By The Polish Cultural Institute New York
In the 1990s, with only a 19th-century painting as a guide, the classically trained Polish musician, composer and teacher Maria Pomianowska painstakingly reconstructed the Bilgoraj suka and Plock fiddle, a lost medieval ancestor of the modern violin.
Since then, she has been crafting a new repertoire for the instrument, blending the plaintive melodies of Polish folk music with the flavors she has absorbed in her musical travels across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. With earthy vocals and a small instrumental ensemble, she will spin a hypnotic musical experience invoking powerful ancient spirits.
“My main desire was to revive a playing technique with the idea of continuing the instruments’ development,” Pomianowska says.
What would we have if instruments of this type had not disappeared, but continued to develop, with performance techniques and repertoire expanding, acquiring new elements. The moods of traditional Polish music, reverberations of Persian and Indian melodies, and rhythms of the Middle and Far East have all made impressions on my heart. Thirty years of traveling throughout all of the continents has taught me that simple, old Polish instruments are capable of conversing in all the languages of the world.
Pomianowska has released over 20 recordings and is celebrated for her ability to revive ancient traditions as inspiration for music of our time. Whether interpreting Chopin’s folk tunes with instrumentalists from a range of cultures or composing a piece commissioned by Yo-Yo Ma for cello and suka, there is no limit to her imagination and ability to plumb the depths of musical history to uncover new inspiration for the 21st century.
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Maria Pomianowska & Reborn are Aleksandra Kauf (vocal, Bilgoraj suka, Mielec suka), Patrycja Napierala (drums), Iwona Rapacz (bass suka).
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Thursday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m.
Lecture Demonstration
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA
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Friday, Sept. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
Lecture Demonstration
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
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Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m.
Landfall Festival of World Music
CSPS HALL
1103 Third St SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
Suggested $10 donation at the door
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Tuesday, Sept 19 at 4 p.m.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
World Music Festival
Young Auditorium
930 W. Main Street
Whitewater, WI
Free
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Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:15 p.m.
Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
114 E Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, IN
Tickets
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Sunday, Oct 1 at 4 p.m.
Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
114 E Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, IN
Tickets
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Friday, Oct 6 at 8 p.m.
(door 7 p.m.)
The Cedar
416 Cedar Ave.
Minneapolis, MN
Tickets
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More information.
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At the Kennedy Center in August.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on September 13, 2017