{"id":11557,"date":"2025-11-07T12:56:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/london\/?p=11557"},"modified":"2025-11-07T12:58:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:58:23","slug":"fragments-the-words-and-music-of-maria-wierzbicka-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/london\/2025\/11\/07\/fragments-the-words-and-music-of-maria-wierzbicka-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments – the words and music of Maria Wierzbicka – Concert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

27th November, 7pm for 7:30pm, Ognisko Polskie<\/strong> – Polish Hearth Club<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rising star of Polish London\u2019s scene in the 1950s, Wierzbicka’s artistic talent developed at the famous war-time Polish lyc\u00e9e in Villard de Lans, France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her later life was tragic story of despair and decline, culminating in a dramatic fire where almost all her work was destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now by piecing together the few fragments of her musical compositions that remain, recently discovered short stories in the archives of London\u2019s Polish Tydzie\u0144 Polski newspaper and rare recordings of her reading poems by Marian Hemar about freedom and exile, we bring her words and music back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer of \u2018Fragments\u2019 Eddie Tulasiewicz said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA rising star of Polish London\u2019s scene in the 1950s, Maria Wierzbicka\u2019s artistic talent developed at the famous war-time Polish lyc\u00e9e in Villard de Lans, France<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaria eventually got to London, one of many thousands of Polish people who were unable to return to Poland. Music and poetry became vital parts of her life. She acted in cabaret and musical evenings at the Polish Hearth Club and other Polish clubs in London<\/em>. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce married in 1956 she moved to Cambridge and continued to write and compose. By the 1980\u2019s she was back living in London after divorcing her husband.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe continued to compose music and write poetry in her west London home. But she was no longer part of the \u2018artistic\u2019 set, and was also disadvantaged by being a woman in what was a very male dominated world<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the start of the 21st century Maria had become a recluse and a hoarder. Then a fire started in her house destroying almost all of her music and poetry. She died in 2009.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a unique opportunity to discover the words and music of Maria Wierzbicka which were long thought to have vanished for ever.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening will include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n