Nieuwsbericht | 17-10-2011

A special piano concert was organized by the Embassy of Poland in The Hague in cooperation with the Carnegie Foundation.

This event was organized to honor the first ever Polish Presidency of the European Union Council. In pursuit of the Polish Presidency’s priorities – deeper integration of all EU members as the source of economic growth and a strong and secure Europe benefiting from its openness- Poland believes that the European Union must be built through respect for law and justice.

At the beginning of the concert the audience was addressed by the Ambassador of Poland H.E. Stanczyk, the President of the International Court of Justice, H.E. Hisashi Owada and the mayor of the Hague Mr. Jozias van Aartsen.

An extract of the speech given by H.E. Stanczyk: “Let me dedicate this concert, to the owner of proud titles of the “legal capital of the world” and a “second UN city”- The Hague and to all legal institutions and agencies, it hosts. By this, Poland- the current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union – intends to pay tribute to over one hundred and thirty international organizations, institutes and NGO’S located in The Hague which are active in the field of peace and justice. Let this evening express our appreciation for the work of hundreds of people – lawyers, diplomats, academics and others – whose everyday efforts give hope to those who suffer from injustice and violence in various parts of the globe and bring us all closer to the ideal of peaceful cooperation among nations.”

The complete speech can be read here

The main event of the evening was the performance of two outstanding Polish pianists, Adam Makowicz and Stanislaw Drzewiecki, who performed classical and jazz arrangements of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederic Chopin. Makowicz is a jazz legend, the master of improvisation and a piano virtuoso and Drzewiecki trained under famous masters and was awarded the Grand Prix at the Tenth Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Bergen and won the Sergey Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition in Moscow. The idea of bringing together such an uncommon duo was prompted by the need to confront two different views of the same pieces of music. The audience was treated to a thrilling play on emotions intertwined into a musical exchange.

Please read more about the Polish Presidency of the European Union Council

on the website pl2011.eu