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Autorem zdjęć jest Henryk Igliński
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Witamy.
Zapowiedzi w tym koncercie będą prowadzone przez młodzież z zespołu Lajkonik w języku angielskim. Powód – chcemy, żeby dzieci i młodzież poznawały historię Polski i dobrze rozumiały podawane informacje. A czasami jest to trudne dla części dzieci i młodzieży urodzonych w Australii dla których pierwszym językiem jest język angielski.
MC: Welcome to the concert commemorating the 104th anniversary of regaining independence by Poland after 123 years of partitions. As a result of three partitions by our neighbours, Russia, Prussia (Germany) and Austria in 1772, 1773 and 1775 Poland ceased to exist on the map of Europe for the next 123 years. Yet, its spirit never died, and though the many uprisings were unsuccessful, Poland continued to cultivate its language, culture and traditions. Let us welcome the Lajkonik Ensemble in the two dances – Polonez and Mazur.
Polonez and Mazur
MC: The Lajkonik Choir will present two songs popular in the XIX--th century, during the uprisings. Those songs grieved (lamented) our defeats, but also rose the spirits as long as there was hope in the Polish hearts.
A little bit of information about the Lajkonik Choir.
The Lajkonik Choir was formed at the beginning of this year specifically for PolArt Sydney, and has a new repertoire of 4 Christmas carols, 5 folk songs and 5 well-known popular and patriotic songs. The Choir is a collaboration between the dancer members of the Lajkonik Senior Ensemble, parents who love singing, and members of other choirs who are currently not active. The Choir Director is Bernadeta Żychowska, a highly professional musician. The Choir Project is largely funded by Wspólnota Polska in Rzeszów and we thank Wspólnota Polska for the support given to Lajkonik. Through the Choir Project, Lajkonik’s Artistic Director Urszula Lang wants to inspire in the dancers an even greater appreciation of Polish music, improve their Polish language skills and develop the Ensemble true to its official title of being a Song and Dance Ensemble. This is much harder in Australia where the majority of Lajkonik dancers, and indeed Urszula, were born in Australia and English is therefore their first language. So, we thank you in advance for your support and acknowledgement of this special Lajkonik Project, funded by the Polish Government.
O mój rozmarynie
Jak długo w sercach naszych
MC: When in 1914 WW1 begins, despite the hardships of war, hope enters the hearts of Poles. Józef Piłsudski creates Polish Legions in the Austrian partition and leads them from Cracow to Warsaw in the Russian partition. His vision is to combine forces, unite all Poles from the three partitions and regain independence. Piłsudski’s first military unit was called Pierwsza Kompania Kadrowa and it gave rise to the First Polish Army after 123 years of partitions. Let us invite singers from the Lajkonik Junior choir to present songs from those times written by Pilsduski’s legionnaires, often young teenage boys.
Pierwsza Kadrowa
Przybyli ułani
Co to jest niepodległość
MC: The song – My Pierwsza Brygada (We, the First Brigade) is one of the best-known patriotic marches of Józef Piłsudski’s Polish Legions. It was written by the two of Piłsudski’s legionnaires, an 18 years old soldier, Tadeusz Biernacki and Andrzej Hałaciński (26 years old) who in the WW2 was imprisoned in the Soviet prison in Kozielsk and then murdered in Katyń in 1940. A tragic generation.
My Pierwsza Brygada
MC: Regaining independence in 1918 was not the end of the Polish fight for independence. We all know about the Battle of Warsaw in August 1920 when Poland defeated the Soviet communist forces, thus protecting all Europe from the Bolshevik invasion.
Earlier, when on the first of November 1918 the Ukrainian soldiers from the Austrian Army occupied part of Lwów, Polish civilians rose up throughout the city – among them 2640 Orlątka (Eaglets) – a term of affection that is applied to the Polish child soldiers who defended the city of Lwów. They were high school and university students that together with the adult civilians defended Lwów till the arrival of the regular Polish Army on the 20th of November that took control over the city.
Orlątko
MC: Brzoza – a birch, the Queen of Polish trees, has a significant symbolic meaning in the Polish history. Our Polish landscape is dotted with birch crosses, at the cross-roads, in the forests or fields. Everywhere where there was no time to bury the fallen Polish soldiers in the cemeteries.
We also have a favourite birch of our bard Adam Mickiewicz in Tuchanowicze, right next to the chapel.
Piotr Żychowski, the author of the next two poems, was inspired by a birch that grows in the Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah, which reminded him of the tragic plight of many Polish soldiers who did not live to see liberation.
Brzoza
Moja Ojczyzna
Wymarsz Uderzenia
Jest taki kraj
Obyśmy byli godni ich ran
MC: Difficult as our history has been, let us finish in our Polish positive
spirit.
Tańce Śląskie
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