth trying to understand them. This year’s exhibition in Zachęta starts on 7 September, and the winner will be announced during the Awards Gala on 22 October. pm
Deutsche Bank is a well-known co-organiser of concerts. How did it start? For seven years, we have been organising a series of concerts “Deutsche Bank Invites”. From the beginning of its presence in Poland (25 years in 2015), Deutsche Bank has pm
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supported several musical events, for example the International Jazz Piano Festival in Kalisz, Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa or Szczecin Music Fest. At one point, we decided to create our own project. So far, more than 30 concerts have been organised within the framework of Deutsche Bank Invites. We had a pleasure to invite many amazing artists, both Polish and from abroad. It is worth mentioning such stars as Leonard Cohen, Branford Marsalis, Candy Dulfer, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Macy Gray, and unforgettable Cesaria Evora and Joe Cocker. It is at our invitation that Michael Bublé came to Poland for the first time. Last year, we were patrons over a fantastic tour of Chris Botti. This year we hosted Kurt Elling, an eminent jazz vocalist, and in November Marcus Miller and Leszek Możdżer will perform at Warsaw’s Torwar Arena. The next concert will be held on 7 December and will be a Christmas concert of the British trio organised as Deutsche Bank Invites Puppini Sisters event. How do you select the stars you later host in Poland? It is our own original cycle, so it largely depends on our musical taste. First of all, it is important that the performer is great in live concerts; is able to captivate the audience with his or her charisma, as opposed to a studio musician who works hard on every detail of his or her album, but has no flow with the audience. We want this series to consist of music events rather than concerts. Hence the selection of artists who prove their class on stage. Obviously, we have some ideas of music genres that we consider valuable. Many of our guests are representatives of top-notch jazz, as well as world music. For example, two outstanding but quite different fado singers: Mariza and Ana Moura performed during Deutsche Bank Invites. Both concerts were extremely poignant and magical. Great was also the concert of Yasmin Levy who sings mainly Sephardic music inspired by flamenco. I cannot fail to mention also one of the last concerts of Cesaria Evora, a legend of world music, performing morna, a genre originating from the Cape Verde Islands. Despite her serious illness at that time, the artist delivered a perfect performance, singing with great calm. Moreover, she turned out to be an extremely warm person, having nothing of a whimsical diva. pm
Deutsche Bank is also a sponsor of one of the world’s most famous orchestras - the Berliner Philharmoniker. Yes, last year Deutsche Bank Group celebrated 25 years of our cooperation. We were also proud to invite Polish audience to unique performance by the great Orchestra. Tickets for the Warsaw’s concert of the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle in November sold out in a few hours; it was definitely one of the most important artistic events of last year. With many years of sponsoring, Deutsche Bank managed to see through a number of initiatives as part of the programme popularising classical music implemented with the Berliner Philharmoniker, including the “Digital Concert Hall”, which makes it possible for more than 300,000 registered web users to follow live concerts online. Educational projects, which have so far involved more than 30,000 young people, are also an extremely important element of Deutsche Bank’s cooperation with the Berliner Philharmoniker. pm
Deutsche Bank supports many initiatives in the field of cultural education. Why? We believe that contact with culture opens up new perspectives, teaches creativity, team work and self-confidence. This
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Kurt Elling, Chris Botti and Ana Moura during the concerts Deutsche Bank Invites. Photo: Deutsche Bank Polska/ Łukasz Sokół, Marta Rzepka
matters especially in projects targeted at young people. So it is important to be able to meet with culture, regardless of one’s social origins or education. Through its cultural projects Deutsche Bank wants to help overcome socially conditioned prejudices against music and the arts. Particularly valuable are educational projects nurturing a passion for culture. Every year, over 100,000 participants are involved in Deutsche Bank’s cultural projects worldwide. What are the benefits of supporting cultural institutions by large corporations? From the business point of view, sponsorship of cultural institutions is ennobling, it gives a sense of mission and accomplishment, strengthens the company’s image in the eyes of the general public, but also employees by increasing their motivation and a sense of identification with the company. Cooperation with institutions such as Zachęta, Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera and the Berliner Philharmoniker conjures positive associations that are transposed to the brand. But, above all, it builds Deutsche Bank’s image as a company open to the spiritual and material needs of people, one that cares about the development of cultural awareness and enable its employees to get involved and get a feeling of participation. If a sponsorship is to be noticed and appreciated, it should be part of a long-term strategy. Long - term cooperation between cultural institutions and corporations should be based on trust, partnership and something more than just financial support, in line with Deutsche • Bank’s motto: “Giving More Than Just Money.” pm
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Art on the Metro Culture and art on the Metro are promoted through two programmes supported by the company, i.e. “the train of art” („pociąg do sztuki”) and “Gallery A19”.
The train of art “The train of art” („pociąg do sztuki”) was founded in 2004 as a culture promotion programme in the big city space. The first gallery was situated on Wilanowska station. After five years, “the train of art” has come to create a large network of city galleries situated in underground circulation routes on seven stations of the Warsaw Metro (Kabaty, Imielin, Wilanowska, Pole Mokotowskie, Centrum, Świętokrzyska and Dworzec Gdański). The eighth gallery is located in the main hall of a building situated in the headquarters of Warsaw Metro. In these places, exhibitions of contemporary art are presented every month. In 2014 the “the train of art” galleries featured the following works and exhibits: the exhibition of photographs by Anna Bedyńska, the winner of the World Press Photo in the category of stylised portrait, the “Theatre Festival” - an overview of the Dramatic Theatre’s most interesting posters, Warsaw Eagles a photographic exhibition on American football, a post-competition exhibition presenting works from the collection “Mazovia Integration Month”, and ORT – Icelandic poetry vs. Polish poetry” – an international project implemented in cooperation with the Polish Book Institute.
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Gallery A19 Another permanent element of art in Warsaw Metro is “Gallery A19”; its goal is to prepare the design of a mural 35 m in length and 3.5 m in height. The project was created in 2007 as a culture promotion programme in the big city space. In December 2010, Warsaw Metro changed its project coordinator, and signed the contract on mutual cooperation with the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The contract’s objective is to popularise art, promote students and graduates of artistic schools and present their works in public space within the framework of the artistic project “Gallery A19”. In 2014, a research project titled “1/oo” was continued in “Gallery A19”. The project, whose aim is to analyse changes in scale and copies of a painted picture using large-format printing techniques, and on 18 September 2014, on the mural of Marymont station (in “Gallery A19”), a series of the “Metro Comics” shows began; it was inaugurated with “Still Work” by Piotr Mach from Poznań. Later, Marcin Podolec showed a sequence from “Fugazi Music Club” (a comics released by “Kultura Gniewu”). The third to be unveiled, on 24 February 2015, was “Bio” Małgorzata Jabłońska from Gliwice.
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Metro supports
the sport!
The Wheelchair Rugby Metro Cup 2015
The Little Mole Cup (Puchar Krecika) The Little Mole Cup (Puchar Krecika) is an annual family sports event co-organised by Warsaw Metro. Its first edition was held in 2014 on a ski slope in Warsaw’s Szczęśliwice. All young skiers aged 3-13 are eligible to enter the competition. In addition to testing skiing skills, the event is an excellent opportunity to spend time in the fresh air with your family.
- After a goal has been scored, or after any stoppage in play, the player has 10 seconds to inbound the ball; - The team that inbounds the ball in its own end has 12 seconds to advance the ball over the mid-court line; - No player on the team in control of the ball may remain in the opposing team’s key area for more than 10 seconds; - The player in possession of the ball must dribble or pass the ball at least once every 10 seconds; - The defending team must have no more than three play• ers in their key area while defending it.
The Wheelchair Rugby Metro Cup 2015 The Wheelchair Rugby Metro Cup 2015 was held on July 2015. Organised for the fourth time, the tournament was attended by teams from Denmark, France, Colombia, Germany, Britain (2 trains) and Poland. Another participant was “The Robots”, the European team with players representing different countries. The tournament was organised by the Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities (SSON), and one of its partners was Warsaw Metro. Wheelchair Rugby is a very fast growing sport. The play involves 4-strong teams. The basic rules of the game are the following: The Litt le Mole Cup
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HONORARY Pearls,
or the people who are one-man institutions For 10 years, during its annual Gala of the Pearls of the Polish Economy, “Polish Market” has awarded Honorary Pearls to the most outstanding personalities and institutions in the fields of economy, culture, science, social values and patriotism, whose achievements, experience, prestige and undisputed personal qualities allow to recognise them as ambassadors of the highest Polish values. Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś, Maciej Proliński
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he idea of considering the arts, especially the music, as Poland’s best showcase and ambassador has for years guided the activities of “Polish Market.” The award is conferred by the jury panel of: Prof. Jerzy Buzek, Tadeusz Donocik, Grażyna Jaskuła, Prof. Janusz Lipkowski, Prof. Ksawery Piwocki, Prof. Andrzej Rottermund, Adam Szejnfeld, Janusz Steinhoff, Prof. Andrzej Wiszniewski and Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek. Prof. Michał Kleiber, former President of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN): “The Pearls of the Polish Economy are conferred on the basis of extremely objectified criteria, developed by the Institute of Economics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. As for the Honorary Pearls, let me just say one thing: when you check the list of laureates, you will know how important these distinctions are.”
The power of spirit! Polish culture has lots of great names. This elite is the best showcase of Poland in the world. Poland has always been a country that takes pride in its culture. Especially Polish music has a well-merited place in the world, and particularly in Europe. Poland is permanently represented internationally by excellent Polish bands, Polish singers and Polish composers. With new concert halls and talented young people, we are in a good artistic dialogue with the world.
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From left: Waldemar Dąbrowski, Zygmunt Solorz-Żak, Jan Kulczyk - Honorary Pearls
Honorary Pearls awarded in the category culture in 2006-2014:
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Wojciech Kilar, Urszula Dudziak, Małgorzata Walewska, Anna Maria Jopek, Łukasz Kuropaczewski, Marek Torzewski, Janusz Olejniczak, Marcin Bronikowski, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Skolimowski, Jacek Sykulski and Poznań Boys’ Choir, Maryla Rodowicz, Television Theatre, Bernard Ładysz, Jerzy Stuhr, Czesława Frejlich, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Adam Mickiewicz University Chamber Choir in Poznań, Prof. Mirosław Bałka, Ewa Gołębiowska, Michał Stefanowski, Adam Spała, Prof. Leon Tarasiewicz, Wojciech Zych, Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra.
From left: Janusz Steinhoff, Bożena Walter, Ewa Gołębiowska, Małgorzata Walewska, Prof. Norman Davies, Prof. Jan Lubiński
CSR, or the art of doing responsible business Turbulent economic times require specific competence from corporate financial managers. In the rickety global environment, the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility should be advanced. At this point, it is worth mentioning one of the laureates that has for year combined its day-to-day activities with such a responsibility.
honorary Pearls in the category social values in 2007-2014: “Partita” band, ProOmnibus Foundation, TVN Foundation “Nie jesteś sam” (You are not alone), Polpharma Scientific Foundation, Jerzy Owsiak, Janina Ochojska, Polsat Foundation, Janusz Sobieraj, Bożena Kazanowska, Jerzy Starak, Irena Koźmińska. •
From left Adam Zamoyski, Prof. Karol Myśliwiec, Prof. Marian Zembala, Prof. Ksawery Piwocki, Adam Szejnfeld, Janusz Steinhoff, Janina Ochojska, Prof. Jerzy Buzek, Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek, Prof. Michał Kleiber, Grażyna Jaskuła, Marcin Bronikowski, Prof. Janusz Lipkowski, Ewa Gołębiowska, Prof. Andrzej Rottermund, Tadeusz Donocik
From left: Prof. Maciej Nowicki, Prof. Witold Koziński, Prof. Bogdan Marciniec, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Łukasz Kuropaczewski, Marcin Kydryński, Marek Torzewski and Jerzy Owsiak
Laureates of Honorary Pearls in 2011
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JORDANKI ART AND CONGRESS CENTRE
THE UPCOMING OPENING OF THE CONCERT HALL "JORDANKI" IN TORUŃ • Original architecture: acclaimed as the best Future Culture Project during the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona • Exceptional surroundings: close distance to the Old Town in Toruń UNESCO World Heritage Site • Multifunctional: from concert, theatre, opera, cinema f to conference venue • Innovative solutions in acoustics, mobile ceilings, mobile auditorium • A unique design inspired by the medieval architecture of Toruń created by the world-renowned Spanish architect Fernando Menis • Perfect location: central location in Poland and convenient connections to airports in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz, Poznań and Łódź
• Impressive dimensions of the building: Area above ground level: approx. 13,000 m2 Area below ground level: approx. 8,600 m2 Total area: approx. 22,000 m2 Total volume: approx. 158,000 m3 Three halls: Concert hall (884 seats), Small hall (287 seats), Open-Air Stage
Visit us on: www.jordanki.torun.pl
The 19th International Song Festival of Disabled Youth “Artistic Impressions 2015”
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“Polish Market” supports young vocalists!
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his was already the 19th edition of the International Song Festival of Disabled Youth. Organised by the ProOmnibus Foundation, it awards prizes every year to the most talented disabled young vocalists. The Ciechocinek Artistic Impressions 2015 ended with a Gala Concert in the Spa Park. For several days, the audience gathered at the Concert Shell listened to young singers, coming this year not only from across Poland, but also from Russia and Ukraine. The competition was attended by 50 young disabled, but extremely talented, people who make enormous sacrifices to achieve what they achieve, persistently seeking to upgrade their music skills. The young performers were accompanied by an ensemble under the direction of Artur Grudziński. This year’s edition of the Festival was given the patronage by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Iwona Kozłowska, Member of Parliament, and Wiesława Taranowska, Vice-President of OPZ. There were also local officials headed by Mayor Ciechocinek Leszek Dzierżewicz, distinguished foreign guests: Ludmiła Buszyńska, organiser of the Disabled Youth Song Festival “Golden Bird” in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, and Sergei Antufev, Director of the Russian Science and Culture Centre at the Embassy of Russia in Warsaw, as well as Teresa Hernik, President of the Board of PFRON, Iwona Kozłowska, Wiesława Taranowska and Piotr Salaber, a composer, pianist and conductor. The Grand Prix went to Agata Zakrzewska. The jury chaired by Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek found it extremely difficult to pick one winner because of the high artistic level represented by all the participants. At the Gala Concert, Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek, President of the Jury of the Festival, said: “It is for the ninth time that I have the honour and great pleasure to preside over the Festival’s jury and needless to say how difficult our choice was, as choices are always difficult to make. It was not easy, indeed, as every year, because of the very high artistic level of our competitors. For us, the jurors, the participation in concerts was a great experience. It was a beautiful
time. I think there festivals in the world that not only stir emotions, but above all touch your heart because they prove you can overcome your fears and you can pursue your passions, despite illness, pain and suffering.” Interestingly, despite the event’s competitive nature and the rivalry that one can expect among the participants, the atmosphere was wonderful, friendly. The best proof of good relations between the young singers is their mutual support. This is something the foundation’s motto “One for all and all for one” perfectly reflects. Quoting Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek: “Each Gala Concert ends with the song ‘Serce za uśmiech damy was’ (‘We will give you our heart for your smile’), which is sung by all the participants and which we will hear also today. Listen to the words of this beautiful song: our talented young people give us so much and want so little in return. They want a smile, kindness, and - like all of us - acceptance and love, which, like talent, can be shared with others and which makes our world better and more beautiful. ‘What is beauty? It is the shape of love’, our great poet, Cyprian Kamil Norwid wrote. Rivalry shows man’s determination and desire to show that he is the best. However, during this Festival, rivalry among the youth did not prejudice against good cooperation, kindness, sympathy and friendship. As I look at it and see the atmosphere of the competition without a hint of disdain, reluctance or malice in relation to another man, it makes me realise how much we, the adults, could learn from them. The French philosopher Louis Lavelle once said: ‘The greatest good that we can do to others is not to communicate to them our richness but to reveal to them their own.’ Bearing in mind these words, I wish to warmly thank all those who help young people regain their joy of life, help them believe in their abilities and discover their talents. Therefore, a particular debt of gratitude is owed the Foundation ProOmnibus, the Festival’s organiser, and all people of good will involved in this project.” The winners of the Festival have traditionally been invited to sing at the annual Gala of the Pearls of the Polish Economy organised by “Polish Market” at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. • polish market
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1st Place
of Artistic Impressions 2015:
under
16 years: Aleksandra Orłowska
Aleksandra Liske
1st Place
2nd Place
Category
2nd Place
Grand Prix Agata Zakrzewska
Winners
Category
over
16 years: Michał Wiśniewski
Katarzyna Rudnik
Honourable mentions: Joanna Kryś
Alicja Grzybicka
photo: Maciej Szczurek
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Szymon Wasiłowicz
Anna Czaman
Matylda Obiegała
Laura Dziąba
Special Honourable mentions: Ekaterina Vlasova – Russia
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Svietlana Besadowskaya – Ukraine
Jury: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek
President of the Jury of the Festival
Alicja Kulińska Ludmiła Małecka Ludmiła Zamojska Andrzej Frajndt Sławek Małecki Jerzy Skonieczny
From left: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek, Mirosław Satora (Fundacja PRO OMNIBUS), Agata Zakrzewska and Andrzej Frajndt
From left: Sławomir Małecki, Ludmiła Zamojska, Andrzej Frajndt and Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek
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The st International Music Festival for Children, Youth and Adults with Hearing Disorders
“Cochlear Rhythms”
The Festival was organized by Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, Director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and founder of the World Hearing Center under the Honorary Patronage of Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and Prof. Marian Zembala, Minister of Health.
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he event aims to show the whole world that, thanks to the achievements of modern science and medicine, hearing problems are not an obstacle to professional dealing with music and developing a vocal talent. The festival will demonstrate possibilities for people who, after cochlear implantation, not only communicate with others easily, but also have an excellent ear for music and a passion in life! They sing, compose, play various instruments, record professional albums. They are living proofs that with today’s unprecedented technological progress in science and medicine even severe hearing impairments do not have to be an obstacle to a career in music. By organising the festival, Prof. Henryk Skarżyński wants to help these people realise their music dreams and plans, and to document everyday clinical achievements for information of those who can hear. The two-day festival is organised in an attractive form of a competition. Out of nearly 100 entries, the organisers have selected 33 participants from 15 countries around the world: Germany, Russia, Ukraine, China, Indonesia, Australia, the United States, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Kazakhstan and Israel. They came to Poland for auditions that were held on 15 July at Studio S3 in Polish Radio, before a panel of the following jurors: Prof. Ryszard Zimak (chair), Roman Czejarek, Stanisław Leszczyński, Bogna Kowalska, Małgorzata Małaszko, Jerzy Marchwiński, Piotr Metz, Maciej Miecznikowski, Janusz Olejniczak, Johanna Pätzold, Ewa Podleś, Christine Rocca, Prof. Jerzy Stuhr, Grzegorz Wilk, Jacek Wójcicki, Monika Zalewska. The participants, aged from 8 to 69 years, will showcase their vocal and instrumental skills. They will play popular instruments such as piano, violin, cello, saxophone and guitar, but also exotic ones - Chinese plucked string instruments: lute, zither or
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bagpipes - the aerophone using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The participants will perform pieces ranging from the classical repertoire to Latin American rhythms to heavy rock. Out of 33 participants of the festival, the jury picked 13 winners who performed at the Gala Concert on 16 July in the Polish Radio’s Witold Lutosławski Studio, with the accompaniment of the Polish Radio Orchestra under the baton of Krzesimir Dębski. The Gala Concert is a unique event organised as part of the festival. Many participants will certainly make their dreams come true and also have an unforgettable adventure with music. The observers and general public will learn more about the great achievements of the scientific and medical community. The participants of the Gala Concert performed together with a group of special guests who have hearing impediments but are professionally involved in music. One of them was the well-known Austrian singer Johanna Pätzold. She has a cochlear implant, which is no obstacle to her singing a difficult aria from “The Marriage of Figaro.” Other guest stars included: Karol Nowakowski, the world’s first patient with two implants in his brain stem, Maciej Miecznikowski, Gregorz Wilk, Łukasz Żelechowski and Weronika Niczyporuk. All the guests who sang or played during the Gala Concert suffer from hearing problems. The phenomenon is that today, after treatment, this does not prevent them from playing, singing, and even composing great music. This festival is a time and place where music meets with medicine. It is to medicine and its progress that deaf people owe being able to pursue their musical dreams. They have an open road to a music career and can influence social development in a variety of ways. •
Paradyż Ceramics a Patron of Culture and Art
Łódź Design Festival
P
aradyż Group is a company that uses special cares maintain high standards of its policy aimed at the development of culture and art in many areas. Its activity come as result of its own initiatives or cooperation with institutions having similar priorities. For many years, Paradyż Group has got involved in projects that would often be impossible to realise were if not for support from outside. The most famous of these include the International Łódź Design Festival and a nationwide social campaign “Save Mosaic.” The International Łódź Design Festival is the most important event of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, and Paradyż Group, the Festival’s main sponsor, is involved in it for the eighth time. An overview of contemporary design includes a wide spectrum of objects from industrial design, through art & craft design, graphic design and architecture, to fashion. Paradyż Group cocreates a platform for creative environments to exchange ideas and experiences, and is actively engaged in workshops, lectures and competitions for architects and designers. Acting in the spirit of sustainable development and social responsibility, the company has initiated and runs, together with the Architecture Foundation, a social campaign “Save Mosaic.” The leading idea of it is raising awareness, education and mobilisation for the sake of protection of cultural heritage and the works of art that are falling into ruin in the public space. www.paradyz.com
A photo taken as part of the “Save Mosaics” campaign “Warsaw Mosaics” Funeral Home - Military Cemetery, 1971, photo by Michał Radwański, 2012
Restoration of mosaics in the cinema “Kijów”, Kraków, 2014
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