Paris, mon amour

Description

Ania Vegry, soprano
Katarzyna Wasiak, piano

Soprano Ania Vegry returns to the Villa Seligmann with a message of love to Paris in a song duo with pianist Katarzyna Wasiak. The program is dominated by songs by the Polish composer and Auschwitz survivor Szymon Laks (1901-1983) and songs by Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849). Both composers made Paris their adopted home, albeit in different circumstances. For both, Paris was a symbol of artistic and personal freedom. And yet the respective oeuvres resonate with a note of tristesse, a longing for a foreign homeland. The question of artistic and purely human migration as a departure into a foreign land, but also as a departure into the hope of reinvention and a new beginning, runs through Vegry and Wasiak’s choice of songs. The songs by the Polish-Jewish composer Ignace Strasfogel (1909-1994), who is also represented in the program, open up a further dimension. Rounded off with songs from the American-Jewish diaspora by George Gershwin (1898-1937) and Karol Rathaus (1895-1954), this program promises a special and profound treat in the gloomy month of November. With “Paris, mon amour”, Ania Vegry and Katarzyna Wasiak present their joint CD with songs by Szymon Laks for the first time in Hanover. The CD is a complete recording of Laks’ songs in French, Polish and Yiddish. It can be purchased at the event.

Tickets 23/15 (reduced 8) euros, available in the webshop, by e-mail to karten@villa-seligmann.de orby phone on 0511-844 887 200.

Admission will be open from 6 pm. The exhibition “KZ Überlebt” can be visited with a ticket for the concert.

Women artists – Paris, mon amour

Ania Vegry (soprano) was born in London and studied in Hanover and Madrid. She began her career as a member of the Hanover State Opera ensemble and is now engaged at the Theater Dessau. For her outstanding interpretation of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, the specialist magazine “Opernwelt” nominated her as Singer of the Year 2023. Vegry has performed in numerous operas in Europe and appeared at international festivals. Vegry is part of the historically informed performance practice project for Richard Wagner’s works initiated by Kent Nagano. The recordings made during this collaboration will soon be released on CD. Katarzyna Wasiak (piano) comes from a Polish family of musicians and began her musical training in Zielona Gora and Wroclaw. She studied music and performing arts in Vienna and Berlin and also obtained a teaching diploma. She has received scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture, the Polish Prime Minister and the Chopin Society. She has also performed at renowned festivals and worked with well-known filmmakers. Her CD releases have won prizes and awards. In February/March and July 2024, she took part in the new production of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s opera “The Passenger” at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as a pianist and language trainer for Polish.

Please note that we will be taking photos and videos during this event. The image material will be published on our website and/or social media channels and used for press work. By participating, visitors to this event agree to this.