The 13th festival of Polish composers was held in the southern city of Bielsko Biała October 2-4. It was devoted to the legendary Polish pianist and statesman Jan Ignacy Paderewski. It also marked the 75th birth anniversary of the acclaimed contemporary Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. It saw performances by artists such as Izabella Kłosińska, Iwona Hossa, Adam Kruszewski, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, Karol Radziwonowicz accompanied by the local chamber orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonics, the Resonans con Tutti Choir, the Polish Radio National Symphonic Orchestra in Katowice, Wilanów Quartet and the Silesian Philharmonic Choir. Górecki’s latest work “Quasi una Fantasia for Strings” Opus 78” had its Polish premiere at the event.



October 2 saw the release on the EMI label of Górecki’s three acclaimed string quartets performed by the leading Silesian Quartet featuring Szymon Krzeszowiec (first violin), Arkadiusz Kubica (second violin), Łukasz Syrnicki (viola) and Piotr Janosik (cello). The Silesian Quartet is famous for its virtuoso performances, which critics say are based on perfect execution and openness to all kinds of works. Its recordings include works by the late émigré composer Aleksander Tansman, the contemporary composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, classics such as Mozart, Beethoven, as well as symphonic versions of works by the late Polish rock star Grzegorz Ciechowski. The Górecki record brings music lovers the artist’s quintessentially frugal style, which contrasts with intense expression and abundant sound contrasts. Górecki is known for being easy-listening and lofty. His music easily switches from whisper into a storm, while all the time demonstrating particular originality.



End-October in the mid-western city of Wrocław sees the Ethno Jazz Festival 2008. Some of its star attractions are the Shin from Georgia, a jazz trio working together with Georgian folk musicians, singers and dancers to combine traditional sounds from that Caucasian republic with modern sounds. Other artists appearing at the festival are Voo Voo and Haydamaky, a Polish-Ukrainian folk project, the Puppini Sisters from the U.K., Huun Huur Tu throat singers from Tuva and Omara Portuondo, who did vocals on the Buena Vista Social Club. The queen of world music gives a sole concert in Poland on December 4.



The 8th International Witold Gombrowicz theatre festival dedicated to the late émigré Polish writer started in the central city of Radom on October 23. On the bill are repertory companies from Warsaw, Łódź, Kraków, Kalisz, Wałbrzych, Kielce, Poznań and Radom, as well as from Lithuania and Belgium. The productions are on at the Powszechny and Resursa Obywatelska. The focus is on plays by Gombrowicz currently in the repertoire of particular companies. “The idea is to offer a selection of works by the renowned playwright, to promote his work and to promote the city of Radom at home and abroad” says Zbigniew Rybak, director of the Powszechny Theatre company in Radom, the organiser of the event.



A one-man show devoted to painter, performer, poet and art theoretician Włodzimierz Pawlak is on at the Zachęta gallery in Warsaw until November 2. This witty and highly entertaining show spotlights works by 51-year-old Pawlak, member of Warsaw’s Gruppa 1980s art formation, which included Paweł Kowalewski, Ryszard Grzyb, Ryszard Woźniak, Jarosław Modzelewski and Marek Sobczyk. The retrospective features works from the 1984-2008 period, divided into three parts: works from the Gruppa period (1982-1989), mainly devoted to Polish political events and history, the highly personal ‘Memoirs and paintings in white” (1989-2004) and finally works devoted to issues related to the theory of painting.



The Gitara 2008 Wrocław Guitar Festival takes place in that south-western city between November 14 and 30. Held for more than a decade, the festival has put Wrocław on the map of guitar music lovers all over the world. It features a variety of styles, repertoires and genres: from guitar classics to flamenco, Latino and jazz music. The festival is inaugurated by John McLaughlin appearing with Chick Corea as part of their joint Five Peace Band project. This super group also features saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bass player Christian McBride and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Another jazz act represented at the Gitara 2008 festival is the Susan Weinert Band. Prominent classical guitarists are also billed to appear, notably Łukasz Kuropaczewski, described as the Polish guitar sensation of the decade.



An exhibition devoted to the visual artist Marek Kijewski (1955-2007) is held at the Modern Art Centre in Warsaw until November 16. Entitled “I’m trembling when I can shower you with gold” it presents the artist’s striking structures that combine diverse non-sculptural materials in a blend of form, themes and traditions. The retrospective encompasses his works spanning the period from the mid-1980s, when he was part of the Awareness Neue Bieremiennost formation to the last works prepared for the Bifurkacje show. A catalogue is available featuring a rich material illustrating Kijewski’s work, essays and designs. The exhibition was put together with the Polish Architecture Centre in Orońsko and Arsenal Gallery in Białystok.



The regular Smooth Jazz gala, part if the Era Jazz festival is scheduled at the Sala Kongresowa in Warsaw on November 19. It will feature Mark Reilly’s Matt Bianco, the 1980s smooth jazz sensation, whose vocalist Polish-born Basia Trzetrzelewska gives a new meaning to Latin American inspirations in jazz. The concert will also include music from the latest album “Really Jazzy” by Dutch trumpeter Saskia Laroo, who critics describe as Lady Miles Davis.



At the Museum of Caricature in Warsaw you can visit an exhibition presenting the best works of the international Satyrykon competition held in the south-western city of Legnica. It has won the Grand Prix of a prestigious US satirical magazine. It was also rated as five-star by FECO, the Federation of Cartoonists’ Organisations. 205 works go on display this year. The event, to last till the end of, focuses on humour and social satire, as well as an additional topic: Man’s fascination with his canine best friend.