Nie(WO)men

Regardless of the weather, it will be a wonderful spring Sunday afternoon with some of the greatest songs in the history of Polish popular music. In the symphony hall, the works of Czesław Niemen will be heard in arrangements by  Hubert Kowalski.

The project Nie(WO)men is a new perspective on Niemen’s music, focusing on the confrontation of his compositions with the female voice. During the concert, both well-known pieces and lesser-known or entirely unfamiliar works will be performed.

As Kowalski himself, the arranger and driving force behind the project, explained, he was especially keen on giving the symphony orchestra a prominent role. According to his vision, it is meant to be the leading performer.

For vocalist and co-creator Anna Lasota, the guiding idea was to blend Niemen’s musical universe with the female voice and a palette of diverse vocal styles.

Niemen’s compositions are presented here in a variety of stylistic approaches, ranging from classical treatment of the orchestra to weaving it into contemporary musical genres. The inclusion of a jazz section and characteristic instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy and hammered dulcimer further enriched and refined the overall sound, as Kowalski told us.

Dziwny jest ten świat, Pod papugami, Płonie stodoła, and many other remarkable compositions will thus uniquely resound that evening.

Anna Lasota sings Czesław Niemen's song Pod papugami (Under the Parrots). The Młodzi-Polski orchestral group conducted by Hubert Kowalski