Cross Culture Festival to Bring the Music of the Orient to Warsaw

In September, world music returns for the 8th time to Warsaw’s city center. This year’s theme for the Cross Culture Festival (Warszawski Festiwal Skrzyżowanie Kultur in Polish) is: ‘Inspirations: The Orient’. The Polish capital will host artists from eleven countries, presenting fascinating cultures from the East, from Central Asia to the Far East. Cross Culture Festival will take place between September 23 and 29, 2012.

The event with different expressions of Asia will be completed by a special film program, prepared for the first time in collaboration with Planete Doc Film Festival.

Direction: Asia

Ayarkhaan from Yakutia

During seven days, the festival tent will stand in the center of Warsaw, by the Palace of Culture and Science. Some of the most famous and renowned musicians from the East will perform there. At the invitation from Stołeczna Estrada, the star ensemble of the festival in 2012 will include artists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and Syria.

We will welcome excellent vocalists, virtuosos of traditional instruments, soloists, as well as groups of dancers, singers and musicians,” says the press release. “Among them three cross-generation concerts: Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana will perform mughams – classical songs of Azerbaijan, Jivan Gasparyan and his grandson Jivan Junior will present the power of Armenia’s duduk. The group Ayarkhaan from Yakutia, Russia – Albina Degtyareva and her twin daughters will sing songs calling upon natural powers and play khomus.”

The artists invited are living legends and ambassadors of their cultures. In their art, they refer to popular customs, rites, beliefs and mystic. Cultivating the centuries-old traditions, the musicians look after the identity of their regions and communities, revive it and save it from extinction, while at the same time searching for new forms and sounds for it. Inspirations: The Orient is an encounter with real Asia, rooted in tradition but going through significant changes.

Concert Program – September 2012

Day 1 – Sunday 23/09, 19:00 – The Legends of the East: Mugham and Duduk

Jivan Gasparyan from Armenia

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival Tent near PKiN
Alim Qasimov – Azerbaijan
Jivan Gasparyan– Armenia

Day 2 – Monday 24/09, 19:00 – Awakened voices of Asia

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival Tent near PKiN
Ayarkhaan/Yakutia – Russia
Rustavi- Georgia

Day 3 – Tuesday 25/09, 19:00 – The energy of Orient

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival tent near PKiN
Al Kindi Ensemble – Syria

Day 4 – Wednesday 26/09, 19:00 – Tales of the Tiger

Ondekoza from Japan

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival tent near PKiN
Ahn Sook-sun – South Korea
Ondekoza – Japan

Day 5 – Thursday 27/09, 19:00 – Sum of Tradition

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival tent near PKiN
Masters of the Workshops concert – Aleksey Arkhipovskiy – Russia

Day 6 – Friday 28/09, 19:00 – Temples of the Sound

Palace of Culture and Science – Festival Tent near PKiN
Titi Robin – France/India/Morocco/Turkey)
Raza Khan – India

Plenete+ Doc Film Festival – program – September 2012

Monday, 24th September

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan
Directed by Byambasuren Davaa
Germany 2009

Tuesday, 25th September

Hanami – Cherry Blossoms
Directed by Doris Dörrie
Germany, 2008

Wednesday, 26th September

Beyond Grace
Directed by Sara Baur- Harding
United States/India, 2011

Thursday, 27th September

Hair India
Directed by Raffaele Brunetti and Marco Leopardi
Germany/France 2008

28th September

Boubacar Traore: I’ll Sing For You
Directed by Jacques Sarasin
Mali/France, 2001

more information at http://www.festival.warszawa.pl

 

Angel Romero

Angel Romero is the founder of World Music Central. He has been involved with the music business and media for over twenty years. Angel was a producer for Musica NA (TVE), an eclectic music TV show. In the mid-1990s he produced three boxed sets: Duende (flamenco), The Big Bang (world drums and percussion), and Planet Soup (world fusion and cross cultural collaborations) for Ellipsis Arts. He later founded world music label Alula Records. Alula's roster included flamenco guitar master Gerardo Núñez, kora virtuoso Mamadou Diabate, Hassan Hakmoun, Susan McKeown, Jamshied Sharifi, Tim O'Brien, Akira Satake and many more. Angel later founded World Music Portal which eventually became World Music Central. http://worldmusiccentral.org/

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