Baltic tales and legends - a musical performance for viewers in every age
Creators: Tomasz Krzyzanowski, CHOREA Theatre form Lodz, Teatr Figur from Cracow
Concept & Composition: Tomasz Krzyżanowski
Concept and shadow theatre production: Dagmara Żabska & Teatr Figur Krakow
Performance: Joanna Chmielecka, Aleksandra Endzelm, Tomasz Krzyżanowski, Justyna Sobieraj-Bednarek, Maciej Staniecki, Paula Tralewska
Shadow theatre animation: Piotr Idziak, Agnieszka Polanska, Mateusz Wrobel, Dagmara Żabska
Polish texts: Zoska Papużanka
Latvian text: Viktorija Blumberga
Adaptation of lithuanian texts based on „Egle Žalciu karaliene”: Gintaras Grajauskas,
Consultation on the fnnish text based on „Kalevala”: Erik Soderblom
Partners: Beculture Foundation, Fabryka Sztuki in Łodź
Premiere: 01.06.2018, Art_Inkubator in Fabryka Sztuki in Lodz
Musical performance 'Brothers of The Northern Lights' is a magical and mysterious tale, based on the legends and fairytales of the Baltic Sea, sung in Estonian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish. Voices and simple instruments fill the entire space with gentle sounds. The unusual stories are presented by a shadow theatre. Tomasz Krzyżanowski from CHOREA Theatre is the originator of the project and composer of the music. He is accompanied by invited musicians and vocalists, connected with CHOREA Theatre and CHOREA Theatre Choir. The shadow images are created by actors from Teatr Figur from Cracow. 'Brothers of The Northern Lights' will tell you amazing legends of the sea waters, lost castles, mysterious sea creatures, powerful gods and rulers of the sea lands, and even the tale of a magical mill...
We all are fond of fairy and folk tales, legends, and other stories full of magic. “Brothers of the Northern Lights” is a concert, show based on little-known folk tales and legends of the Baltic countries such as: Poland, Lithuania, Lotva, Estonia, Finland.
Every and each folk-tale not only teaches us something, but also develops our imagination. Our goal was to create an amazing show, which looks into old tales and legends to find about the shared ancestry, beliefs and traditions of inhabitants of the Baltic Sea region. The show creates an opportunity for a viewer to learn about the differences as well as similarities between the Polish culture and the cultures of it’s northern neighbors.
The show is a very pleasant visual and musical experience, suited for children, whole families but also lovers of a good music, theatrical shows and unusual realizations. It is a manifold, sophisticated show, with rich musical background, imagery; an ambient full of light, good vibe, with intricate meanings, and symbolism.
The amazing, choral tunes were created thanks to CHOREA Theatre. CHOREA created many musical projects, including ones intended for children. Using just a human voices, a dozen of simple instruments and a looper, they make the whole stage vibrate with sound and life. The concert consist of ten separate stories, sung in Polish and other languages of the Baltic Sea area - an unique and fascinating experience for a foreigner.
In parallel with music, the shadow theater techniques are used to tell the stories. Multicolored, hypnotic images are created by actors of Teatr Figur Kraków, the only Polish professional shadow theater. Their main tools are lights, shadows, and puppets. TFK actors experiment with light sources, materials, polarization filters, color reflections and multiplied images creating breath-taking clips for the musical background.
The concert is a great opportunity for families to spend some quality time together. Adults, parents, teachers, and pedagogues will be given the opportunity to get familiar with little known, or entirely forgotten folk and fairy tales. It is the opportunity to see creative ways to adapt a literary piece for a song lyrics, or how to tell a story using unusual images and shadow techniques.
The production of the show was supported financially by Stypendium Twórcze Miasta Krakowa.
The project was financially supported by Województwo Małopolskie.
Project realized as part of the scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Watch the trailer by Rami Shaya
Watch the photos by HaWa
Watch the photos by HaWa
