Music in Zakopane – festivals and concerts

Zakopane is not immediately associated with music. Although it has a beautiful history and was created here by one of the most outstanding Polish composers – Mieczyslaw Karlowicz and Karol Szymanowski. Zakopane was also visited by Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Today, unfortunately, classical music is subdued by the mass culture under the Tatras. Zakopane will probably never have its own concert hall or band on a world-class level, which would be a showcase of the city – an orchestra, or even a string quartet. Despite this, mainly due to the efforts of small associations, their persistence in the fight for presence in these areas, there are quite a few festivals in Zakopane. Most of them happen in summer and early autumn.

Inauguration of this year’s Music on the Heights Festival – Sinfonietta Cracovia, Olga Pasiecznik, Robert Gierlach and Michal Klauza awarded with a standing ovation.

Muzyka na Szczytach (Music on the Peaks)

It is the largest and most recognizable festival in Poland in Zakopane. In 2018 its jubilee, tenth edition will take place. For the past ten years, M. Karlowicz association has invited dozens of outstanding performers from Poland and around the world to Podhale. Encouraging thereby Zakopaneers to learn about the work of composers, who would probably never be listened to it in other circumstances, there is a lot of new music at the festival. However, the organizers have found a way to bring it closer to the audience with the less-skilled ear. First of all – great performers. Secondly – a great introduction to the work before the concert, the authors of which are the best radio journalists, from Polish Radio, who have been friends with the festival for years. Thanks to this, with considerable satisfaction you can watch the Zakopane elites listening to the sounds of Grisey’s spectral oratorio or contemporary string quartets. Of course, the festival also hosts Mozart, Mahler, Schubert and many other composers whose works are easy and can be appreciated by everyone.

Conversations on the Heights Club is a unique opportunity to view “Dom pod Jedlami” also from the inside.

This year, the first, July concert of the festival was an event that attracted a full audience in the church of Holy Cross (Kosciol Sw. Krzyza) in Zakopane. Due to the lack of a concert hall, this function was taken over by churches, art galleries, museums and even a cinema. The Mozart Gala with the participation of the Sinfonietta Cracovia orchestra conducted by the leader of the Polish Radio Orchestra, Michal Klauza and soloists – Olga Pasiecznik and Robert Gierlach, was a feast that would please not only the resort audience, but even the most demanding one. It’s worth taking a look at the festival’s website and getting acquainted with this year’s repertoire. We will only reveal that after ten years the world-renowned Kronos Quartet, a unique ensemble, returns to the Zakopane and it is the only concert of this ensemble in Poland. The festival will take place from September 1-8. In addition to music, it offers a real treat, meetings with artists at noon, every concert day – as part of the Conversations on the Peaks Club. The meetings moderated by radio journalists are translated into English if necessary. Their atmosphere is extraordinary, viewers can directly ask artists questions, formal dresses and tickets are not obligatory. The place where they take place is even more unusual. ”Dom pod Jedlami”, the residence of the Pawlikowski family, is still a private home whose inhabitants make the interiors for visitors available once a year – during the festival meetings. A wooden mansion, impressive from the outside, in the middle is stunning with wealth of decorations. It is worth going there to see it. And it may turn out that the discussion with the participation of artists will be an introduction to our closer affair with classical music. Usually they have to tell a lot of anecdotes related to their work and reveal the secrets of the workshop, which are usually hidden from listeners.

A masterpiece of woodcarving art

Organ and Szymanowski

The International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music has become a permanent part of the Zakopane summer calendar. It’s concerts take place twice a week in various churches. There are also great concerts of the Karol Szymanowski Days of Music organized by the Katowice-based association of the composer’s name. Also here you can listen to “upmarket” music played by world renown artists.
In autumn, the city will be occupied by young musicians, participants of the Zakopane Academy of Arts, international master courses, accompanied by numerous concerts performed by masters and students, as well as lectures by musicologists.

Informal attire, great moods – classical music is not always serious.

Lighter music

This one also has its place in Zakopane. Iconic is now, the largest in Zakopane, organized by the city with a huge scale Festival of Mountain Folklore. Every year in August, the city is dominated by highlanders from around the world, from the Andes to India. This year the event will take place on August 16-26. And it will be its 50th edition. In addition to music, you will also be able to learn about crafts, cuisine, dances and costumes from various mountain regions.

But in the evening, in the Holy Cross church – full gala.

There are also permanent concert venues in Zakopane, like the Witkacy Theater, where the series “Night playing at Witkacy’s” takes place. Rock and blues sounds are the domain of Karczma pod Gontem, an acting song and music from border of folk and jazz dominate in Kmicic. In addition, on the Gubalowka city organizes Hej Fest –– rock concerts with the participation of the greatest stars of the Polish entertainment scene. Concerts are also held in hotels, restaurants or on open-air stages, where most often there are bands playing music from the borderline of folk, pop and rock, the artists are mainly from around Zakopane. They are not stars worth performing in stadiums, but they have their loyal audience, and the evening spent with such music can certainly provide entertainment and relaxation. However, it would be a pity to be in the city during one of the major festivals and not attend even one concert. Although far from the highlander bands and picnic atmosphere – this is also Zakopane.

Anna Markiewicz

During the organ festival the listeners can view the organists playing from the church gallery on a large screen.

The “New Music Quartet” at the inauguration of Karol Szymanowski’s Music Days at the City Art Gallery.