Bank Millennium sponsors the Sacrum Profanum Festival

Sacrum Profanum is an international project, which has gained the status of one of the most interesting musical events in Europe. It presents latest music, aiming at erasing the borderline between contemporary classical music, often treated as difficult and incomprehensible, and the achievements of the ambitious entertainment-experimental scene. Its rank is built by participation – on the one hand – of the best ensembles performing contemporary classical music, i.a. Ensemble Modern, Alarm Will Sound, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Kronos Quartet, on the other hand – stars of the world’s alternative scene i.a. Aphex Twin, Jónsi, Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Adrian Utley (Portishead), Kraftwerk or Sigur Rós.

The festival has won the most recognised Polish prizes and awards. It has also been included in the official calendar of the Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union. The Festival, recommended by prestigious music magazines including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Mezzo television, is widely acclaimed by critics and the public at large. The Festival’s events are covered every year by more than 160 reporters from Poland and abroad.

More about Sacrum Profanum Festival is here: www.sacrumprofanum.com

09.09.2012

Sacrum Profanum 2012

The Sacrum Profanum is a festival, which creates its own world

The “Sacrum – Profanum” festival, established in 2002, is one of the most unique musical projects in Europe. It is international and open to various musical movements, presenting 20th century and contemporary music, combining various genres in a sometimes surprising manner. Every year it features music by composers from various countries, performed by true stars of contemporary music and the alternative scene.

Photog. Wojciech Wandzel, www.wandzelphoto.com

 

During the tenth edition of the Festival they included Polish musicians: Paweł Mykietyn, Agata Zubel, Marcin Stańczyk, Aleksander Nowak, Cezary Duchnowski, Sławomir Kupczak. They are artists of the young and middle-aged generations who are making a hit on the international arena i.a. due to the fact that their compositions found their way into the repertoire of eminent performers: Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, Alarm Will Sound or musikFabrik. However there was also no shortage of new performances of the classics: Penderecki, Górecki or Lutosławski (the “Polish Icons” concert), also played by the reactivated Skalpel duo and DJ involved with the famous British Ninja Tune producer.

 

Photog. Wojciech Wandzel, www.wandzelphoto.com

It was a great manifestation of creative freedom. Daniel Cichy, a musicologist, wrote in the Festival’s publication: (…) Polish music has more than just one facet. Hardly surprising; after all the plurality of aesthetic attitudes and multitude of artistic options are part and parcel of modern times. Thanks to the openness of our music scene everyone can find music to suit their sensitivity, encounter a composer who will speak their voice; they can also come across a musician with whom they will quarrel no end (…) We are returning to the steel mill for the finale. It was here, in the normally operational, though this time vacated Arcelor Mittal Poland tinhouse (today’s name of the steel mill), on a huge stage in industrial settings true stars appeared.

Photog. Wojciech Wandzel, www.wandzelphoto.com

 

The Kronos Quartet from the US, one of the world’s most important ensemble of performers of classical and contemporary music, famous for their high class appearances and with the world’s most renowned composers creating music for them. Surprisingly enough in the finale concert they only appeared as support for the Icelandic Sigur Rós group. This was an appearance awaited by five thousand fans and they knew only too well why. Sigur Rós are an icon of alternative rock. At the Nowa Huta concert, after a four-year break in activity, they came reinforced with female string and wind sections and created a grand show.

 

Photog. Wojciech Wandzel, www.wandzelphoto.com

Their mysterious and energetic music, making reference to the sounds of nature and enhanced with the vocal’s falsetto, combined with an interesting scenic creation, brought an unforgettable experience. The group hypnotised their audience keeping them in this state long after the concert was over. The Sigur Rós concert made a spectacular finale of the Festival, which redefines the notion of “contemporary music” and thus remains two lengths ahead of other festivals of this musical movement.

Photog. Wojciech Wandzel, www.wandzelphoto.com