Chopin Concerts

It was first organised in 1959, shortly after the reconstruction of the monument to the composer.
The monument itself has a tumultuous history; the very thought to create it was born in 1889, on the fortieth anniversary of the composer's death. However, Poland was a country under occupation and the Russian authorities effectively inhibited this initiative. It was not until ten years later that Warsaw's artistic circle managed to organise a contest to design the monument. The international jury recognised the eminent Polish sculptor, Wacław Szymanowski's innovative piece as the most interesting. The verdict sparked numerous protests and debates, but finally on November 14, 1926, the monument was officially unveiled, a monumental vision of an inspired Chopin sitting under a broken willow.

In 1939, when Warsaw found itself under the Nazi occupation, Chopin’s music was banned, and the monument was blown up (1940). It was not until after the war that the head of Chopin from the sculpture from the Royal Łazienki Park was found in the ruins of the Wroclaw train carriage factory, and on the basis of the surviving plaster model, Szymanowski's work was reconstructed. The monument of Frederic Chopin returned to its original location in 1958. A year later, Polish artist's music could already be heard here.

Recitals in the Royal Łazienki Park also have a history and throughout time, were subject to various modifications. Initially, the concert season was inaugurated with an orchestra-accompanied concerto. In the 1970s, additional concerts of Chopin's contemporary composers were organised in the evening hours. In the 1980s, the late hour concert (at 17:00 hrs. at the time) took on the verbal-musical form, with not just pianists performing at the monument, but also famous actors reciting Romantic poetry.
The currently adopted formula consists of two classic Chopin recitals at noon and at 16 hrs., every Sunday from May until the end of September. This decision is justified by the immense popularity of the Royal Łazienki concerts, both among tourists and Warsaw residents..

This popularity also stems from the selection of excellent pianists who consider playing at the monument to Frederic Chopin an honour and pay no mind to some minor inconveniences, such as the weather. There's also a famous story of the performance by Halina Czerna-Stefańska, who finished her recital despite being stung in the hand by a wasp.
We are confident that this year, nature will spare the artists such surprises and the public will enjoy an unforgettable and profound experience that can only be brought on by the music of Chopin.