Film Gallery

Showing every Saturday for the first half of the year, this series of lectures aims to examine trends and themes in movies from around the world, showing the extent to which they reflect and influence culture. The first lecture, on February 2, covers women in horror – a theme to which the cycle will return periodically. Other topics include sex and death, children and violence, gender and hypnosis, and more. Each lecture will be accompanied by clips of films, many of which will not be suitable for children.

when - 2/2/2012 - 9/6/2012
where - Samurai Hall, National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1
more info - click here

Rachmaninov and Bizet

This lavish, two-part premiere will present the greatest love stories ever told through music - bringing the works of Rachmaninov and Bizet to the stage. The first part will be based on Rachmaninov's second piano concerto, which will be followed by the tale of Don Jose, from Bizet's opera Carmen. Produced in partnership with the Slovak National Theatre, with choreography by Ondrej Šoth and scenes and costumes by Andrii Sukhanov, the first ever showing will be on February 3, with extra shows on Feb 4, 5, 14 and 15.

when - 3/2/2012 - 15/2/2012
where - Opera Krakowska, ul. Lubicz 48
more info - click here

Victor Magnussen

Canadian singer songwriter Victor Magnussen is getting back into the swing of the live circuit in Krakow - adding another date at the cosy Cafe Szafe. This time around he will be joined by Tomasz Zapała, guitarist with Krakow stalwarts Don't Ask Smingus (pictured right). If Magnussen's last gig in Krakow is anything to go by, expect an evening of laid-back reflection at a venue that blurs the line between performers and audience.

when - 4/2/2012 - 4/2/2012
where - Cafe Szafe, ul. Felicjanek 10
more info - click here

Jungle Kingdom

Jungle, ragga, drum n base, dubstep... this presentation from Respecta Kru brings Jungle Kingdom to the stage of Alchemia for a night of thumping beats and relentless dancing. Jungle Kingdom are Mike Base, Trafo, Tauzen Selectaz and Playaman; they will be cranking up the amps at 10pm, and don't expect to stop until morning. Tickets cost 5zł after 10pm. Get there before that time, and entry is free.

when - 4/2/2012 - 4/2/2012
where - Alchemia, ul. Estery 5
more info - click here

ŚMXMC Daredevil

Definitely an early contender for bizarre live act of the year – and we don’t just mean the title – this is, well, indefinable. On the one hand, it’s industrial, electro ambient, new wave music, on the other it’s its own genre entirely, based on texts by self-styled poet, magician, surrealist and gnostic Tadeusz Micinski. ŚMXMC was meant to be a one off-project, but wouldn’t stop growing. We think it’s still, um, mutating – see the current incarnation at the appropriately-named Alchemia.

when - 5/2/2012 - 5/2/2012
where - Alchemia, ul. Estery 5
more info - click here

Film Music

There are two chances to catch this programme of theme and incidental music from the silver screen, with special guests the Cellostrada Quintet. Both shows include the music of Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Clint Mansell and Andrzej Kurylewicz, performed in the style that Cellostrada have marked as their own. Their trick is in their willingness to push back the boundaries and challenge convention, presenting much-loved music in a new light. Also on February 28.

when - 9/2/2012 - 9/2/2012
where - Krakow Opera House, ul. Lubicz 48
more info - click here

Gone With the Wind

Frankly, my dear... Probably one of the best known, and certainly among the most memorable lines in movie history - the film that pits the feisty Scarlett O'Hara against Rhett Butler is latest offering in Kijów.centrum's classic movie screenings. With Vivien Leigh in the lead role, Clarke Gable as her beau, and a script that is true to Margaret Mitchell's original novel, there's no wonder that this has become one of the best-loved movies of all time. And, at three hours 56 minutes, that's an awful lot of movie for your money.

when - 10/2/2012 - 10/2/2012
where - Kijów.centrum, Al. Krasińskiego 34
more info - click here

Twilight of the Gods

The final part of Wagner’s magnificent Götterdämmerung trilogy has much to recommend it – particularly if you like a whole lot of opera for your money. Even taken as a work on its own, Twilight of the Gods is truly massive. This version features Deborah Voigt (Brunhilda), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Gutrune), Waltraud Meier (Waltraute), Gary Lehman (Siegfried), Iain Paterson Gunther), Eric Owens (Alberic), Hans-Peter Konig (Hagen), in an epic mission to restore balance to the world. Broadcast live by the New York Metropolitan Opera.

when - 11/2/2012 - 11/2/2012
where - Kijów.Centrum, Al. Krasińskiego 34
more info - click here

Charity concert

The orchestra and choir of Krakow Philharmonia will give their time and substantial skills for free, to support a charity for people with learning difficulties. The programme, under the baton of Paweł Przytocki and featuring soprano Iwona Socha, will include classic standards and perennial favourites, and tickets are expected to sell out quickly. The charity, Mimo Wszystko, was founded in 2003 in response to cuts in funding for occupational therapy workshops. It now runs rehabilitation and therapy centres, as well as other projects.

when - 12/2/2012 - 12/2/2012
where - Krakow Philharmonic, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1
more info - click here

Capella Cracoviensis

Of the stage, there are all sorts of rumours about rifts with Capella Cracoviensis. On stage though, they’re as professional as ever and continue to pull audiences from all over the world. Paul McCreesh will conduct this performance at the Old Theatre, as CC’s singers bring stunning life to Handel’s Allegro, Penseroso and Moderato. It’s currently their only concert listed for Krakow this month, so if you’re a fan, it’s not one to miss.

when - 12/2/2012 - 12/2/2012
where - Narodowy Stary Teatre, ul. Jagiellońska 5
more info - click here

LAN

It's been four years and more than 100 gigs, which all began in a basement in Berlin... now LAN's electronic, experimental pop is definitely one that those in the know look out for. The band blends half a century of pop with the German capital's unique club sound to create a new sound that reaches out by everywhere and nowhere at once. Fronted by the enigmatic Colya Kärcher, they're promising a singular dance experience at Alchemia as part of a tour to promote their forthcoming second album.

when - 14/2/2012 - 14/2/2012
where - Alchemia, ul. Estery 5
more info - click here

Norwegian Architecture

Presented in collaboration with the Museum of Architecture in Oslo, this exhibition presents the best work from contemporary architects, active in a variety of fields. There are representations, plans, photographs and more of structures from bus stops to hotels, designed thoughtfully to fit harmoniously with their surroundings. Although contemporary – focusing on work created between 2005 and 2010 – the exhibition uncovers a long tradition of architecture in this part of Scandinavia, which combines simplicity and beauty with functionality and purpose.

when - 14/2/2012 - 1/4/2012
where - International Culture Centre, Rynek Główny 25
more info - click here

Boeing, Boeing

Award-winning, record-breaking – and extremely funny, the audiences will be rolling in the Bagatela aisles at this Polish version of Marc Camoletti’s romantic comedy. It’s the story of Max, who somehow finds himself intimately involved with three women – all air hostesses. And it seems to be going so well for him, until air traffic control steps in to complicate his life by presenting all three at the same place and the same time…

when - 14/2/2012 - 17/2/2012
where - Teatr Bagatela, ul. Karmelicka 6
more info - click here

Craft workshops

Painting, fashion, glass art... the Ethnographic Museum has a programme of craft events to keep children entertained during the winter break. Anyone over the age of seven is invited to attend sessions, which will run from 10am to 11.30am, and noon to 1.30pm. And of course, there will be opportunities to learn about the customs, costumes and traditions of everyday folk from Małopolska along the way. Book on 012 430 18 27. Also from February 21-24.

when - 14/2/2012 - 17/2/2012
where - Where: Ethnographic Museum, Pl. Wolnica 1
more info - click here

Around Rejtan - Jan Matejko

Matejko sparked controversy with his painting Rejtan - The Fall of Poland when it was first shown publicly in 1866. The discussion about the form and narrative of the picture continues to this day - hence the full title of this exhibition, 'Unfinished Conversations - Around Rejtan by Jan Matejko'. Visitors can see examples of different receptions of the picture, including work by artists such as Georg Fischhof, Maciej Bieniasz, Waldemar Wojciechowski, Justyna Gryglewicz and more. The exhibition has been mounted with the support of the Society of Friends of the National Museum in Krakow.

when - 14/2/2012 - 27/5/2012
where - Sukiennice, Rynek Główny 1
more info - click here

Transit

Save this one for when you are feeling particularly intellectually vigorous, for it’s an exhibition that requires an awful lot of thought. It consists of a series of around 100 images, created over two years in 2009 and 2010, as well as reliefs and sculpture from the 1970s and 80s. What the artist Marek Chlanda has tried to do is create a sense of duality, change and immutability, past and present, light and dark – and he has succeeded in presenting something strangely similar to that just-waking sensation between sleep and wakefulness.

when - 17/2/2012 - 4/4/2012
where - MOCAK, ul. Lipowa 4
more info - click here

Frittata

Jazz in traditional style with a touch of modern flair comes to KTO this month, to mark the release of Frittata's new album. The five-piece features Gregory Bauer on drums, Krzysztof Wyrwa (bass), Roman Ślazyk (bass), Przemek Sokół (trumpet), and Bogusław Zięba (accordion), performing unique pieces that critics have described as both escaping the ordinary schematics of jazz while remaining recognisable to connoisseurs.

when - 18/2/2012 - 18/2/2012
where - KTO, ul. Gzymsików 8
more info - click here

Apollo and the Muses

As a venue for visual arts, the branch of the National Museum in Krakow is rightly famous. Now it is earning a reputation as a concert hall too – thanks to Sinfonietta Cracovia. This programme will feature two works by Stravinsky – Apollo and the Muses and the Pulcinella Suite, which are both light enough to be enjoyed by classical music buffs and newcomers alike. With Tchaikovsky making an appearance too – or at least, his music – this is truly a one-off opportunity to see Sinfonietta Cracovia at their best.

when - 20/2/2012 - 20/2/2012
where - National Museum, Al.3 Maja 1
more info - click here

World Shorts

Eight movies, 104 minutes - it must be time for the World Shorts screening at Kino pod Baranami. The theme that ties these films together is Sweden. The evening begins with Fijona Jonuzi's The Girl (pictured), about a chance meeting, a party, and what ensues, and concludes with Outside In, an entrancing dance-based show created by Tove Skeidsvoll. The movies are all between three and 24 minutes in length, and also include Jens Assur's Killing the Chickens to Save the Monkeys, Frans Huhta Karlsson's Ivan and Capitan, Syndromes (by Kristoffer Borgli and The Golden Filter), Monne Lindstrom's Anyone for Tennis, Jenifer Malqvist's Birthday, and Bold Faces' Toast to M.

when - 23/2/2012 - 23/2/2012
where - Kino pod Baranami, Rynek Glowny 27
more info - click here

Ernani

Giuseppe Verdi’s adaptation of a story by Victor Hugo will be broadcast to Krakow live from the New York Metropolitan Opera. It’s the tangled tale of love, passion and desire, between the characters of Elvira (Angela Meade), Ernani (either Marcello Giordani or Roberto DeBiasio), Don Carlo (Dmitri Hvorostovsky) and de Silva (Ferruccio Furlanetto), but despite the heart-rending themes, Verdi managed to retain a light romanticism throughout.

when - 25/2/2012 - 25/2/2012
where - Kijów.Centrum, Al. Krasińskiego 34
more info - click here

Hanka Wojciak

The focus this month at Dworek Białoprądnicki is on folk music, in particular that from the mysterious realm east of Russia and west of China. Hanka's performance will include accomplished demonstrations of Mongolian throat singing, and the enchanting measures of oriental scales and stylings which sound so alien and sometimes unnerving to western ears. Winner of last year's student song festival and a collaborator with Poland's own Jarek Smietana, Hanka truly is a talent within herself.

when - 28/2/2012 - 28/2/2012
where - Dworek Białoprądnicki, ul. Papiernicza 2
more info - click here

The Ugly Duckling

This popular and timeless morality tale has held countless generations of children entranced – but as usual, Groteska put their own spin on things with puppets, masks and lavish costumes and sets to create a truly spectacular show. Based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, it is the story of the duckling who suffered for its looks, only to awake one day, the envy of all, as a beautiful swan. Directed by Beata Pejcz, with art by Paweł Pawlak and music by Krzysztof Dzierma. Performances on both days will be at 9am and 11.15am.

when - 28/2/2012 - 29/2/2012
where - Teatr Groteska, ul. Skarbowa 2
more info - click here