Najlepsze polskie skrzypaczki
At the height of his career, Paganini was asked who was the best violin player of them all. “I don’t know who’s the best,” he answered with his natural modesty, “but the second-best is Karol Lipiński. There were many superb Polish violinists. Many of them were born when Poland was not on the maps of […]
Co piłka nożna i opera mają ze sobą wspólnego
The year was 1994 and America was getting ready to host the FIFA World Soccer Cup. The United States Soccer Federation tried hard to popularize the sport, which dominates the rest of the world. The professional broadcasters wanted to use complicated statistics to enhance the appeal to the fans. Percentages, ratios, and indexes, the same […]
"Hotel California", piosenka, którą tak bardzo kocham
Probably one of the best songs from the 70s. Maybe one of the best. Here is one of its original performances. The main musical theme composed out of three notes. Just three notes! A brilliant guitar solo, in the opinion of many also one of the best. Humongous crowds listening to the band which played, […]
Dlaczego Cremona stała się stolicą śpiewającej drewnianej skrzynki?
The centers of excellence. Athens, Florence, Hangzhou in China, Vienna, Silicon Valley in California. The spikes on progress in our civilization. And there is a smaller place, located on the left bank of river Po in Lombardy, in northern Italy. Cremona. The home of violin making. The craze started in the sixteenth century in the […]
Skrzypce i droga do doskonałości
If you’ve ever listened to the second part of Paganini’s violin concerto #4… you know that a violin can be an angelic instrument. But after listening to Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns… you also know it can sound like a Devils fiddle. And after listening to Charlie Daniels band… now you are certain. The scale […]
"Tristan i Izolda", pięciogodzinna próba ognia
Tristan and Isolde. “I know of some, and have heard of many, who could not sleep after it, but cried the night away.” Mark Twain, after watching the performance. He couldn’t be accused of being an overly sentimental person. French composer Emmanuel Chabrier heard it in Munich in 1880 and broke down during the prelude, sobbing […]
Czy skrzypce to diabelski instrument?
On that night, in the year 1713, I dreamed I had made a pact with the devil for my soul. Everything went as I wished: my new servant anticipated my every desire. Among other things, I gave him my violin to see if he could play. How great was my astonishment on hearing a sonata […]
Nauka, jak polubić operę, wymaga czasu
An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. Maria Callas The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but also the most difficult to play. Richard Strauss While in my music school in Poland, our teachers provided us with free tickets to the symphony […]
Czy jest coś gorszego niż nieterminowy dzwonek telefonu komórkowego?
We have a little gem in our neighborhood. It is a bookstore. Situated in a cottage-like house, on the old, traditional farm. Surrounded by the old trees, next to the farm with belted cows. Books are displayed on elegant shelves or on the tables. Not in stalls like in B&N or Borders. You can discuss […]
