by tskzIn 2025, the Babel Club at ul. Próżna 5 witnessed another edition of our Babel Club Musical Scene project. As part of this series of musical events, eight concerts were staged, showcasing the diverse facets of Jewish culture and its powerful ties with Polish and global culture.
The Babel Club Musical Scene project has been successfully carried out since 2017 and has become an important pillar of the TSKŻ’s statutory mission, by contributing to the nurturing of traditions and promoting accomplishments of contemporary Jewish and Polish cultures.
Thanks to the meticulously selected repertoire, the audience had a chance to familiarise themselves with both classical and contemporary renditions of Jewish music, starting from Jazz, through sung poetry, cabaret songs and mixed poetry and music productions.
Listed below are the concerts staged in 2025:
I Like Chatting with Leonard
Marcin Styczeń performed on the Babel Club’s stage with his original programme inspired by Leonard Cohen’s work. The audience heard well-known songs in their Polish translations by the artist, including ‘Hallelujah,’ ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ and ‘The Famous Blue Raincoat.’ The singer was accompanied by Grzegorz Gadziomski (violin) and Tomasz Pfeiffer (guitar).
Love and the Abyss. Bolesław Leśmian’s Poems in Poetic and Musical Dialogue
Anna Riveiro was the artist behind the concept, script and music which accompanied Bolesław Leśmian’s poems. She was assisted by pianist Anna Hajduk-Rynkowicz and double bassist Michał Zuń. The concert invited the audience into the emotional world of Leśmian’s poetry.
Let us Return as We Did in Old Times
It was a sentimental journey through the most beautiful songs of the prewar period, recalling such artists as Hanka Ordonówna, Mieczysław Fogg and Henryk Wars. The pieces were sung by Aleksandra Wylężek, accompanied by Przemysław Zalewski (piano) and Paweł Puszczało (double bass).
Władysław Szlengel – Today Miss Annie Has a Day Off, But What About Tomorrow?
The actors representing the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw i.e. Monika Chrząstowska and Piotr Sierecki, performed in a moving musical and dramatic show based on Władysław Szlengel’s works. The play depicted the life in pre-war Warsaw, the fate of the Jewish people and the mounting sense of threat. The actors performing on stage were accompanied by musicians: Marek Wroński, Wojciech Bartozzi Wojciechowski and Teresa Wrońska, a scriptwriter and project supervisor.
Jazz Standards on Stage
The Babel Club was filled with jazz music thanks to vocalist Liliana Szczech and Fryderyk Babiński’s Trio, featuring Stanisław Hałat, Jerzy Stelmaszczuk and Fryderyk Babiński. The repertoire of the concert included jazz standards by Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and George Gershwin, among others, as well as original compositions by Fryderyk Babiński, which were enhanced with anecdotes from the history of jazz.
It’s the Last Sunday – Henryk Wars and Jerzy Petersburski
The concert by Agnieszka Wilczyńska and Andrzej Jagodziński was a tribute to Henryk Wars and Jerzy Petersburski, the prewar Polish composers. Their evergreen songs were presented in new jazz arrangements by Andrzej Jagodziński.
Just Barbra – Patrycja Zywert-Szypka sings covers of Barbara Streisand’s songs
During a concert dedicated to Barbra Streisand’s music, Patrycja Zywert-Szypka presented original covers of the artist’s most iconic songs, which were very warmly received by the audience.
Anda. A Female Bandleader!
The series of musical events ended with a one-woman show by Ewa Makomaska with musical accompaniment by Aldona Krasucka. This colourful, humorous and moving play introduced the audience to Anda Kitschmann, the composer of over two thousand songs and co-founder of the Association of Stage Writers and Composers [ZAIKS] and one of the most intriguing artistic figures of the interwar period in Poland.
The project was implemented thanks to a grant from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration.
Photos by Jerzy Dabrowski
