Art

On Saturday, February 27, 2010, I  had the great fortune to attend The Longest Birthday, one of the most unique creative performance experiences Ive ever had the opportunity to witness.  The brainchild of  Edyta Duda-Olechowska, a prominent figure in the Polish theatrical and arts community, The Longest Birthday was a week-long event celebrating the 200th birthday of composer Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (or Frdric Chopin, as he is more commonly known).  The concert was  hosted by the Polish Senate, the Association Wsplnota Polska and the Smolna Centre, and took place in and around Polonia House and the main offices and concert halls of  Wsplnota Polska at 64 Krakowskie Przedmiecie Street in Warsaw, Poland.

    There are a great many varying factors which contributed to making this musical event so very unique and unlike a typical concert.  First, because there have been some question as to the actual birth date of Fryderyk Chopin (some say it is February 22nd while others claim it is likely March 1st), the organizers of The Longest Birthday decided to create a concert event which ran non-stop, 24 hours a day between the two hypothesized dates of the famed composers birth.  Additionally, organizers  decided, in order to make the celebration an art experience that was accessible to all, that performances would be free and open to the public, not only as audience members, but also as participants. So, not only was this event absolutely free of charge to the masses, but there were many  performances of Chopins work presented by novice and amateur admirers of Chopin, in addition to acclaimed and renowned musical talents. And, a great many of the performers fell somewhere in between the amateur an professional ranks, being deeply gifted students and professors from the worlds most prestigious music academies and conservatories.  But, whatever their level of skill, the only true  requirement that the organizers of The Longest Birthday insisted on for their  performers was that they be able to perform at least one piece of Chopins work.

    The particular performance I attended  was on  Saturday evening, February 27, 2010,  around 10 pm.  I traveled to the old downtown concert hall in Warsaw to listen to a performance by a piano soloist. Funnily enough, I dont recall the young womans name at this time (she was not one of the major headliners, just an amateur participant) and cant locate it on any of the programming material I saved from the events.  However, I do recall that she was remarkably skilled for a amateur and played Chopins work with such heart and emotion that I didnt really miss the technical finesse and aptitude of some of the other professional performers.  It was a joy to hear someone playing just for the love of Chopin and, as she played, I was reminded of the feeling I had when I used to play some of Chopins works  myself.  In particular, I spend many hours in my youth, practicing and playing Chopins Nocturne No.2, and the composition this young woman shared had many sonic elements in common with that piece.  Her performance was elegant and emotive, and the notes she struck during her piano solo were very clear and crisp.

    In retrospect, however, I do regret not having seen a few of the more notable performers, in addition to the amateur set.  There were so many events and performances happening simultaneously that it was only later, when I looked through some of the marketing materials and brochures for the event, that I realized how many great artists I had inadvertently missed the opportunity to see and hear in person.  Andrzej Jagodzinski and his jazz trio performed, and I would have really loved to hear their interpretation of Chopins work, infused with elements of modern American jazz.  Also,  I would have liked to have seen  Janusz Olejniciak, a classical pianist and actor who actually portrayed Chopin in a film called The Blue Note.  Other noteworthy performers included Kazimierz Gierzod, a classical pianist and Maria Pomianowska, the celebrated, international cellist.

    Because of the very nature and mission of the event, there was no one particular musical style that was consistent throughout the performances.  Many, of course, were in keeping with the Romantic-era piano solos of Chopins original compositions.  However, many performers simply used Chopins work as a sort of jumping-off point for very innovative and contemporary musical forms.  The jazz performance of Andrzej Jagodzinskis trio is a perfect example of this. 

    In addition to the enriching experience of listening to the many varied and beautiful interpretations of Chopins key works, I was deeply moved by the very idea of this concert event.  In todays world, high art has become and a very erudite and exclusive concept, something just for the very rich an elite. Unless you have access to the kind of disposable income where you can spend 1000 for an evenings entertainment (tickets, attire, transportation, etcetera), you are likely to be left out of experiencing the greatest performances at places like the New York City Ballet or the Metropolitan Opera, for example.  Somehow, along the way, art that was intended to uplift the common man has come under the sole proprietorship of the very wealthy and connected.  In particular, classical music and Chopins work is not often performed in such free and open venues.  It was inspiring to see such diversity in the audiences which attended The Longest Birthday.  There were young people and old people, rich and poor, lifelong Chopin devotees and those who may have had just a passing knowledge of his work, but were curious enough to want to hear more.  To me, that is such a powerful part of what art can and should be about. Art like Chopins ultimately speaks to the human condition. Not rich peoples condition, or even poor peoples condition, for that matter - but the human condition.  It captures something about the beauty and magnificence of the common human journey which should be accessible to all, and events like The Longest Birthday go one step further in making high art more accessible on a very practical level. 

    If I have the chance to attend another event like this one, I would do so in a heartbeat. Naturally, the huge milestone of a 200th birthday celebration for a composer of Chopins stature  doesnt come along everyday.  But, the example of how an event like this could open up artistic territory that is typically out of reach to the common man is one that I think could be repeated successfully in many formats.  Ballet, classical music, opera and theatre are just some of the art forms that could take a lesson from the example of The Longest Birthday, in bringing the very enriching experience of high art to the masses. 

    One, very hopeful, thought I had about this musical experience was that modern technology may be another way that great classical music like Chopins is spread to a wider audience.  The Longest Birthday was promoted and marketed online, but coverage of the live performances, as they happened, were also being streamed all over the world to people who could not afford to travel to Warsaw.  It may not have had the same level of quality as one would experience actually being there for the performance, but as cameras and video technology becomes increasingly advanced and affordable, more and more people will have access to seeing and hearing classical music in live performance venues like this one in Warsaw.