Strings Festival Zielona Góra - Pink October

Concert with lecture — Onkostory

Performers:

Robert Bachara — violin

FZ String Orchestra

Agnieszka Trzeciakiewicz — conducting

Programa:

A.Vivaldi - Four Seasons, Op. 8

Tickets: 60/40

The Four Seasons is a series of 4 violin concertos composed by the Italian Baroque master Antonio Vivaldi circa 1720. In the first edition of the works, which appeared in 1725 in Amsterdam, each concert was preceded by an explanatory sonnet. In addition, Vivaldi marked illustrative references in the notes. The seasons thus fit perfectly into the program and illustration repertoire popular at the time.

Each of the four concerts presents a different era, conveying its character through an extremely evocative musical language. Listeners will hear the singing of birds, the murmur of streams, the summer storm, autumn dances and hunts, the winter wind and the sounds of treading on ice. By masterfully combining the virtuosity of the violin with the richness of the orchestra's colors, Vivaldi has created one of the most recognizable and timeless works of classical music, which to this day impresses with the freshness and power of the musical narrative.

During the concert, the solo part will be performed by the outstanding violinist Robert Bachara — an esteemed interpreter of early music, concertmaster and chamber musician, who has been involved in historically informed performance for years. The artist collaborates with the most important ensembles specializing in Baroque music, and his interpretations are valued for virtuosity, expression and attention to stylistic authenticity. It will be accompanied by the FZ String Orchestra, which will present the fullness of sound and the artistry of ensemble music, emphasizing the richness of contrasts and emotions contained in Vivaldi's work. The concert will be conducted by editor Agnieszka Trzeciakiewicz (Polish Radio), introducing the audience to the world of Baroque music and introducing the symbolism and programmatic character of individual parts of the cycle.

The media partner of the concert is Polskie Radio Trójka.

Robert Bachara

He was born in 1985 in Wrocław. At the age of seven, he sang in the boys' choir, where his musical talent was noticed. A year later, he began learning to play the violin under the guidance of an outstanding educator, Mikhail Kuznetsov. He made his debut in 1998 with the Wrocław Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. He was concertmaster and co-founder of the Baroque orchestra Konfraternia Caper Lublinensis. Constantly collaborates with Capella Cracoviensis. When performing early music, he sometimes decides to hold the instrument historically - by the chest, not by the chin. He likes to use the scordatura (tuning) of the violin. He reaches for a particularly demanding repertoire, presenting cycles such as J. S. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas or H. Biber's Rosary Sonatas.

SFZ — Strings Festival Zielona Góra

Strings Festival Zielona Góra is one of the most interesting string festivals in Poland, continuing the more than 30-year tradition of “Masters of Polish Violinistics”, during which eminent artists such as Wanda Wiłkomirska, Krzysztof Jakowicz and Bartłomiej Nizioł hosted on stage. Since 2024, the festival has been operating under a new name — Strings Festival Zielona Góra — emphasizing its international character.

The upcoming edition will begin on October 2 with the concert “From the high C”. The performers will be: Tymoteusz Bies — piano, Marcin Markowicz — violin, Maciej Kułakowski — cello and FZ Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafał Janiak. The programme will include: Ludwig van Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major for violin, cello and piano, Op. 56, and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. “Crescendo na stryczki” is a concert scheduled for October 9, presenting a variety of sounds of string orchestra and virtuoso violin literature. Maria Machowska — violin — will perform together with the FZ Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pablo Urbina. The program will include: String Quartet in D minor by Stanisław Moniuszko,

“Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Serenade in E minor for Strings Op. 20 by Edward Elgar and 2nd Violin Concerto Op. 61 by Karol Szymanowski. The concert will combine classical elegance, romantic lyricism

and Polish music of the 20th century, exposing the beauty of the sound of string instruments. “Pink October” is the title of a unique concert that will take place on October 15. The soloist of the evening will be Robert Bachara, accompanied by the FZ String Orchestra. One of the most famous works of Baroque music — “Four Seasons” Op. 8 by Antonio Vivaldi — will sound, showing the beauty of nature and the variability of the seasons. The concert will be moderated by Agnieszka Trzeciakiewicz, journalist of Polish Radio and president of the Gabriela Kownacki Oncology Foundation, who will give a lecture “Onkostory”, using fragments of the author's unconventional conversations with patients, doctors, rehabilitators and psychologists facing oncological disease. The next installment of Strings Festival Zielona Góra will be the concert “Vivaldi vs Piazzolla”, showing a fascinating dialogue between Baroque music and contemporary tango. Robert Bachara and Tassilo Probst will perform at the concert on 16 October, accompanied by the FZ String Orchestra under the baton of Jakub Grzybowski. The concert will begin with the premiere of Ignacy Zalewski's work, and the dialogue will be accompanied by the famous series “Four Seasons” (“Le quattro stagioni”) by Antonio Vivaldi and “Seasons” (“Estaciones Porteñas”) by Astor Piazzolla. The concert will combine two musical images of the seasons, presenting a contrast between baroque elegance and the passionate world of Argentine tango. On October 23, in the concert entitled “Echo of memories”, the soloist will be the outstanding violinist Robert Kwiatkowski, who together with the FZ Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sergey Simakov will perform the Violin Concerto in A major KV 219 Wolfgang The Ganges of Amadeus Mozart. The program will also include Bedřich Smetana's symphonic poem “Vltava” and Franz Schubert's Seventh Symphony in B minor “Unfinished”. The final concert of Strings Festival Zielona Góra will be the Oratory Concert, scheduled for October 30. This solemn conclusion of the festival will bring together the forces of the orchestra, choir and soloists in the premiere of the new work. There will be:

Magdalena Stefaniak — soprano, Adrian Domarecki — tenor and Adrian Janus — baritone, and they will be accompanied by the FZ Symphony Orchestra and the FZ Choir. The whole will be led by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny. Choir preparation: Martyna Kozanecka. The program includes the premiere of Magdalena Cynk's “Requiem”, commissioned as part of the program “Composer's Orders”. On 21 and 22 November, in the “SFZ na bis” series, there will be exceptional concerts with the participation of the finalist of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, accompanied by the FZ Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maciej Kotarba. The program will include Witold Maliszewski's “Legend” Op. 31, full of lyricism, and Violin Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 14

Henryk Wieniawski — one of the most outstanding works of Polish violin literature, which is a real test of virtuosity and musical maturity of the soloist. As part of the SFZ Festival, 8 concerts are planned.