Chopin Without Piano at Swarthmore
8 p.m.
Swarthmore College presents the North American premiere of Chopin Without Piano, featuring an interpretive theatrical and musical piece that will reveal new insights into Fryderyk Chopin as both a historical figure and a masterful composer.
The performance will reimagine the distinct character of Chopin's orchestral writing of two piano concerti using dramatic spoken text constructed from fragments of Chopin's letters and biographies, and Polish writers' commentaries on Chopin. Acclaimed Polish actress, Barbara Wysocka, who conceived the work with the Centrala theater company in Warsaw, Poland, will perform the monologues in Polish with English subtitles. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will perform the orchestral score, led by Polish conductor Bassem Akik. A concert grand piano will be physically present on stage but will never be played, representing Chopin's displacement from his homeland, while underscoring themes of absence and alienation that will unfold in the monologues.
This performance at Swarthmore College is free and open to the public without advance reservation. For more information, please call 610.690.3489 or email concertmanager@swarthmore.edu.