KOCHI:
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale will present a taste of East European music tomorrow, as a Polish troupe is staging an interesting mix of popular songs, instrumental ensemble and dance tunes as part of the art festival.
The Rzeszow Klezmer Band will string together numbers mostly based on what the Jews in Poland and outside of the country play on occasions such as weddings and birth anniversaries. The February 20 show at the Biennale Pavilion in Fort Kochi’s Cabral Yard will begin at 7 pm. The Wednesday event is part of the Music of Muziris series under the ongoing the fourth edition of the biennale.
Brought to the Kerala city by the Polish Institute in New Delhi, the 14-year-old troupe is to perform for the first time in India. Based in the cultural-rich city of Rzeszow that is 300 km south of the Poland’s capital Warsaw, the Klezmer Band has so far given more than 300 concerts. They have not just been in Poland, but also across Lithuania, Armenia, Georgia, Romania, Greece and Macedonia among other European countries.
Scholars note that the bands performances, with its young artistes, are diverse, ravishing and energetic. The music can both make the audience want to dance and move you deeply.
Music of Muziris is an initiative by the Kochi Biennale Foundation presenting live performances by diverse artist in contemporary music from several parts of the country and world. In the fourth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the audiences were enthralled by artists like electronic collective Kekao, Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan, singer-composer Shruthi Vishwanath, lyricist P M Munna, Insurrections Ensemble and Karnatic Kattaikkuttu by TM Krishna and Kattaikkuttu Sangam to name a few.
As for tomorrow’s show being hosted by Polish Institute, it is a 2012-incepted establishment that is a part of the European country’s diplomatic mission to India, aiming to foster an understanding of Polish culture and promote a spirit of cooperation.
The Klezmer Band, formed in November 2004, had humble beginning, giving local concerts in Rzeszow. Soon the talent of its members earned the troupe vast popularity. It went on to participate in several festivals such as Warszawa Singera (2007, ’08), Nowa Tradycja (Warsaw, 2006), Festival of Klezmer Music and Tradition (2006, 07, 08) and Kazimierskie Inspiracje (2008) in Kazimierz Dolny. The have also taken part in Spotkania z Kultura Zydowska (2007) in Lódz and multicultural Galicja Festival (2007) in Rzeszów.
