The Embassy of the Republic of Poland continues its 17-year tradition of supporting musical diplomacy by hosting the final event of this season’s Embassy Series.
The evening’s concert program was in celebration of the ascension of Poland to the Presidency of the European Union, as well as in honor of the outgoing Hungarian Presidency. The concert was performed twice, first on the evening of Thursday, June 16th at the Embassy of Hungary, then the next evening at the Polish Embassy. However, the repeated program did not prevent the intimate hall at the Polish Embassy from filling up, with patrons of the arts eager to hear the evening’s award-winning artists, Magdalena Wór, Szabolcs Brickner, and pianist George Peachey.
Polish-born Magdalena Wór, a mezzo-soprano with a sultry, captivating voice and masterful expression of emotion, performed songs by great Polish composers such as Fryderyk Chopin and Feliks Rybicki. Hungarian tenor Szabolcs Brickner, who trained in both Hungary and Germany, alternated with pieces from pieces from Hungarian giants such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, both composers who sought to preserve the traditional folk music of the culture. After the intermission, the program turned to Mozart’s melancholy, Beethoven’s humor, and excerpts from the passionate tragic opera, Carmen.
The intimate setting of the moderately-sized but intricately-decorated Polish Embassy lent itself well to the series of compositions that were written to be performed in small salons, with only a piano to play and the composers’ close companions to hear. Some of pieces by Chopin performed had companion pieces that have now been lost to antiquity, because they were never performed publicly.
Following the 90-minute performance, guests were treated to a fabulous dinner, filled with seasonal Polish dishes. Unlike the grandiosity of some of embassy soirees, the Polish dinner was simple, but varied and genuine. Guests had a chance to mingle and meet with the performers and Jerome Barry, the Artistic Director and Founder of the Embassy Series.
The Embassy Series has concluded for the summer season, but will resume September 15th, with the Embassy of Lithuania hosting the concert, “Songs of the Vilna Ghetto Experience.”
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Musical Diplomacy and a Night at the Embassy of Poland
June 27, 2011
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland continues its 17-year tradition of supporting musical diplomacy by hosting the final event of this season’s Embassy Series.
The evening’s concert program was in celebration of the ascension of Poland to the Presidency of the European Union, as well as in honor of the outgoing Hungarian Presidency. The concert was performed twice, first on the evening of Thursday, June 16th at the Embassy of Hungary, then the next evening at the Polish Embassy. However, the repeated program did not prevent the intimate hall at the Polish Embassy from filling up, with patrons of the arts eager to hear the evening’s award-winning artists, Magdalena Wór, Szabolcs Brickner, and pianist George Peachey.
Polish-born Magdalena Wór, a mezzo-soprano with a sultry, captivating voice and masterful expression of emotion, performed songs by great Polish composers such as Fryderyk Chopin and Feliks Rybicki. Hungarian tenor Szabolcs Brickner, who trained in both Hungary and Germany, alternated with pieces from pieces from Hungarian giants such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, both composers who sought to preserve the traditional folk music of the culture. After the intermission, the program turned to Mozart’s melancholy, Beethoven’s humor, and excerpts from the passionate tragic opera, Carmen.
The intimate setting of the moderately-sized but intricately-decorated Polish Embassy lent itself well to the series of compositions that were written to be performed in small salons, with only a piano to play and the composers’ close companions to hear. Some of pieces by Chopin performed had companion pieces that have now been lost to antiquity, because they were never performed publicly.
Following the 90-minute performance, guests were treated to a fabulous dinner, filled with seasonal Polish dishes. Unlike the grandiosity of some of embassy soirees, the Polish dinner was simple, but varied and genuine. Guests had a chance to mingle and meet with the performers and Jerome Barry, the Artistic Director and Founder of the Embassy Series.
The Embassy Series has concluded for the summer season, but will resume September 15th, with the Embassy of Lithuania hosting the concert, “Songs of the Vilna Ghetto Experience.”
