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Which artists avoided censorship, and which met with overzealous censorship?
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No, I am not criticizing Opole for the sake of criticism – at the beginning I would like to point out that I have been watching the festival for years, for example the concert “Zielono mi” with Agnieszka Osiecka’s songs from 1997 I still fondly remember today and consider it a truly extraordinary event. On Friday evening, however, I had the feeling that the time for this party was over. “The Young”, with some exceptions, cannot cope, and the stars from years ago are also not enough.
It couldn’t be boring, i.e. the first day of the festival in Opole
Although TVP likes to brag about Opole, she treated the first day neglectfully, after a half-hour concert “Opole na start” (with a little funny cabaret insert by Marcin Daniec), it broadcast a match of the Polish national football team. After our meeting was unsuccessful, it was only worse. In “From Opole to Opole” you could hear – as the hosts emphasized many times – the greatest hits of the last several months. Today, after several hours, I am able to mention two or three titles from memory. The audience (mostly) in masks on their noses and mouths was not taken by Viki Gabor, or Enej, or De Mono, although they all once heated the audience with hits to red. Sanah won the competition, but does he have the charisma to survive more than one or two seasons in the industry? Its live performance differs significantly from a technically well-produced album.
On the other hand, “Debuts”, thanks to which Edyta Góniak, Justyna Steczkowska or Mietek Szcześniak, for example, set sail for broader musical waters, stood at such a low level that it was sad to bully the contestants. We do not know the winner yet, but I would be surprised if it was someone outside the two Izabela Zalewska (like Alicja Majewska sang “Cień hopi”, although it was a song in the style of “old” Opole, it was sung great) or as one of the few emotional performances with its performance “Burzy” Kamil Czeszel, laureate of the “Magic Song Festival”. The jury was chaired by Natalia Kukulska, who first had to listen with a straight face to the cover of her mother’s “Joy of the most beautiful years” song by Anna Jantar, and then consider who should receive Karolinka, the Anna Jantar award. I do not understand why the artist agreed to the bizarre announcement of the songs of her tragically deceased mother at the Saturday concert. Before Anna Rusowicz sang on the stage “So much sunshine in the whole city”, Kukulska conducted an “interview” with herself dressed as Anna Jantar.
… it was better already. The scene still belongs to the “old guard”
Opole is a festival with a long and beautiful history. It is thanks to him that many people hum to this day such hits as “To lata” Bajmu, “Nothing Can Last Forever” by Anna Jantar, “Don’t Cry Ewka” Perfect, “Long Live the Ball” by Maryla Rodowicz, “Strange is this world” by Czesław Niemen , “Where are the men” by Danuta Rinn or “Forbidden Fruit” by Krzysztof Antkowiak. We heard some of these songs during the Saturday concert “Festival, Festival !!! Złote Opolskie Przeboje” – the idea was that the songs are sung by original performers or by using the technique you will be able to hear the greatest hits of those who have passed away, sung in duets with contemporary singers.
Natalia Nykiel presented herself fantastically, but she is in a class of its own. Her duet with Kora – “Gray Mirages” – sounded really stylish. Apart from that, in virtually every once-today duo, we saw better performance and greater emotions on large screens than on the stage. Although Halina Mlynkova has a voice, seriously, I would rather watch a reminder of the whole performance of Zbigniew Wodecki, singing “I like to come back where I was” or “Joy in the morning” Alibabki. As for the equally unique Andrzej Zaucha, Dawid Kwiatkowski only disturbed him.
Unfortunately, due to their age, not all of them managed, but the “old guard” showed that the stage belongs to them. Beata Kozidrak, despite great emotions (her mother died recently, the singer dedicated her first song) or Edyta Geppert sang on their usual-unusual level. Magic.
Edyta Geppert at the festival in Opole in 2018 photo: Patrycja Wanot / Agencja Gazeta
Izabela Trojanowska started phenomenally with “As many truths as lies” – proving with a great arrangement that the hits from years ago do not have to get old. It’s a pity that it turned into a mix of her hits, you would like to listen to her longer, or at least two songs in full. And the queen of Opole, Maryla Rodowicz? This festival is her natural environment, she knows they love her like nowhere – and she sings as always. You may or may not be a fan of its aesthetics, but no one will refuse professionalism. And texts such as “Wariatka dances” by Agnieszka Osiecka are impressive, although they are already several dozen years old, and arouse emotions without support … Justyna Steczkowska was the only one who supported her with expressive effects masking the imperfections of her voice and jamming the brass section.
The festival in Opole has not been setting trends in music for years, and the same stars appear on the stage every now and then – both due to the political situation, but also TVP’s strategy. Television heads know that their viewers want nostalgia … What will happen with the festival when the bench shrinks so that it is impossible to fill three evenings a year? The DJ Gromee promoted by public television can play all Opole hits from the console, but do we really want it?
Gromee Photo Wojciech Habdas / Agencja Gazeta
Because we will see the concert broadcast on TVP1 on the Opole stage Dawid Podsiadło, Quebonafide, Krzysztof Zalewski, Taco Hemingwaya and Daria Zawiałow, we do not have much to count for the coming years. And they and their like are what we can now call Polish music. Meanwhile, on Saturday after the first concert in the festival TV program Jedynka there is also a concert of literary songs, and on Sunday, among others, recital “Majewska & Korcz Okrągłe 45”, concert “Premieres” and a memory of Romuald Lipka.
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