Chopin on 5 Continents

20 November 2018

Acclaimed Polish artists Prof Maria Pomianowska, Katarzyna Gacek-Duda, Gwidon Cybulski, Karolina Matuszkiewicz and Wolciech Lubertowicz brought Chopin on 5 Continents to Africa.

They performed at the residence of Polish Ambassador Andrzej Kanthak in Pretoria on the occasion of commemorating the 100th anniversary of Poland's Independence.

The talented artists fashioned some of their instruments from just pictures and historical records that were available and with these entertained guests with Chopin inspired pieces. Frederic Chopin was born in 1810 in Poland and his compositions still inspire. Chopin's masterpieces were inspired by folk music, especially from the Mazovia region.

"It is enchanting and inspiring,” says Prof Maria Pomianowska about Chopin. "It is enchanting and inspiring. Moreover every generation discovers in his pieces something very personal and important for their own era. Practically, all contemporary musical genres have been at least once inspired by Chopin's works. The 'Chopin on Five Continents' is an attempt at multicultural meeting whose driving axis is the composer's selected masterpieces. It is a collision of ethnical instruments from all over the world and the classical folk and European instruments."

The musicians enthralled guests with Chopin inspired Polish folk music as well as a fusion of Chopin's music with music from Bulgaria, Arabia, Siberia, Armenia and Africa.