CULTURE

Wielkopolska and Mecklenburg become close
From "Cuckoo" to Reger

For our western neighbors the turn of September is the time of harvest festival. This year, additionally, during the "Polish week - Encounters 2000" in Mecklenburg - West Pomerania people had a chance to get familiar with the culture of Wielkopolska province. Among a variety of concerts and exhibitions attended by the visitors one can mention at least a few: a concert performed by the Poznań Philharmonic Society in Stralsund, a performance by a group named Affabre Concinui at the castle in Schwerin, the presentation of famous banners by Katarzyna Zygadlewicz at the collegiate church Sankt Peter in Wolgast, and Dance Unlimited performed by the Polish Dance Theater in Wismar. Also, many cities and towns were visited by the "singing teachers", that is the Poznań Teacher Choir named after Ignacy Jan Paderewski and conducted by Ryszard Łuczak. These are only a few of Wielkopolska - related events which the inhabitants could enjoy. It was the first such presentation of Polish culture in the German federal state sharing the longest border with Poland. The province is an interesting piece of land, not only abundant in magnificent monuments and landscapes, but also ample with disappointment brought along with the unification of Germany. Actually, the "Polish week" was held exactly on the tenth anniversary of that event. The above mentioned disappointment concerns the unemployment rate. Officially it ranges from 22 to 25 per cent, but it is known to reach as far as 50 per cent off the record.

The harvest festival in Alt Schwerin, and it is precisely where "Paderewski" sang, was accompanied by a huge fair. It was there that one could realize how nostalgic Germans still feel towards the German Democratic Republic. One could buy, for example, spread on stalls, a clock whose face resembled the emblem of this already non-existent country. It would not be that interesting though, if it were not for the second hand which ran backwards. Furthermore, within the building which once belonged to the Museum of Agriculture one could find not only furniture and television set produced in those years, but also an inherent attribute of trips to the GDR - a whistle kettle.

"Paderewski" was the only choir from Poznań invited to participate in the "Encounters". The organizers of the event liked its performances during their former stay in Poznań. The group was accompanied by an organist Stefan Sibilski, tenor of the Poznań Opera House, Józef Kolesiński, pianist Karol Drynkowski with his eight-year-old son, Jarek, playing the violin, as well as a group of journalists. The first open-air concert was held in a park which constitutes a part of the Museum of Agriculture in Alt Schwerin. The audience enjoyed both the folk Cuckoo and the patriotic Stay well, girl, and Kolesiński won the assembly with the Neapolitan songs.

The group walked through the whole town in a harvest parade and, on the following day, sang during an ecumenical service at the local evangelical church. There, besides the leading pieces of the group as With the smoke of fire and Gaude Mater, the mostly applauded song was Father from heaven by Stanisław Moniuszko, performed by Józef Kolesiński.

The time passed by very fast and there was still one more place to visit - the town of Rietz, situated nearby the Polish border. Those who attended the event were pleasantly surprised since one of the soloists was an eight-year-old violinist, Jarek Drynkowski, who played Ave Maria by Charles Gounod.

The next morning, the musical track led through Eggesin and Pasewalk. And also here, the Poznań choir singers surprised the audience. This time - with the Great Polonaise A flat - major by Frederic Chopin, performed by Karol Drynkowski.

The closing concerts of the Poznań singers were given in Strasburg and Ueckemunde. The audience gathered at church in Strasburg applauded not only Gaude Mater, but also an excellent interpretation of Toccata by Reger, performed by professor Stefan Sibilski. In Ueckemunde, on the other hand, people admired the spirited performance of Polish folk songs. "Padarewski" not only won the hearts of German music lovers, but also those of the decision-makers. What was particularly emphasized was the musicality of singers and an interesting choice of repertoire. It seems that, in one year, the choir will visit Mecklenburg - West Pomerania again. The animators of "Encounters", Angelika Janz and Bożena Strenger, would also like to introduce Mecklenburg and its culture in Wielkopolska. They are just waiting for a signal to begin. The issue appears to be undisputed: one must know one's neighbors and, as I have already mentioned, of all the German federal states it is Mecklenburg that shares the longest strip of border with Poland. Finally, I would like to mention that the president of Mecklenburg - West Pomerania, Heinrich Keussner, and the ambassador of Poland in Germany, Andrzej Byrt, were the honorary patrons of the whole event.

Marek Zaradniak