Warsaw. Crazy Days of Music 2024 – program

La Folle Journée is a kind of cultural franchise, the Polish edition of an event that was born 30 years ago in Nantes on the initiative of Rene Martin. The organizer of the Polish edition of La Folle Journée has been Sinfonia Varsovia from the beginning. Its current director, Janusz Marynowski, played at the first festival in France while still a regular double bass player. As the director of the orchestra, he decided to ask the creator of the format whether it would be possible to create a sister edition in Warsaw. He agreed.

Both in France and in Poland, the idea of ​​the event is to bring classical music closer to those who do not normally visit philharmonics. – We bring music closer. We are not mainly targeting specialists who listen to Stockhausen and Schönberg in the philharmonic on Fridays and Saturdays, but those who have never been to a classical music concert. Our idea is to bring music to everyone. La Folle Journée is the first front in meeting people with music and I think we are doing well, because every year 30 thousand listeners pass through the festival – said Janusz Marynowski during Wednesday's press conference. The correctness of this direction is best demonstrated by the report published by the National Centre for Culture, which shows that 76 percent of Poles have never been to a philharmonic or opera. There is still a lot to do.

Crazy Days of Music have a format that is associated with popular music festivals during the summer. What they have in common is: a weekend accumulation, a limited concert time (maximum one hour, usually a bit shorter), a multitude of stages, and a variety of genres. Only under a roof. And without a season ticket that allows entry to every performance. But with affordable prices (25–35 PLN) and two completely free stages – in a tent on Teatralny Square and a nearby church.

The motto of this year's edition is “Sources”, understood very broadly. The organizers explain it this way: “The festival program will direct the audience's imagination towards nature: to the murmur of rushing water and birdsong, ancient ways of interpersonal communication, primeval rhythm or traditional calling and singing. The repertoire will reach for the great works of the classical canon, 'source' works of modernity, which constitute an inexhaustible mine of inspiration for future generations.”

– The beginnings, or sources, lie in interpersonal communication, the first attempts were probably musical. A series of concerts refer to this. The Chopin University Percussion Ensemble will show how it was possible to communicate in the past using percussion instruments. There will be not only music from West Africa, but also John Cage's music or the Brazilian Batucada – announced Łukasz Strusiński, head of the Sinfonia Varsovia programming department. As he continued, a number of program items will refer to nature.

– The absolutely phenomenal French saxophonist Valentine Michaud will perform at the opening. Her concert will be the Polish premiere of a work by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg entitled “Tales of the Peacocks” – he encouraged. – The next day, the same saxophonist, together with her brother Gabriel, will perform an entire program devoted to birds entitled “Birds of Paradise”, which is based on bird compositions from the French legacy – he added.

The given topic of sources can also be viewed historically, reaching for folk music. – Here too we have a full wealth of presentation, starting with a special concert “Treasures” from the instrument market. This is a format that we started last year. It consists in the audience having the opportunity to interact with artists, both folk musicians and builders of instruments such as the nyckelharpa, celesta or hurdy-gurdy – described Łukasz Strusiński. He also recommended the performance of Francois Lazarevitch, who will bring five types of bagpipes: from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. – The artist will take the audience through the thousand-year history of French bagpipes – he added.

And speaking of folk music, it is also worth mentioning a concert dedicated to oberek. Kapela Maliszów and Suferi will take them on. Both bands are connected by the violinist Kacper Malisz, who tries to combine oberek melodies with jazz, electronics and hip-hop. Following the jazz trail, the concert of Marcin Masecki is also worth attention. The exceptional pianist will reach for the sources of jazz – the first four decades of the 20th century. He will play solo pieces from the repertoire of: Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.

Sticking with American classics, the most important one – Leonard Bernstein – will also be present. The Hermes Quartet will play his recently discovered “Music for String Quartet”, and Paul Lay will present “Rhapsody in Blue” in a version for jazz trio (on the occasion of the centenary of the premiere of this piece). The Chopin University Big Band conducted by Piotr Kostrzewa will perform twice with classics of blues and jazz.

– The Sources are also a canon. We have entrusted the reading list mainly to orchestras of music schools, this year we have nine of them. The ballet school, which is located right next door, is making its debut. The performances will include Bedrich Smetana's “Vltava” and Georges Bizet's “Carmen” suite – said Strusiński. All concerts of young orchestras in the tent, which will be erected next to the Grand Theatre, will be free. The same goes for the chamber concerts in the nearby Church of Creative Communities. You can enter them literally from the street. In total, free admission applies to 15 of the 56 concerts of the festival.

Symphonic classics will also be performed on the largest stage – in the Moniuszko Concert Hall. There, the following will reign: Sinfonia Varsovia (conducted by Julien Masmondet, Jacek Kaspszyk, Aleksandar Marković), the Orchestra of the Grand Theatre – National Opera (conducted by Marta Kluczyńska) and Sinfonia Iuventus (conducted by Alexander Humala).

At a festival popularizing music and breaking down barriers, there is of course an offer for children. “The program for the youngest includes two chamber programs of the Smykofonia series (0-2, 2-5 years old), two symphonic concerts with Smok Bazylek (3-8 years old) and Panakota (7+ years old), as well as events with the participation of the audience: On clave and the sources of rhythm (9+ years old) led by Jerzy Rogiewicz and Hubert Zemler and Treasures from the Instrument Market (12+ years old), during which traditional instruments will be presented by their builders and musicians,” announce the organizers.

Crazy Days of Music, 27–29 September 2024, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, Tent on Teatralny Square, Church of Creative Communities. Detailed program>>>