Toporowski: ‘Being in Kyiv Is My Duty’

Marek Toporowski — one of Poland’s leading performers of historically informed music, a harpsichordist, organist, and conductor – has come to Kyiv for the Kyiv Baroque Fest, joining Ukrainian musicians to bring the living sound of Baroque music to audiences today. Founder of the Concerto Polacco ensemble, Toporowski has spent more than three decades researching and promoting music from earlier eras, performing on historical instruments, and bringing lesser-known works of Polish musical heritage back to the concert stage.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. In his interview with the Kyiv Post, he discusses musical freedom, cultural identity, the right of nations to rediscover their own musical heritage, and why he considers his presence in Kyiv today a duty. Kyiv Post: You work with music from different eras and bring together seemingly polar worlds – from the harpsichord and organ to the historical piano and even the Hammond. How do you think genuine musical freedom is born? Marek Toporowski: For me personally, searching for different sources of inspiration is a very important part of my musical world and experience. This does not mean that I do not value the work of musicians who specialize in a narrow field of musical art. It is simply my personal attitude – that of a person who constantly needs new impulses. Perhaps it is an inability to limit myself to a single direction, or perhaps an inability to make a choice once and for all. I cannot say which approach is better. I hope that I am not merely moving across the surface of these issues, but am able to go deeper – even into different oceans. Other Topics of Interest Russian Shahed Drones Strike Kharkiv, Injuring Six and Setting House Ablaze Around 10 vehicles were damaged in the Kholodnohirskyi district as Russian drones also struck other parts of Ukraine’s second-largest city. On the other hand, such an approach is necessary when one realizes the complexity of performing works that were not always created merely for entertainment. When I work as a conductor on an oratorio or cantata, I need to understand the meaning of the work, as well as the particularities of the pronunciation of the text. All of this then has to be conveyed to the instrumentalists. For that, one needs knowledge both of vocal art and of playing different instruments. Another example – this time for keyboard players. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach emphasizes that every keyboard player should have a harpsichord, a clavichord and, if possible, the new instrument of the time, the piano, and play the same works on each of them in turn. Only then does a complete understanding of a musical work become possible. Unfortunately, it often seems that for many consumers of early music, including concert organizers, it is more important to have a musician who can be easily and without doubt placed in the appropriate framework. But I cannot give a precise answer to your question itself. You have devoted a significant part of your work to discovering and promoting little-known Polish Baroque music, bringing works that had long remained overlooked back to the concert stage. How important is it for European countries today to reclaim their own musical heritage? And do you see parallels between the Polish and Ukrainian experience of developing cultural self-awareness through early music? Perhaps, for me, this is the only way to satisfy my need for patriotism, because I firmly refuse to identify patriotism with nationalism. But when I record the works of my ancestors, sometimes in historical interiors, surrounded by paintings and sculptures that transport me into the world of the past, I am happy to feel that I am part of a world of beauty that does not disappear together with its creators. And even if Polish Baroque does not have a figure comparable to Bach, that does not diminish the significance of the work of its finest masters. By turning to the works of the greatest masters of that era, it is worth becoming deeply rooted in one’s own musical culture. I am also convinced that we – Poles and Ukrainians – need to be not only heirs to the European Baroque culture, but also full participants in its creation and interpretation. You are not only an outstanding performer, but also a conductor, educator, and founder of the Academic Baroque Orchestra in Katowice. Baroque music is becoming a new European cultural trend. What role should music academies and international festivals, including the Kyiv Baroque Fest, play in this process? In Western Europe – and, to some extent, in many Central European countries – this process has already largely been completed: Early music has become an integral part of concert life and music education. The fact that Baroque music is still perceived as a new trend in Ukraine gives us a chance not to fall into routine and to preserve our creative freshness. But, of course, music academies and major festivals must take care to preserve all these cultural phenomena that bring people together and encourage independent thinking. Marek Toporowski (Photo via Vika Holovchenko) You have come to Kyiv at a time when Ukrainian culture is going through an extraordinarily difficult period, and art has taken on particular importance as a means of preserving identity and historical memory. What messages, in your view, can Baroque music – created in a completely different historical world – convey to people today? Baroque music is one of the languages that I know quite well. It is easy for me to express my own thoughts and feelings using this language. The original meaning of some works does not always correspond to our ideas about democracy – obviously, we look for our own values in this music. The rulers and powerful figures for whom much of this music was created have long since passed into history, but beauty remains. What does performing in Ukraine today mean to you personally? I am convinced that being in Kyiv now is my duty as a Pole, an artist, and a human being. It is uncomfortable, but that is how it should be. At the same time, it is a joy to meet people for whom taking part in a concert is a conscious choice of civilization. That is why this meeting means much more to me than the concert itself. I believe that an artist’s presence, even if it has only symbolic significance, can be a sign of solidarity and faith in the power of culture. The concert “From the Inside and Outside: Exsultate, Jubilate!” will take place on Nov. 12 at 6:00 PM at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. Performers: Marek Toporovsky (conductor), Liatoshynskyi Capella of the National House of Music. Soloists: Solomiya Pavlenko (soprano), Olesya Lyuba (soprano), Oksana Hordyk (mezzo-soprano), Roman Melish (countertenor), Denis Sagirov (tenor), Roman Arabadzhi (bass).