Frederic came back to Warsaw

Two centuries have passed since Frederic Chopin was born in an outbuilding of the Skarbeks’ mansion in Zelazowa Wola, 50 kilometers west from Warsaw. Although the composer left the world in Paris (he was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris), he returned to Warsaw after his death.

And it is not only his heart, which was brought to the Polish capital by his sister Ludwika according to his will (it is stored in the Church of the Holy Cross). Chopin is omnipresent in Warsaw. Especially this year [proclaimed the Year of Chopin – Ed.]. It seems that he responded to a sentimental call of his artistic offspring — modern Polish artists, who created a series of the posters “Fryderyku! Wŕóc do Warszawy!” (“Frederic! Come back to Warsaw!”). Chopin came back in style, bright and luxuriously: he meets you at the airport named after him, accompanies in the museums, hotels, restaurants and in the street. The Poles are extremely patriotic about him. They are not afraid to connect this cosmopolitan talent with themselves and their country, and especially with Warsaw. They do not avoid identifying sophisticated and melancholic Chopin with strong patriotic feeling. Patriotism is not rousing for Poland but… actually it is like Chopin’s music. It was Warsaw, where Fritz (that is how the family called him in childhood) grew up, it was there, in Radziwill Palace, that he played his first concert, performed in the aristocratic salons. Later the premiere of his only two concerts took place in the National Theater.

Chopin is not just being promoted in Poland but, first of all, comprehended through the influence of his music on the modern world, especially on art, sculpture, cinema and design. That is why they publish correspondent literature in dozens of languages, shoot documentaries, build museums, and organize Chopin competitions and festivals, like the Chopin Piano Competition.

The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition was first held in 1927, and takes place every five years. The famous pianist, teacher, composer and professor Jerzy Zhuravlev got the idea of its creation. That is how he wanted to promote Chopin’s music. The first competition in 1927 started with 26 musicians. By 2005 there were 257 participants.

“There are many wonderful piano competitions in the world, including Horowitz Piano Competition but the aim of Chopin competition is an attempt to attract those very virtuosos who feel and play Chopin’s music the best,” Andrzej Jasinski, the head of the jury of the XVI International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, explains. “The laureates have to be examples of the approach to playing Chopin’s music. It is very important to maintain the level of the competition, which would please Chopin himself. That is why I am not a fan of the pianists, who, while playing Chopin, try to create their own art. I like those, who show Chopin the best — as an elegant, romantic Pole, a person who feels, loves, worries and hopes. In order to play Chopin, one has to understand Bach, as he is very deep, Mozart — as he is pure, Schubert — as he is sentimental, Schumann — as he is full of fantasies, Tchaikovsky — as he has heart and soul; French composers, as they are certainly more elegant than the Poles. Actually, I feel all these elements in Chopin’s works, this entire composer’s tradition.”

If we look closer at the list of all the 15 winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition, we can find Ukrainians, albeit hidden under the “USSR” brand. Particularly, the laureate of the first prize in 1932 Alexander Uninsky was a Kyivite, studied in Kyiv Conservatory and in early 1920s his family settled in Paris. Actually, the story of this musician is very interesting and requires a separate publication, as does the story of one of the most famous pianists of the previous century Yakov Zak from Odesa, who won the competition in 1937.

It is obvious that this year, when Poland celebrates Chopin’s 200th anniversary, a Pole’s victory would be symbolic and appropriate, but Marcin Kozak only managed to make it to the final. The Russians appeared to be the strongest. There were five of them in the final and the Muscovite Yulianna Avdeeva won the first prize.

Chopin lived for 20 years in Warsaw. The Poles emphasize that it was major part of his life (compared to 19 years in Paris) and here he wrote his key works. All of them (irrefutable proof!) are gathered in a huge audio library of the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, which is a special expression of love towards the composer and cost over 80 million zloty. The multimedia museum, according to its curator, is determined for the personal encounters with Chopin. At the entrance the visitors are given electronic cards, with the help of which they activate different parts of the exhibit in 15 places. Here you can hear the birds singing in Nohant, smell Chopin’s favorite violets, and just across the street in the fashionable Chopin restaurant you can try his favorite dishes. Without any effort or modesty you will be convinced that this museum is the best Chopin museum in the world. Not because the museum is “stuffed” with multimedia items but because there is the largest collection in the world of the composer’s belongings.

But not everybody is impressed with the multimedia tuning. Many complain of the lack of atmosphere, especially in the house museum in Zelazowa Wola, where Chopin was born. In any case, it is obvious that Chopin is a powerful uniting factor for the Poles. However, the controversy about a more or less high-tech museum is not tearing apart the object of admiration. Chopin’s music faced bad times, when it was strictly forbidden during the period of German occupation, which made it large-scale in the post-war time. And now you can hear this music from any street shop, scattered around Warsaw downtown in the spots connected with the outstanding musician’s biography. In spring-summer period you can listen to Chopin music outside — in the Royal Lazienki park near the composer’s monument and in Zelazowa Wola. On the city administration website there is a special “Chopin” guide in English, Japanese, Russian, French, Chinese, German and Spanish. There is even a GPS “Navigo Chopin Tour.” There is one more reason for such attention to Chopin, other than his 200th anniversary. Warsaw applied for the “European Capital of Culture-2016.” It has many rivals, including other Polish cities. We can agree that Chopin is a strong argument and a significant reason to “Fall in love with Warsaw,” as the promo-project slogan says.

During WWII 80 percent of Warsaw was destroyed, including almost all the Chopin spots. Only Honoratka coffee shop, where Chopin was a frequent visitor, remained on Miodowa Street. It was not destroyed as it was located underground. The Poles had to restore all the symbolic spots. In 1949 Warsaw held the first post-war Chopin competition. Now the church, where the Chopin’s parents Nicolas Chopin and Justyna Krzyzanowska, got married and baptized little Fritz, is completely restored. There is a bike parking near the entrance. But only much damaged wooden sculpture of Christ remained from the times of Chopin. For the Poles it is the Chopin’s place without any “buts.”

Pictures from the album Chopin. Poster, affiche, plakat (Maria Kurpik, Lech Majewski, Bosz Publishing House, 2010)