LUBL IN
FEATURE
W
ITH PERFECT GRAVITAS,
Margaret Leng Tan takes her
place on stage at Lublin’s Teatr
Muzyczny (Musical Theatre), perches at her
tiny, exquisitely-proportioned Schoenhut
toy piano and starts to play. Tonight is the
centenary of American experimental composer
John Cage’s birth, and Leng Tan is playing a
selection of his works. A long-term collaborator
of Cage’s in his lifetime, she is ‘the diva of
avant-garde pianism’, according to
The New
Yorker
–
and here in Lublin, audiences have a
taste for the avant-garde.
2012
is, in fact, ‘John Cage Year’ in Lublin
–
an outré piece of artistic programming that
speaks volumes about eastern Poland’s largest
city. As a crossroads between the East and the
West, this is a city where different cultures and
religions have coexisted for centuries. Warsaw
is around 170km – just over two hours – away:
less than 80km east stretches the Ukraine, less
than 100km northeast, the state of Belarus.
Now, in this oasis of hidden courtyards, art
galleries and cultural centres, an artistic
revolution is well underway.
Lublin centres on a cobbled Old Town (Stare
Miasto) of strikingly restored facades, as pretty as
Prague’s. A cache of pre-war photographic plates
discovered at the Café Trybunalska are displayed
on buildings across the Old Town, and afford an
evocative glimpse into its past. At the time the
pictures were taken, Lublin was an important
Jewish hub of trade and culture, as it had been
since the 15th century. The community, centred
on a Jewish Quarter at the foot of Castle Hill,
was destroyed during the Holocaust – a dark
moment in the city’s history.
TOP:
MARGARET LENG TAN
PERFORMING ON HER TOY
PIANO
ABOVE:
SHEET MUSIC
FOR A PIECE BY COMPOSER
JOHN CAGE, SUBJECT OF AN
ONGOING FESTIVAL
The past is far from forgotten, but today
the city is looking forwards – and to a future
where culture will play a crucial role. With its
five universities, Lublin is very much a student
town, brimming with energy and life – and the
entire city threw its heart and soul into a bid
to become European Capital of Culture 2016.
Although Wrocław was the eventual winner,
Lublin’s art scene still benefitted enormously.
“
We may not have become European Capital
of Culture, but the bidding process meant the
Capital of Culture board analysed our event
very closely,” explains Barbara Szymanska, of
October’s cutting-edge Theatre Confrontations
festival. “That, in turn, left us with all kinds of
advice and ideas to implement.”
One key personality in Lublin’s cultural
development is Jan Bernad. As the artistic
director of the Crossroads Centre for
Intercultural Creative Initiatives, he is
responsible for two of the city’s most prominent
annual events in a crowded arts calendar.
‘
Codes’ is a festival of traditional and avant-
garde music in May, while June’s Open City
transforms Lublin into a showcase for public
art. Thanks to Bernad and his team, Lublin has
played host to the likes of Philip Glass, Laurie
Anderson and Jan Garbarek, as well as the
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
WIZZ MAGAZINE
45
