On July 5, 2017 at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw, a concert-monodram entitled “Dźwięk odnaleziony” [Sound Regained] took place. It was the first solo project of Michał Pepol, who is the cellist from the internationally renowned Royal String Quartet. For the project, Pepol performed the music of modern composers writing for solo cello, in cooperation with visual artist Paweł Bownik.
Inspired by his previous cooperation with theatre director Krzysztof Warlikowski’s The French, Pepol decided to broaden and modernize the formula of classical concert. Pepol stimulated the audience’s imaginations with unusual articulation techniques, such as: using fingers and hands instead of the bow, using electronics, and making vases from the body of instruments.
The concert was a set of individual works, however the repertoire combined to create an indivisible whole, presenting a coherent story of various characters. The visuals created by Bownik filled in the gaps between musical pieces.
The recital started with The Map of Tenderness by Wojtek Blecharz. Music for Cello and One or More Amplified Vases by Alvin Lucier, a type of performance art rather than a classical piece, followed. After that the artist presented Modus, which includes the shaking and incredibly honest voice of composer Tomasz Sikorski, followed by the popular Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt and Kartka z albumu by Paweł Mykietyn—the most theatrical and dramatic piece, featuring the voice of Sara Bernhardt reciting Fedra. The concert finished with Pepol’s arrangement of the song “Among Angels” by Kate Bush, and George Brecht’s Solo for Cello. Polishing.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 | 8:00 pm
“Dźwięk odnaleziony” [Sound Regained] – Michał Pepol, cello
Nowy Teatr
ul. Madalińskiego 10/16, 02-513 Warsaw
Info: www.nowyteatr.org
[Sources: polmic.pl, nowyteatr.org]