This is a past event
In partnership with Polish Association Aberdeen and Ice Candy School Arts and Sport
Concert Description:
Joanna Korpiela-Jatkowska - vocal
This concert of classical and traditional music from Poland and Scotland will celebrate the memory of Maria Klementyna Sobieska and James III Stuart (the parents of Charles Edward Stuart, or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie').
The concert will present old Polish knight songs that Princess Sobieska would have heard during her childhood in Oława (Ohlau, Silesia, Poland), as well as Scottish traditional jigs, reels and airs in memory of the cultural and historical heritage of her husband, the Pretender to the crown of England, Ireland and Scotland, James III Stuart.
There will also be a premiere of a piece by Polish composer Janusz Kohut.
Historical Context:
Maria Klementyna Sobieska (18 July 1702–18 January 1735) was the titular queen of England, Scotland and Ireland by marriage to James III Stuart (10 June 1688–1 January 1766), a Jacobite claimant to the British throne. She was a granddaughter of the Polish King John III Sobieski and the mother of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and of Henry Benedict Cardinal Stuart (Jacobite Duke of York, a later Jacobite claimant).
290 years ago, in 1735 the prematurely deceased Maria Klementyna Sobieska was buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which remains a great honour to this day. Her tomb monument to her memory was designed by Italian artists Barigioni and Bracchi and was funded by Popes Clement XII and Benedict XIV.
Klementyna Sobieska's rubies were pledged in Paris for 180,000 livres, and the money was used to finance the Jacobite Uprising in Scotland in 1745–46, organized by the Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Never before and never again was the son of Maria Klementyna Sobieska and James III Stuart so close to taking the British throne. The uprising ended in defeat and the jewels of Maria Klementyna were probably lost in the south of France. The only remaining jewel whose location is known is the large Stuart sapphire in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
Musician Biographies
Joanna Korpiela-Jatkowska (vocal) toured internationally in the 1990s with vocal cente All Antico and the Bielsko Baroque Trio. She has been a soloist in numerous operatic productions and has given concerts in across Europe and Aisa. She led the Bielsko-Biała Youth Musical Theatre and Institute of Mature Art. She regularly teaches and performs in a variety of genres.
Urszula Mizia (cello) is a cellist, teacher, music event organizer and promoter of musical life. Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, she is Vice-Director of Artistic Affairs, Development and Promotion in the Music Institute of the University of Silesia in Katowice. In 2007 she was recognised for her contributions to Polish Culture by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Janusz Kohut (piano) is a pianist and a composer. He has performed his compositions across the UK, Europe, and North America, including at the 'Staccato' Festival in Berlin, at 'EXPO 2000' in Hanover, and at St Peter's Square at the Vatican. Kohut has composed three oratorios, published 19 albums, and composes for theatre and film.