Mike had his first ever letter published in "The Times" yesterday...
ENGLISH LESSONS
Sir, You report (Dec 26) about a bus company in the North of England being suspended because its drivers, including Poles, can’t read English. I note they also had problems with the condition of vehicles.
Recently I presented English language certificates to Polish bus drivers in Coventry. The courses at the local college had been organised and paid for by the bus company and designed to meet the specific needs of the drivers. The atmosphere was great. The strong rapport between company and drivers and the enthusiam of the drivers were clearly visible.
The lesson is simple. Good employers invest in their staff and get good results. Others do not.
MIKE OBORSKI
Honorary Polish Consul for the West Midlands
Kidderminster, Worcs
CHRISTMAS CARDS AND THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS...
One of my rather sad habits is counting Christmas Cards we receive each year not with an interest in volume but rather to measure changing tastes and designs.
Basically Religious Cards are disappearing as are Victorian style cards in favour of more “modern designs.
So what do we have this year:-
Robins 8, Jesus, Joseph and Baby Jesus 7. Three Wise Men 7, Father Christmas 5, Victorian Houses 5, Words no illustration 4, Holly 3, Shepherds 3, Christmas Trees 3, Church Buildings 3, Angels 2, Doves 2, Penguins 2, Reindeer 2, Snow Men 2,
Balloons 1,Carol Singers 1, Cats 1, Children 1, Flowers 1, Parcels 1, Partridge in a Pear Tree 1, Pattern 1, St Michaels Mount 1, Senders family 1, Senders House 1, Snowballs 1, Snowflakes 1, Socks 1, Stars 1, Teddy Bear 1, Wreath 1
Because of our local government involvement we also acquire some “Civic” Cards as well: Worcester 2, Civic Crest 1, Cookley 1, Coventry 1, Dudley 1, Mayor & Staff 1, Police on the beat 1, Polish Eagle 1.
Of all the cards we have received only 10% can truly be described as genuinely “religious” in nature – namely those of Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus and a couple of the Angel designs. Some of those with superficially religious themes are simply designs or cartoons. You can spot the genuinely religious motivated ones.
Of course we love to get cards of any sort from all our friends but is it just me that feels that the decline of the genuinely religious Christmas Card is just another sign if the decay from a meaningful religious Christmas into simply mid-winter booze, presents and partying?
HOMAGE TO POLISH MUSIC
Anyone even vaguely interested in good classical music - either just as relaxing back ground music - or more seriously should rush off now and lay hands on the newly issued:
Andrzej Panufnik "Homage To Polish Music" NAXOS 8.570032
Polish Chamber Orchesta
Conductor : Mariusz Smolij
(World Premiere Recording)
On sale at Amazon.co.uk (exact link at bottom of this posting) for £4.99
This disc contains all of Panufnik's post-war reconstructions of early Polish music originally written between the 14th and 18th centuries. Of these works the composer himself wrote: "My compulsion to restore some of the early Polish music was engendered as I witnessed the superb reconstruction of beautiful 16th and 17th century houses in the old part of Warsaw... My intention was to bring alive the spirit of Poland at that time, and to make use of these precious fragments which otherwise would have remained lifeless on the bookshelves of libraries..." The disc concludes with Hommage a Chopin, in which the composer draws on the folk music of Masovice, the region in central Poland where Chopin was born.
___________________________________________________________
Acadiana Symphony Music Director Mariusz Smolij is releasing his first CD this year with NAXOS, the world's leading classical recording company. Titled "Homage to Polish Music", the new CD was recorded with the Polish Chamber Orchestra in Warsaw. It features
Renaissance, Baroque and Early Classical music of historical and forgotten works from old Polish musical libraries. The disc contains all of Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik's (1914- 1991) post-war reconstruction of early Polish music written between the 14th and 18th centuries. Of these works, the composer himself wrote, "My compulsion to restore some of the early Polish music was engendered as I witnessed the superb reconstruction of beautiful 16th and 17th century houses in the old part of Warsaw...My intention was to bring alive the spirit of Poland at that time, and to make use of these precious fransments which otherwise would have remained lifelss on the bookshelves of libraries..." One of the compositions, "Old Polish Suite", will have its American premiere at the ASO's March concert.
Under extreme pressure to conform to Soviet Socialist Realism after 1949, Panufnik kept authorities at bay with his self-imposed task of restoring musical fragments from Poland's distant past. In 1954, he left Poland resulting in the total censorship of his name and his
music for 23 years. He settled in England, where he received his knighthood in 1991.
Though he has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, Maestro Smolij maintains strong musical ties with his native Poland, where he conducts several times each year. In December of this year, he will record another NAXOS CD with the Poznañ Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Contents:
Old Polish Suite for String Orchestra
Concerto in Modo Antico
Jagiellonian Triptych for String Orchestra
Old Polish Music : Divertimento after Janiewicz
Hommage a Chopoin : Five pieces for Flute and String Orchestra
If you have ever heard any of other Panufnik's work and haven't liked
it please DO NOT BE PUT OFF. His style changed dramatically over the
years. I have never heard anything else by him in this style which is
so easy to get intoi but so rewarding to listen to!
Direct link to this CD om Amazon UK:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panufnik-Homage-Polish-Music-
Andrzej/dp/B000IY067K/sr=1-1/qid=1166046859/ref=pd_bowtega_1/026-
1754342-1960424?ie=UTF8&s=music
My Cousin's oldest son - Marcin Konarski - would like to invite you to Poland!
