There will be mature artists, such as Americans: David Murray, Eric Hansen or John Schimek, Czechs: Miloslav Gajdoš and Miloslav Jelinek, and Poles: Adam Cegielski, Adam Bogacki and Grzegorz Frankowski. The audience will also have an opportunity to listen to youngest virtuosos, such as the 6-year-old Antek Trześniewski from Krakow, who began to play in September and is already taking part in a double bass competition. The biggest attractions of the festival will include double bass orchestras in versions for professionals and for beginners (the concert will be held on the 21st of August at 3:00 p.m. on Stefan Wyszyński Square), as well as six concerts, lectures, master classes and the Anniversary Double Bass Competition in three age categories + in the double bass chamber ensembles category.
A woman with a double bass
Since 2004, the soul and brain of the festival has been Irena Olkiewicz, one of the few and first double bassists in Poland (although there are many of them in the world) and a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Wroclaw and the president of the Polish Association of Double Bassists with a seat in Wroclaw. Apart from Irena’s husband Grzegorz Olkiewicz (excellent flutist), the 1.70-metre high instrument is her second equal life partner. The artist adores it, and valuable instruments from her collection could make her the envy of many musicians. For instance, she has a Vienna instrument signed by Daniel Achattius Stadlmann from 1727. It is a unique piece, because this outstanding violin-maker made only a couple of double basses in his whole career, and this one was probably ordered by some outstanding person (and the work may have been admired even by Johann Sebastian Bach). Irena Olkiewicz has also two instruments ordered from the outstanding Chinese builder Yang Liang. The results of work of the specialist from Beijing enchanted her to such an extent that she ordered also small versions of double basses for children (1/8 and 1/16 sizes, which means that they are three and four times smaller than an ordinary double bass). They will be used by young players who will arrive at master courses taking part at the festival and will take part in the work of the double bass orchestra.
A child can play the double bass, too
Irena Olkiewicz saw the youngest double bass players in China. „Even a few years ago in Poland, people didn’t believe that children can be taught from the age of 5, whereas foreign music teachers know very well that it is better for the youngest musicians to play the double bass rather than the piano or the violin from the beginning,” points out Irena Olkiewicz. She has given lectures throughout Poland to advocate the education of small children. This has already brought first results – last year a double bass class that can be attended even by 5-year-olds was opened in Kraków. The school engaged the double bassist and teacher Grzegorz Frankowski, who is also an enthusiast of tango (he will perform with his own ensemble at the festival on the 21st of August at 6:00 p.m. in Oratorium Marianum) and invested in instruments. In addition, small musicians from Bytom, Dębica, Gdańsk and Wrocław (from Czesław Kurtok’s class) will perform in a specially formed orchestra at the festival. “A children’s double bass ensemble has never played in Poland before, and this first performance will take place at our festival,” says Irena Olkiewicz with enthusiasm, adding that she has seen similar concerts in the USA. “They were conducted by John Clayton, a musician who regularly collaborates with Diana Krall,” she emphasises. “Older schoolchildren played the motive, and the younger ones provided the rhythm section by tapping soundboxes of double basses even with pencils, which sounded and looked excellent”, tells Irena Olkiewicz.
Unscrew the neck and enter the plane
Travelling with double basses can be a nightmare. It is difficult to pack such an instrument into a plane, and it takes a few weeks to transport it in a container. The famous musician David Murray, a guest of the festival (he will perform on the 21st of August at 6:00 p.m. in Oratorium Marianum) and a student of the great master Gary Karr (to whom a plaque is devoted at ul. Krupnicza 15), has his way of dealing with this problem. He chooses flights, because his double bass has a detachable neck which is attached to the fingerboard with a special screw. This makes it possible to enter the plane freely with the instrument. Murray will play the final concert of the festival, conduct master courses and sit in the jury of the competition. It is worth adding that, apart from him, the performance of thirty participants will be appraised by all (!) performers at the festival. “This does not happen anywhere else in the world,” convinces Irena Olkiewicz.
Classical music, jazz and tango in the program
And what can music lovers expect? For example, a performance by young talented Polish double bass players: Adam Bogacki, Marek Romanowski and Piotr Zimnik and the outstanding Czech double bass player Miloslav Jelinek, who will perform the Cello Concerto in D major by Joseph Haydn at the opening concert (16th of August, 6:00 p.m., in Oratorium Marianum). A concert of the excellent Bassiona Amorosa ensemble, which was formed by the outstanding German double bassist and teacher Klaus Trumph and includes five double bass players from various parts of the world (South Korea, Serbia, Belarus, Czech Republic and Georgia), will take place in Oratorium Marianum on the 17th of August at 6:00 p.m. The excellent Czech double bassist Miloslav Gajdoš will play the famous Cello Concerto by Antonin Dvořák in the double bass version in Oratorium on the 18th of August at 6:00 p.m., and the Turkish musician Turek Burak Karaagac with his wife, the violinist Ebru Karaagac, will perform for the first time Divertimento Concertante by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (who was the bandmaster for the Bishop of Wroclaw in the 18th century) in Oratorium on the 19th of August at 6:00 p.m.
The festival will include not only classical music, but also jazz.. Adam Cegielski with the pianist Kuba Stankiewicz will play standards (20th of August at 6:00 p.m. in Oratorium), whereas the aforementioned Grzegorz Frankowski and two musicians forming his Trio have prepared famous tango tunes (including Polish ones) for the finale (21st of August). All concerts will take place in Oratorium Marianum, excluding double bass orchestras, which will play on Stefan Wyszyński Square on Ostrów Tumski. Tickets for concerts in Oratorium will cost 30 PLN.
The 5th World Double Bass Festival begins on Saturday the 16th of August and will last till Thursday the 21st of August. For detailed information about the program and performers, visit: www.worldbassfestival.pl
Magdalena Talik
