Culture.pl

•

Channel • 8 Shows

Music History

Music History

Updated 28/02/2022
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated 23/01/2025
Music Interviews

Music Interviews

Updated 27 Mar
Places & Travel

Places & Travel

Updated 02/09/2024
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Monthly
Film Interviews

Film Interviews

Updated 17/03/2025
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 02/06/2020

22/11/2021

A Polish Requiem: Nationhood

We use Penderecki's A Polish Requiem to explore the volatile history of the Polish nation, and how this in turn influenced Penderecki's outlook. From trade union protests to sustaining religious faith under communist rule, we discover how a composer can reflect wider issues of state, nationhood and identity. Further reading & listening: Krzysztof Penderecki // bio on Culture.pl A Polish Requiem // profile on Culture.pl Visit Penderecki's Garden, a digital garden in the composer's honour. Many thanks to the Penderecki estate for granting us permission to use extended parts of his music. Some of the pieces heard in this episode can be listened to in full elsewhere on the Internet: Krzysztof Penderecki: A Polish Requiem Andrzej Panufnik: Polonia, Suite for Orchestra Hosted by Jack Pepper Transcription WCAG A Polish translation of the audio can be found here.

22/11/2021

•

27 min
02/09/2024

Napoleon Square

Napoleon Square, now called Warsaw Uprising Square, was one of the most central points downtown during the 63 days of fighting. In the first few hours of the struggle against the Nazi occupiers, insurgents stormed the Prudential building and hung the Polish white-and-red flag from its roof, making it visible from all parts of the city. The main post office, which stood where the National Bank of Poland is now, was also a key target for the combatants. In the last days of August and into September, the Germans started to intensify their air raids and artillery fire throughout the city. The Prudential building was an easy target, and on the 28th of August it was hit by a 600 mm heavy calibre 2-tonne shell fired from a Karl-Gerät mortar. Despite the immense damage, the building did not collapse, and still stands to this day. How to listen: Unseen is available as a downloadable podcast, although it is best experienced through the Echoes geolocative storytelling app available for iOS and Android. After loading the app, search for soundwalks in Warsaw and you’ll find Unseen.

02/09/2024

•

4 min
08/07/2020

Announcing Season III

This year, we've travelled to the far reaches of the globe for you: we went deep down into the Chernobyl Exclusion zone, visited New Zealand, and went back in time and space to deliver yet another set of stories that changed our world. Stay tuned: the first episode drops July 16th! Like our show? Get our newsletter!

08/07/2020

•

1 min
07/09/2017

BULLETPROOF

Learn how a Polish monk created the first bulletproof vest and, in doing so, changed the world. In 1897, at a public demonstration in Chicago, a man accomplished the unprecedented and seemingly physics-defying feat of stopping a bullet. After being shot with a revolver at close-range, and temporarily falling to the ground, the man was completely unscathed. That man, Kazimierz Żegleń, had succeeded in creating a vest that made him bulletproof. In this episode, our hosts John and Lea discuss the man behind the vest, Kazimierz Żegleń, and the story of its creation. Who was Żegleń in the first place? How was he inspired to create a potentially life-saving vest and how did he manage to invent it? What was the immediate impact of this supposedly bulletproof vest? Did it save any lives? And finally, how has Żegleń’s invention influenced modern-day bulletproof vests? Like our show? Sign up for our newsletter! Time stamps [02:10] Introduction to Kazimierz Żegleń, creator of the bulletproof vest [03:33] Why would a monk become interested in durable materials? [05:00] How did Żegleń create his bulletproof vest? [08:10] How Żegleń’s daring public demonstration of vest his vest came to fruition? [10:45] How is silk even capable of stopping bullets? [12:45] Why Żegleń went to Europe and met the ‘Polish Edison’ [16:00] Did Żegleń manage to turn his invention into a commercial success? [18:25] Why was 1901 such an important year for bulletproof vests? [20:20] The legacy of Żegleń’s invention Further reading The Monk Who Stopped Bullets with Silk: Inventing the Bulletproof Vest / on Culture.pl Kazimierz Żegleń / on Wikipedia.org Jan Szczepanik / on Wikipedia.org Tailored to the Times – The Story of Kazimierz Żegleń Silk Bulletproof Vest / on Academia.edu Bulletproof vest / on Wikipedia.org Thanks Sławomir Łotysz / professor at the Institute of the History of Science at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw. Professor Łotysz kindly agreed to tell us the story of Kazimierz Żegleń, as well as provide us with lots of materials on Żegleń's inventions and biography. Professor Łotysz's research was made possible largely thanks to the generous support of the Chemical Heritage Foundation of Philadelphia. Lisa Treynor / curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, who kindly agreed to explain to us how on earth silk is capable of stopping bullets. SFTEW Team: Wojciech Oleksiak, Adam Zulawski, Lea Berriault, John Beauchamp, Nitzan Reisner, Michael Keller & Barbara Rogala

07/09/2017

•

23 min
07/08/2025

Między sceną a fortepianem [Konkurs Moniuszkowski spotyka Konkurs Chopinowski]

Zapraszamy na wysłuchanie rozmowy z Johnem Allisonem, krytykiem muzycznym, redaktorem „Opera Magazine”, przewodniczącym jury XII Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego, a także jurorem XIX Międzynarodowego Konkursu Pianistycznego im. Fryderyka Chopina. Czy słuchanie tak wielu wykonań odbiera czystą radość ze słuchania muzyki? Która opera Stanisława Moniuszki jest najbardziej lubiana przez Johna Allisona? Dlaczego to akurat "Halka"? Ostatni odcinek podcastu FLIS o Moniuszce zapowiada kolejny sezon, który będzie poświęcony Konkursowi Chopinowskiemu – a właściwie wszystkiemu, co go otacza. Zapraszamy do słuchania nowych odcinków. Słyszymy się we wrześniu! Who is Who w jury Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego? Przeczytaj artykuł Filipa Lecha, w którym przybliża skład gremium oceniającego uczestników i uczestniczki 12. Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego. Kto wygra XIX Konkurs Chopinowski? Eliminacje zakończone. Kim są pianiści i pianistki, którzy w październiku wezmą udział w chopinowskich zawodach? (00:00) Wstęp, zapowiedź kolejnych odcinków. (02:25) John Allison o swoich wrażeniach z Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego. (03:26) Redaktor "Opera Magazine" o swoich kontaktach z polską muzyką i kulturą. (07:33) Muzyka Europy Środkowej: z Czech, przez Estonię, do Ukrainy. (14:45) O łączeniu roli krytyka, redaktora i jurora. (18:31) Rola konkursów muzycznych we współczesnym świecie. (24:02) Czy jurorowanie nie zabiera czystej radości ze słuchania muzyki? John Allison o ulubionych utworach Moniuszki i Chopina. (29:28) Co wyróżnia dobre wykonanie muzyki Chopina? (33:07) John Allison o Warszawie.

07/08/2025

•

35 min
30/07/2025

Głosy Moniuszki

Jak wygląda praca przy Konkursie Moniuszkowskim? W jaki sposób akompaniator pomaga odnaleźć śpiewakowi komfort? A przede wszystkim: co zostało z nami po XII Konkursie Moniuszkowskim? W kolejnym odcinku podcastu FLIS usłyszymy wypowiedzi pianistki Rozalii Kierc oraz wolontariuszek pracujących przy organizacji Konkursu. Who is Who w jury Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego? Przeczytaj artykuł Filipa Lecha, w którym przybliża skład gremium oceniającego uczestników i uczestniczki 12. Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego. Kto znalazł się na podium Konkursu Moniuszkowskiego? Przypomnijmy sobie emocje, które towarzyszyły tegorocznym igrzyskom śpiewaczym. (00:00) Wstęp i statystyki. (06:46) Aria Anny I molylas, i poklony klala z I aktu opery Ukradene shchastia Yuliya Meytusa, śpiewa Mariana Poltorak, przy fortepianie Gabriel Lasota. (12:09) O nagrodach, pieniądzach i konkursowym życiu. (20:38) Aria Valentina Ô sainte médaille… Avant de quitter ces lieux z II aktu opery Faust Charlesa Gounoda, śpiewa Aksel Daveyan, przy fortepianie Rozalia Kierc. (25:09) O byciu akompaniatorką opowiada Rozalia Kierc. (31:00) Media społecznościowe i polityka. (35:49) Konkurs z perspektywy wolontariuszek. (42:15) Allah, Allah, Akbar Karola Szymanowskiego do słów Jarosława Iwaszkiewicza z cyklu Pieśni muezina szalonego op. 42 nr 1, śpiewa Mariam Suleiman, przy fortepianie Piotr Zuchowski.

30/07/2025

•

45 min
18/10/2017

NUCLEAR

Discover how Joseph Rotblat went from creating nuclear bombs to winning the Nobel Peace prize. The American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is generally considered to be one of the most, if not the most, important events of the 20th Century. It succeeded in bringing about Japanese capitulation and the end of the Second World War, but, at the same time, marked the advent of nuclear weapons. For the first time in history, civilizations could be completely wiped off the map with the push of a button. For most, this was a terrifying prospect. For a man Józef Rotblat, it was a call to action. In this episode, our hosts will tell you the remarkable story of Józef Rotblat, a nuclear physicist and peace activist. We’ll discuss the suffering he endured in his early life and how this shaped his worldview. We’ll talk about his time at the Manhattan Project and his motivations for leaving. We’ll also dedicate a significant portion of the episode to talking about Rotblat’s lifelong activism and his enduring legacy. Like our show? Sign up for our newsletter! Time stamps [02:00] Joseph Rotblat’s difficult youth [05:30] Rotblat’s involvement in the Project Manhattan [10:05] Is it even possible to leave a super secret military project? [12:00] How Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Rotblat become a vocal peace activist [16:50] What led to the founding of the Pugwash Conferences? [19:20] Noble Prize for Rotblat and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs [21:00] Should scientists take a Hippocratic Oath of some sort? [24:20] Rotblat’s legacy and contribution to anti-nuclear movement Further reading Dr. Rotblat: Or How I Learned to Start Worrying and Fear the Bomb Polonium, Radium, Solidarity, and the Nuclear Bomb Voices of the Manhattan Project War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: Interview with Joseph Rotblat Joseph Rotblat 1995 Nobel Peace Prize Speech (Transcribed) Manhattan Project James Chadwick Thanks Dr. Martin Sherwin / for being so kind and allowing us to interview him during his sabbatical. Martin Sherwin is an American historian. His scholarship mostly concerns the history of the development of atomic energy and nuclear proliferation. SFTEW Team: Wojciech Oleksiak, Adam Zulawski, Lea Berriault, John Beauchamp, Nitzan Reisner & Michael Keller

18/10/2017

•

28 min
25/10/2019

KAIE

How a giant communal song festival helped Estonians regain independence from the USSR. Part of our mini-series The Final Curtain. In the Estonia Kaie Tanner grew up in, learning Russian at school was compulsory, and her mother and her friends often sang 'forbidden songs' at home – Estonian folk songs that the Soviet authorities disapproved of. Music was a huge part of her life, but she didn't expect that it could help her country win independence. But in 1987, when Kaie Tanner attended the massive Estonian Singing festival as a teenager, something unexpected happened. After the officially sanctioned event had finished, the hundreds of thousands of Estonians stayed and kept singing their own Estonian folk songs all through the night – and the Soviet authorities were powerless to stop them. What was the Singing Revolution? How did it lead to the independence of Estonia and the other Baltic states? Was it possible for Estonia's Russian- and Estonian-speaking citizens to finally move on from past resentments? Find out in this episode of The Final Curtain. Like our show? Sign up for our newsletter! Time stamps [02:07] A childhood in Soviet-dominated Estonia [06:27] How Estonians tried to sing their country into independence [10:01] Was the USSR military intervention successful? [12:38] Independence! Kaie becomes a music teacher [14:53] A country comprised of two peoples [18:24] Credits Further reading / watching The Singing Revolution // on Wikipedia.org The Sound of Freedom // on Local-life.com The Baltic Way // on Wikipedia.org Thanks This episode was produced with help from the Embassy of Poland in Tallinn. We'd like to extend many thanks to Ambassador Grzegorz Kozłowski, who kindly greenlighted our co-operation, and to Sławomira Borowska-Peterson, who helped us understand Estonian history, society and reality much better. Credits Written & produced by Wojciech Oleksiak Edited by Adam Zulawski Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski

25/10/2019

•

19 min
02/09/2024

Długa 8A

One of the most important locations in Yiddish theatre. Michał Weichert, a lawyer, but also an avant-garde director and theatre theoretician, lived at 8a Długa Street from the mid-1930s. A figure of great merit for the history of Yiddish and Polish theatre, he founded the Young Theatre (Yung-Teater). Originally hailing from Galicia, the Polish territory partitioned by Austria-Hungary, Weichert settled in Warsaw only in 1918, as a mature man of 28. He came to the capital after a stay in Berlin, where he studied under the supervision of the famous director Max Reinhardt, a theatre reformer. In Warsaw, he had an intensive career as a publisher and director, as well as a pedagogue. From the early 1920s, Weichert organised experimental acting studios in the capital, the first Jewish acting schools of their kind. Their graduates formed the core of the Yung-Teater in 1932, which Weichert was director of until 1939. One of the seats of the Yung-Teater was located nearby, at 19 Długa Street, almost opposite 26 Długa Street, another building that is part of this series of Unseen. LINK TO 01-Dluga-26 How to listen: Unseen is available as a downloadable podcast, although it is best experienced through the Echoes geolocative storytelling app available for iOS and Android. After loading the app, search for soundwalks in Warsaw and you’ll find Unseen. Further reading: • Jewish Theatre in Poland: Fragments of an Illustrious History // on Culture.pl • Jung Jidysz // bio on Culture.pl • Where is Poland? // a multimedia guide about the era 1795-1918 when the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned by three neighbouring empires • 8 Remarkable Yiddish Books from Poland // on Culture.pl • From ‘Last Sunday’ to ‘Last Shabbos’: Poland’s Legendary Jewish Tangos// on Culture.pl • The Lost World of Yiddish Films in Poland // on Culture.pl • The Rise & Fall of Polish Song // on Culture.pl

02/09/2024

•

4 min
22/01/2025

COMMUNITY - „Polish Prayers / Prawy chłopak”, dir. Hanna Nobis

In her film Hanna Nobis created a character of unprecedented sensitivity and complexity. The figure of Antek, overcoming a difficult and unexpected - also for himself - path from right-wing conservatism to metropolitan liberalism, becomes a pretext for a conversation about building a system of values and the circumstances that may influence this process, the formation of maturity, loyalty, and solidarity towards a group of friends, family and, finally, towards oneself. The episode also focuses on the collaboration between the documentary filmmaker and the protagonist and the years-long process of building mutual trust. We also ask whether the director's private experiences influenced the direction of the film script or the highlighting of certain events. International Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025 Culture.pl Hanna Nobis bio

22/01/2025

•

22 min

All of Culture.pl's audio offerings in one place. Culture.pl is the largest and most comprehensive source of knowledge about Polish culture, run by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM).