Two-piece concert Arctic Circle in the Malopolska Garden of Arts / Małopolski Ogród Sztuki (18.07) will be a meeting with prominent artists: creation of Torgeir Vassvik (Norway) is rooted in the traditions of the Sámi people; singing practices called joik (formerly recognized as an important part of shamanic rituals) and Siberian throat-singing techniques;
Kimmo Pohjonen (Finland) – is a visionary experimentalist, one of the most respected contemporary Finnish musicians; his works is a sum of a long-term experience in the field of performing and composing: he graduated from the faculty of innovative folk music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, has experienced with a variety of musical genres from classical to rock, folk, avant-garde, film music and collaborated with other artists including the Kronos Quartet (common created album Unike), Samuli Kosminen (Múm) or members of the King Crimson group.
Music of the North – is also the theme of the open-air concert on the Main Market Square (20.07), within which we will hear a Lithuanian vocal-instrumental group Marga Muzika, Icelandic Arstidir (enthusiastically received at the premiere concert in the last year’s edition of the festival) and Polish Warsaw Village Band – with the project NORD – containing material from the latest album of the band honored with many prestigious awards (eg: Folk Phonogram of the Year in the plebiscite of the New Tradition Polish Radio; 15th place on the list of the World Music Charts Europe – World Music Workshop of the European Broadcasting Union; final of Songlines Music Awards 2013; Quarterly Award of the German Phonographic Critics). At the Crossroads – premiere of NORD with the participation of Torgeir Vassvik (Norway).
I recommend chamber concerts: the first one will be performed by Olo Walicki’s Kaszebe II (14.07) – and is to be a continuation of the innovative project combining jazz aesthetics with elements of music and poetic traditions of the Kashubian region.
I also invite you to other chamber concerts of: groups: Muzykanci, Ania Broda and Megitza – inspired by traditional Polish music but also by Jewish, Romani, Lemkos and Belarusian tunes. In frame of the cycle: Music of the Carpathian Mountains – we will hear the groups: Slovak Banda (known from the movie Tanec medzi črepinami, dir. Marek Ťapák, 2012), the Hungarian Zurgó and Ukrainian Burdon.
Premiere – at the Crossroads Festival and in Poland – is the concert: Ocelový město (City of Steel) by Radůza – an outstanding poet, singer, multi-instrumentalist, personification the Czech spirit, artist restoring the size of musical genre and enhancing the form of authorial song inspired by local tradition – to the rank of universal art.
In addition to concerts – Visegrad House of Dance – and workshops of traditional dances: Hungarian (Zurgó), Slovak (Banda), Polish (Jacek Hałas, Michał Maziarz and others), Swedish and Danish (Stefan Groot Trio), instrumental workshops of mazurek rhythms (Maria Pomianowska, Maria Bojlund & Jidder Trio) and School at the Crossroads: workshops of traditional Polish songs (Anna Broda), joik voice workshops (Torgeir Vassvik / Norway), folk instruments fair in the Market Square in Krakow (21.07), workshops of traditional crafts (ŻyWa Pracownia), meetings at the Festival Club… Let’s meet at the Crossroads. In Krakow.
Jan Słowiński
CROSRROADS Festival Krakow
Artistic Director
