Malta Festival, one of the most musically-inclined theatre festivals is proud to announce a unique blend of styles, personalities and social activism. At Poznań’s Liberty Square, as well as the city’s many outdoor locations, we shall hear numerous musical variations on the theme of peace. Brace yourselves for quite a few Polish legends and international premieres alike, while the silent disco blows minds thanks to the army of DJ-s recruited by the Idiom’s curator. For the musical finale, a selection of guests such as Mateusz Holak, Justyna Szafran and A score for peace – beyond borders! Feel free to sit with us, listen, and become part of the many for whom peace is of paramount significance!
The stage at Poznań’s Liberty Square will feature 4 concerts. On the first day of the festival, we shall hear Egged on by Music by Cinemaximiliaan, an international cultural initiative and film platform; A fusion of pop, jazz, rock and oriental influences will become a one-of-a-kind live soundtrack to Egged On, a silent movie from 1926. On the second day, Kuba Więcek Trio will give us a lot of alto sax and deep sounding percussion, all set in an electronic ambience. Music journalist Piotr Metz referred to their newest album as the ideal soundtrack for our surrounding reality.
The oppressive eye of the poet – featured 7 years ago in Wrocław’s Capitol Theatre, is coming back to Malta Festival on 25 June! The concert by Sztylety (Pl. Daggers), is going to be a sentimental journey across the works of accursed poets. Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Gottfried Benn and W. H. Auden will be reinterpreted by Cezary Studniak, Justyna Szafran and Marcin Ożog.
On 28 June at Liberty Square, Polpo Motel gra Gawędę will hypnotise the audience with their cold wave stylistic, clashing the austere synth waveforms with vintage husky drumkits and the expressive vocals of Olga Mysłowska and Daniel Pigoński. The inspirations of the project’s musicians include 80s’ electronica, David Lynch’s movies and camp. Critic Michał Mendyk described Polpo Motel as cross between Kraftwerk and Anthony and the Johnsons.
On 22 June, at the car park under Liberty Square, Evgenia Klemba and Dawid Dąbrowski will live-generate sounds along with a multi-channel video projection, thus creating Repetitions. A young cuture for peace. On 27 June, it will present a musical performance as part of Pokojowy Narzędziownik (Peace Toolbox) – a youth’s initiative within Generator Malta.
The evening of 29 June, is time for our traditional Café-chantant, which is going to fill the Liberty Square with singing, piano sounds and bustle of many conversations. The program features tunes that are popular and likeable, guests are provided with songbooks available on coffee tables, but there’s enough room left on stage for spontaneous suggestions. During our ‘singing cafes’, artistic collective Łaski will once again perform the repertoire from their New Patriotic Songbook, where the traditional lyrics of patriotic songs inspiring rise to independence were infused with femininity, enabling a herstorical perspective. The event will be hosted by Radosław Mateja.
Music will also reach the districts of Grunwald, Naramowice and Wilda. Each of the three sentimental walks across Poznań’s neighbourhood will finish with… a concert! As early as 16 June, ABC Przygody will play at Grunwald. The songs of Polish oldies such as Zdzisława Sośnicka, Halina Frąckowiak or Skaldowie will joyfully bounce around walls of Grunwald’s apartment buildings – the vibe is all crackly, vinyl, and sentimental. See you at the disco! On 23 June, Karolina Czarnecka will enchant us with her micro-concert Solarium 2.0 in the garden of Mikro Dom Kultury (Pl. Micro Community Centre) located at 6th Lotaryńska Street. The concert will be a musical sentimental map of Naramowice district. On 27 June, at Wilda’s ROD (the district’s recreational gardening lot complex), the legendary duo Duel Top will make our bodies swing and eyes water with the biggest hits and classics of Polish popular music. On 22 June Morga will play at Republika Sztuki Tłusta Langusta.
30 June marks the grand finale of our 10-day pro-peace activities. In the open space of Poznań’s Citadel, a concert entitled A score for peace will take place, composed by Dawid Dąbrowski and performed by an international assembly of artists, including musicians from India, Poland, the Ukraine, Russia and Georgia. During the collective meditation and the concert itself, the spectators will hear the flute, guitar, modular synths, voice, silent violin, harmonium, and tabla. Every spectator will be able to follow all individual sounds and tracks thanks to personal, graphically enriched score books provided.
Operetta! You are living in the Matrix – why not dance a cancan with us?
Music will bring together talented performers, the most likeable tunes, a plethora of music styles, and most importantly: irony and self-irony. And all this is going to happen in the exact spot where Poznań’s new Music Theatre headquarters is to be built.
The head arranger of Malta’s musical finale is Mateusz Holak, who despite his young age is a widely recognised figure among alternative audiences and visual art aficionados. The final stage will feature donGURALesko, Polish rapper and music producer. And once again, actress and singer Justyna Szafran! Known for her classical and sentimental arrangements of stage songs, she is a resident of Wrocław’s Capitol Theatre. Emose Katarzyna Uhunmwangho, a singer and actress with a unique timbre and scale, will present her song that’s an equally exceptional story. Also, we’ll have Andrzej Donarski, since 1983 associated with MR. ZOOB band, known by all Polish rock fans for their song: Mój jest ten kawałek podłogi (Pl. This piece of floor belongs to me) . And Marta Mazurek, known for her role in Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Córki dancingu . And of course, last but not least, something for the fans of classical music – Collegium F Orchestra conducted by Marcin Sompoliński will perform all-time classic operetta hits.
The entire show will be illustrated by Alicja Biała, a visual artist with Polish, British and Danish roots. Her work is steeped in irony, especially the kind of irony targeted at oneself – self-irony – which will become the star of the music finale! These are the most critical features we lack nowadays - being able to take others or oneself not so seriously. Please, take as much of this ability as possible for the concert – says Michał Merczyński, inviting everybody to join Malta Festival’s Finale.
Meet the artists playing in the finale, who will all sing and dance a cancan to conclude the finale. We can’t wait to see you there!
Let’s dance the night away! – international silent disco.
As the dark night sets in Poznań, the Liberty Square will turn into festival’s silent disco club! The lineup includes: the legendary NOS trio, DJs from Poznań, artists invited by Generator Malta (first time ever), as well as Portugese DJs invited by the Idiom’s curator, Nástio Mosquito.
On 21 June, the festival’s club will be dominated by Portugese DJs invited by Nástio Mosquito. To name a few, there’s Dj Riot - one of the founders of Buraka Som Sistema, a Portugese electronic group which released Sound of Kuduro in 2007 featuring M.I.A. Together with the group, Dj Riot played at Glastonbury and Roskilde. Right next to him behind the consoles, we’ll have Dj Kronic – Australian producer, DJ and author of many songs and remixes, e.g. Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, R. Kelly or Enrique Iglesias. His most recognised production was Bend Ova, coproduced with Lil Jon and Tyga. In his mixes, he combines hip hop, R&B and EDM, thus offering a versatile repertoire for everyone to enjoy.
22 June is the collective silent disco day, organised by Generator Malta. Two headphone channels will be taken over by an electronic music collective FLAUTA from Warsaw, while a DJ from FUTURE V (international vougers’ collective from Berlin) will take care of the third channel. This night, the party will serve a noble social cause – with tickets priced at 15 PLN (or more, depending on your generosity), the money will be donated entirely to Kids Paradise. On 27 June, it is time for local creators from collective Młoda Kultura (Pl. Young Culture) to lay their hands on the knobs. It is the same creators who are also preparing an exhibition and a concert, as part of the Peace Toolbox: Dj Elvira, who found their refuge in experimental techno and house, as well as Bromance - a duo that is highly popular with the local audience, created by Andrzej Pakuła i Mikołaj Ludwik. Together, they play techno and dance.
On 28 June, the three silent disco channels will feature three female DJs. The first one is Monster DJ working for the LOW Kollektiv and in Oramics – a platform initially set up to support women, queer people and non-binary people, which eventually morphed into an independent booking platform. Next, there’s Olivia Radar – DJ and producer, a resident at Unsound Festival, and the founder of Radar – a collective for DJs and producers, organising techno, house and acid parties in Cracow. And last but not least, DJ Mały Blancik, who got her musical education as well as her fondness for the vinyl medium at the legendary WOSK club in Poznań. She is the curator of regular vinyl parties called Przytyk Sympatii, and author of many playlists that aggregate the most interesting pieces by Polish artists. For the very ending, on 29 June, get ready for Malta’s favourite night shift – the NOS trio (Michał Nogaś, Agnieszka Obszańska, Agnieszka Szydłowska)!