“The Waltz Is Still in Fashion”​

 

Is it possible to experience a Viennese concert in Poland? Yes, it is. And in Bielsko-Biała, no less. And one does not have to wait until New Year’s for it. For a few hours, Cavatina Hall transformed itself into the Golden Hall of Vienna.​

 

There is probably no one who has not seen at least once a broadcast of the New Year’s Concert from Vienna, from the beautiful Golden Hall of the Musikverein. As it turns out, one does not need to travel so far to experience the same atmosphere in an equally masterful performance. On 3 November this year, in Cavatina Hall in Bielsko-Biała, the Wrocław Johann Strauss Festival Orchestra under the baton of Bartosz Żurakowski gave a display of which the Vienna Philharmonic would not have been ashamed. In a hall filled to capacity, the most famous waltzes, marches, quadrilles and polkas rang out, as well as arias from popular operettas. And all this thanks to the revival of the International Festival of Viennese Music “From Joseph Lanner to Robert Stolz”, whose originator in 1993 was the great conductor Maestro Jan Ślęk. And although the festival disappeared from the posters for several years after the Master’s death, its 26th edition returned in a refreshed form. No longer permanently based in Wrocław, but travelling through various cities, the charm of Viennese music now resounds. Bartosz Żurakowski is the guarantor of the festival’s high artistic standard, and he invited performers from Vienna itself. Well-known arias such as “Lippen schweigen”, “Wer hat die Liebe uns ins Herz gesenkt” or “Ach, fahr’ nach Varasdin” were sung that evening by Aleksandra Reinprecht and Franz Guertelschmied, who on All Souls’ Day was still singing in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, only to enchant the Polish audience the very next evening. In addition to the excellently presenting vocalists, the director of the Wrocław Festival Orchestra, Wiktor Kuźniecow, also demonstrated his masterful class. Winner of the International Niccolò Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa and the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań, he captivated with his virtuoso playing both in the stirring Csárdás by Vittorio Monti and in the deeply romantic “Liebesleid” by Fritz Kreisler. Of course, the great hits of the Strauss dynasty were not missing – “The Blue Danube” and finally, as an encore – as Maestro Żurakowski mischievously announced – a completely unknown march, which turned out to be the “Radetzky March”. And here the audience did not disappoint. In the manner of the Golden Hall in Vienna, the rhythmic applause “conducted” by the conductor became the occasion for a standing ovation that lasted until the very end of the concert. The concert in Bielsko seemed to have no end, yet the choice of repertoire meant that no one even thought of looking at their watch. This evening showed how unfair it is to regard this music merely as light and pleasant. Undoubtedly the melodiousness of the waltzes, the energy of the marches or polkas means that the listener feels great pleasure and relaxation – but was that not precisely what the Strausses and other composers intended? After all, these compositions were written so that the audience could enjoy themselves and forget, if only for a moment, their everyday cares. I believe this effect was fully achieved by the worthy successor of Master Jan Ślęk – Maestro Bartosz Żurakowski. It is worth mentioning here that Bartosz Żurakowski is a recognised conductor worldwide. This modest man has, in the course of his career, reached for the works of the most diverse composers. His recording of the works of Jan Maklakiewicz with the Sudecka Philharmonic will undoubtedly go down in his career as a historic achievement. And today the Maestro transports us into the world of great Vienna, which will forever be associated not only with Beethoven or Mozart, but for many above all with the Strauss dynasty. I already look forward with impatience to the next – the 27th – edition of the festival, rejoicing at the prospect of another equally successful evening with the music of the great masters.​

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Adrian Nowak