We spoke with the Polish pianist Lidia Książkiewicz, who will open the 2024 season of the Argentine-Polish Cultural Association (ACAP) with a concert at the National Library Mariano Moreno. She tells us about her career, her relationship with ACAP, and previews a concert dedicated to works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin, and Piazzolla.

By Virginia Chacon Dorr – Ph. Milo Lee

Lidia is a Polish pianist and organist residing in France. She has performed on major European stages and has won prestigious awards, including the Grand Prize from the Academy of Fine Arts in Angers. She is passionate about tango and regularly visits Buenos Aires to perfect her dance skills. She collaborates continuously with our institution by giving concerts. ACAP is a non-profit organization that has been promoting the culture of both countries for two decades.

On this occasion, we also spoke with Ivonne Rajczakowski, member of ACAP, who emphasizes the importance of the upcoming concert: “We always say that the best we can offer to artists is a full house, so everyone is warmly invited to listen to Lidia Książkiewicz. This concert is quite special because it marks the opening of the 2024 Season and also because it is the first time we present a musical activity at the National Library. The concert will take place on Thursday, April 11 at 7 pm in the Jorge Luis Borges Auditorium, with free admission. We are also very grateful to these prestigious institutions for generously opening their doors to us.” – To read the full interview with Ivonne Rajczakowski click here.

Without further ado, let’s now hear from the artist.

– How has your experience been collaborating with the Argentine-Polish Cultural Association, and what does this cultural relationship between both countries mean to you?

– Our collaboration is recent but very fruitful. We have already achieved two common projects: a concert including the participation of the Choir of the City Club of Buenos Aires, with Argentine popular repertoire, and a concert dedicated to Chopin at the Rómulo Raggio Foundation. In two weeks, I will open the 2024 season of ACAP at the National Library; this will be the third presentation in Buenos Aires, and we are considering some presentations in the interior of the country. For November, there is another important project: a concert of Chopin’s strings with the collaboration of a chamber orchestra (everything is quite advanced, but I cannot disclose more details yet, it will be a surprise!). The Argentine-Polish Cultural Association is very active and offers many cultural activities, not only musical but also commemorative, literary, cinematographic, and social activities related to both cultures. For me, it is a pleasure and a luck to be able to collaborate with them.

If I often return to Argentina to perform there, it is thanks to the audience, which is especially warm. The reception is incomparable to that of any other country!

– As a pianist with extensive international experience, how do you believe classical music and art in general can contribute to the promotion of intercultural understanding and collaboration between countries?

– Music is a universal language, connected with emotions that are similar across all cultures. Music transcends barriers imposed by language, politics, education, or beliefs. That’s why understanding is created instantaneously and instinctively with audiences everywhere. Understanding is the foundation of achievement in collaborative work.

Regarding promotion, it’s worth noting that the development of any civilization is judged afterward by its cultural advancement, which is all that remains of past civilizations. Thus, cultural exchange between countries fulfills not only an “aesthetic” role but is also a vector of intellectual exchange, of elevated thought at a high level. And both countries, Argentina and Poland, have much to exchange at this level.

– We know you are passionate about tango. How did this artistic facet come about?

– It was born with me. From a young age, I was passionate about both dance and music. I played my first tango at the age of 9 (it was Albéniz’s tango). When I began my professional life as a musician, I quickly felt the desire to add my personal touch to tango by arranging Astor Piazzolla’s music for organ and also recording a CD of the same composer with an interpretation halfway between classical music and jazz. And now, for the past 5 years, I’ve been expressing tango through my body, dancing and teaching this dance in an association in France.

– Could you tell us about the relationship you explore between the piano and the organ in your book on romantic piano technique and its application in organ repertoire, and how this influence is reflected in your interpretation?

– This is a very interesting question. The relationship between the two instruments has evolved over the years and continues to evolve. I started playing the piano at the age of 5 and became acquainted with the organ at 20, already an active pianist on the national scene.

Very quickly, I realized that despite certain similarities (the keyboards), the two instruments are completely different both in their sound production and in the repertoire they have. These differences offer so many possibilities for artistic expression… which are difficult to manage, especially if we try to handle the instruments at the same level. At the time when I was studying, it was strictly forbidden to practice both simultaneously, considering that the simultaneous practice of both is incompatible. So, I studied secretly in two different cities. That is one of the reasons why I wrote the book. I wanted to provide my testimony and demonstrate that the practice of both instruments not only does not harm but also enriches the practice of each instrument separately and brings a much broader vision to artistic interpretation and freedom in musical expression.

– Regarding the upcoming concert in Argentina, what criteria did you consider when selecting the pieces?

– For this concert, I would like to share with my audience the works that are among my favorites in the repertoire of great classics. Sometimes, certain pieces are so well-known that in the end, no one dares to perform them in concerts, or rarely! This is particularly the case with the first Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach from “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” Beethoven’s Sonata “Moonlight,” or Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor.

– How would you describe your particular style? What elements do you consider most important when approaching works from different periods and musical styles?

– If I had to describe my artistic expression in a single word, it would be freedom. I desire my interpretation to be free from dogmas, academic prohibitions, of “how it should be done.” This comes with age, I believe. When I think of “freedom,” I don’t think of “anarchy.” Solid studies are necessary to understand the complexity and logic of musical writing. And it is then that we can freely progress along a path marked by deep knowledge.

– In addition to your outstanding career as a performer, you have also shared your knowledge as a teacher and judge in international competitions. What aspects do you find most rewarding in your pedagogical work, and how do you believe it enriches your own musical practice?

– As a member of the international jury, I always seek to encourage all young musicians, but reward those who truly deserve it. In other words, I prefer to focus more on individuality and personality than on technical excellence or virtuosity. In any case, the audience will quickly determine what they prefer to listen to: a fast-paced note machine or a poet of their instrument. And does this enrich my own musical practice? Of course! I am inspired every day by beautiful things: youth, with its vitality, freshness of ideas, and audacity, is one of those.

About the concert:

The concert will take place on Thursday, April 11th at 7:00 PM in the Jorge Luis Borges Auditorium. Admission is free of charge, and entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.

PROGRAM:

Chopin: Polonaise in A Major Op. 40 No. 1 “Military”

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major BWV 846

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, Quasi una fantasia, “Moonlight”

Scriabin: Study Op. 2 No. 1 in C-sharp minor

Astor Piazzola: Sunny’s Game

Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor Op. posth.
Chopin: Study Op. 25 No. 9 in G-flat major “The Butterfly”
Chopin: Ballade Op. 23 No. 1 in G minor