More Than Ornamentation

Artistic director of  Misteria Paschalia Festival – Filip Berkowicz – talks to us about its 2010 edition.

Idea: we always construct the programme around a definite idea connected with Easter – just like last year this motif was the Stabat Mater, now the main theme is Christ’s Passion, which is reflected in the presented works: from the announcement of the dramatic events on Golgotha, to the St John’s Passion, the lamenting of Christ’s fate and the Resurrection – in Handel’s La Resurrezione.

Debuts: we to try to introduce to Misteria Paschalia new ensembles, above all those of global renown, which we have not yet hosted here. Of course we always earlier examine all the candidates. This year we decided for the first time to present in Kraków Claudio Cavina’s famous Italian vocal group La Venexiana as well as L’Arpeggiata, led by Christina Pluhar – also appearing in their Kraków concert will be Philippe Jaroussky, who often cooperates with the ensemble.

A novelty in the programme: the breaking of the stranglehold that Italian and French-dominated repertoire has had over the festival up to this point. This year we are introducing more German music – including Buxtehude and Bach, and also Handel – although from the “Italian” period in the composer’s life.

Big productions: let’s draw attention to the large-scale oratorio forms: Antonio Caldara’s third oratorio, prepared for Misteria Paschalia; J.S. Bach’s St John’s Passion – with it, Marc Minkowski together with Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble is beginning a three-year concert cycle presenting Bach’s large-scale works; as a matter of fact, Handel’s La Resurrezione will also form part of an ongoing project...

World premieres: extraordinarily important in the festival’s conception. This year – three recently reconstructed motets by Benevoli and Leo: this difficult task was undertaken by Antonio Florio and his Cappella della Pietà de’ Turchini, while this Kraków concert premieres these works 300 years after they were created.

Controversy surrounding the poster: the theme of Christ’s Passions submerged in art. We also wanted to break the stereotype that Baroque music has to be associated with beautiful ornamentation and decorative designs… We have shown the martyr as perceived by Robert Wolański, who on the one hand is a photographer of celebrities and on the other – took on the difficult task of creating a contemporary Saviour: someone who suffers for our sins. This poster leaves no one indifferent. Let’s treat it as a voice in the discussion on the theme of the contemporary spiritual dimension of Easter.

We also recommend our article on the festival published in the March edition of "Karnet”: