Culture jam

Exhibitions, conferences, seminars, workshops, plays and concerts showing the common history of the Jewish, German, Polish and Russian nations which came together to create ŁódŸ will take place during the fifth Dialogue of the Four Cultures to be held in the city between September 1 and 10.

"ŁódŸ was built by the four cultures, religions and traditions, which had mixed with one another for years, at the turn of the 19th century. They made the city powerful, not only in terms of economy but also culture. But dialogue must not be restricted to just four cultures, so we are open to other cultures as well," says Ryszard Maciej Okuński, director of the festival.

The festival has been called the 'Festival of Festivals' because it attracts all forms of art - both classical and contemporary. According to Okuński, this year the organizers have prepared more events for young people.

This year's festival starts with Stanisław Moniuszko's opera Halka directed by Kazimierz Kowalski, artistic director at ŁódŸ's Grand Theater. International guests include violinist Sophie Solomon, whose music links elements of African, East European and Jewish culture, and the Jerusalem Khan Theatre, performing the play The Town of the Little People based on the short stories of Sholem Aleichem. The Russian Taganka Theater will perform the play Wysocki about Włodzimierz Wysocki, the international actor, who co-established the theater in 1964. Zygmunt Krauze, a Polish pianist and composer, will perform his own music to the Ball in the Opera, directed by Tomasz Konina.

For further info: http://www.4kultury.pl/