The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk has prepared a special release: the album ODnowa [REnew] with music to the words of Marian Hemar – an outstanding poet, unequaled satirist, author of plays, brilliant sketches and monologues, as well as a great songwriter with over 3,000 songs to his credit written for the best interwar cabarets.

There is no doubt that the patriotic attitude of the author of Chlib Kulikowski is a living example of the values ​​that underlie the cultural and historical mission of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk. Marian Hemar was an uncompromising patriot who was deeply devoted to his homeland. The Museum decided to commemorate this very talented and artistically prolific "Pole by choice" – as he used to say about himself. A composition competition for a vocal piece to the words of Marian Hemar aimed at popularizing his somewhat forgotten, but extremely beautiful and inspiring poems. Three winners have been selected from the many applications from students and graduates of Polish music academies: Agnieszka Zimny, Dawid Ludkiewicz and Piotr Pudełko. They wrote music to the poems Modlitwa [Prayer], Rozmowa z żołnierzem [Conversation with a soldier], and Testament Chopina [Chopin's Testament].

The competition was part of a larger project, which is an album with music to the words of Marian Hemar. It contains 17 of the artist's best works, selected from his rich oeuvre. New song arrangements were prepared by students, graduates and lecturers of the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańśk under the supervision of Kamil Cieślik and performed by the Orchestra of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot under the baton of Wojciech Rajski, the Art'n'Voices ensemble and soloists: Marta Burdynowicz, Maria Malinowska, Karol Drozd and Jakub Kornacki.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information: https://muzeum1939.pl/