LA FOLLE JOURNEE DE VARSOVIE

• More than 860 artists performed during the Festival, including 34 soloists, 13 conductors, 12 orchestras and 20 ensembles from 13 countries: France, Hungary, Japan, Russia, Israel, Bulgaria, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Georgia and Poland.
• The audience listened to nearly 70 hoursof music over 4 days.
• Despite that there were 30% fewer concerts at the “Les Titans” festival, the number of listeners has grown. This year’s festival attracted an audience of 26 383, an average increase of 42% per concert.
• The “Labyrinth Event” – 248 educational workshops to accompany the Festival in May, June and September were attended by approximately 4 000 childrenfrom 24 elementary schools.
• Approximately 140 journalists were accredited to cover the La Folle Journée Festival.
• During the opening concert, René Martin– founder and Artistic Director of the Festival was given the Gloria Artis medal of merit in service of the arts, awarded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

During the festival, the concert halls of the Grand Theatre – National Opera were named to allude to the musical forms and compositions of the Titans: Szymanowski, Brahms, Mahler, Liszt and Strauss. Thus, the Moniuszko Hall was renamed the Zarathustra Hall, the Blumine Hall was the back stage area of the main stage in the Moniuszko Hall, usually off-limits to the public, the Młynarski Hall was renamed to Mephisto Hall, Roksana Hall was located in the Redutowe Rooms in the wings of the main building and the Intermezzo Hall was in the festival tent erected in the Theatre Square. Each day of the Festival consisted of a number of concerts of about 50 minutes’ duration, played on several stages. This formula allowed each listener to customise their own program of concerts. Ticket prices to concerts on the stages of the Grand Theatre – National Opera were 5, 7 and 10 PLN, while musical events taking place in the tent were free of charge.

This year, festival organisers placed major emphasis on its educational aspect. Thanks to assistance from the Ministry of National Education and the Centre for Artistic Education, orchestras and ensembles from 11 music schools around Poland have been invited to take part in the Festival. These were the Akordissimo Koszalin Accordion Ensemble from Cultural Centre 105 in Koszalin, the Polish Youth Symphony Orchestra from the General Elementary and Secondary Music School in Wrocław, the Flute Trio and Youth Concert Band from the General Elementary and Secondary Music School in Jastrzębie Zdrój, the Wiktorska Harp Open from the Karol Kurpiński State Elementary and Secondary Music School in Warsaw, Olga Boczar, Aleksandra Trzaska and the Bednarska Quartet from the Fryderyk Chopin Music School Complex in Warsaw, the Cracow Young Philharmonic from the Mieczysław Karłowicz Music School Complex in Cracow, Trio Concordia and the Quorum String Trio from the State Music School Complex no. 1 in Warsaw, Marianna Bednarska, Tomasz Ritter, the Wind Instrument Quartet and the Szymanowski Big Band from the Karol Szymanowski State Music School Complex no. 4 in Warsaw, the Karol Szymanowski Youth Symphony Orchestra from the State Music School Complex in Katowice, string quartets and string ensemble from the Music School Complex in Poznań.

Their performances were warmly received by music lovers and critics alike.

“Echo at the Toddler Philharmonic” concerts for parents, pregnant women and children up to 5 years of age aroused great interest of the audience.

Crowds of elementary school students gathered at the previously mentioned “Labyrinth Event” – the educational program that accompanied the Festival.

Organised groups of students from Warsaw Schools were granted free entrance to selected concerts of the La Folle Journée Festival. The Event was mostly attended by participants of last year’s Labyrinth Event.

• The Festival was organised by:Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, CREA (Centre
  de Réalisations et d'Études Artistiques à Nantes) and the “Music Gardens” Foundation with cooperation of the Grand Theatre – National Opera and the French Institute in Warsaw;
• Partners:the Capital City of Warsaw, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Muzyka jest dla wszystkich [Music is for Everyone] Foundation;
• Honorary Sponsorship:President of Warsaw: Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage: Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Minister of National Education: Katarzyna Hall, the Ambassador of France: François Barry Delongchamp, the Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary: Róbert Kiss, the Ambassador of Austria: Herbert Krauss and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany: Rüdiger Freiherr von Fritsch. The Festival was part of Poland’s the cultural program of Poland’s Presidency in the EU;
• The Head Sponsor of the Festival:Orange Telekomunikacja Polska;
• We were supported by:the Ministry of National Education, the French Embassy in Warsaw, the Austrian Embassy in Warsaw, the Hungarian Embassy in Warsaw, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Embassy of Germany in Warsaw, Renault, eBilet.pl, the Hungarian Cultural Institute, La Folle Journée de Nantes, Weil Gotshal, CEA, ZAiKS, Institut Français (Nantes La folle journée), Kawai;
• Media patrons of the Festival:TVP 2, TVP Kultura, TVP Warszawa, Radio TokFM, Gazeta Wyborcza, HiFi, Stolica, Twoja Muza, Empik, culture.pl, Gazeta.pl Warszawa, Machina;

We want to take this opportunity to invite you to next year’s La Folle Journée festival. Its main theme will be Russian music from 1870 to the present day!

Festival La Folle Journée "Les Titans" - Photos for download