The Birthday Decade

Pianist Yundi performing at the Birthday Decade, Chopin Year 2010[1]

The Birthday Decade (Najdłuższe Urodziny), also known as The Longest Birthday, was the first of three events of the 2010 Chopin Year, in celebration of Fryderyk Chopin's 200th Birthday.[2]

Origin

The idea of the Birthday Decade arose from the doubt surrounding Fryderyk Chopin's actual date of birth. Church records put it at 22 February, but Fryderyk Chopin and his family said it was 1 March.[3]

Events

Organised by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the Birthday Decade featured a series of concerts held between 22 February and 1 March 2010 at Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. It lasted as a 170-hour musical marathon, solely dedicated to Chopin pieces.[3] Performers included Martha Argerich, Yundi Li, Daniel Barenboim, Rafał Blechacz, Dang Thai Son, Evgeny Kissin, Garrick Ohlsson and Murray Perahia, among others.[2]

  • "Celebration of Chopin Year". Archived from the original on 17 June 2018.

References

  1. ^ Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland (1 March 2010). "Galowy koncert symfoniczny z okazji 200. rocznicy urodzin Fryderyka Chopina" (in Polish). Posiedzenie Rady Gabinetowej.
  2. ^ a b "POLAND SALES MANUAL CHOPIN YEAR 2010" (PDF). Poland Travel (EN) PROD. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b Gulliver Cragg (2 March 2010). "Warsaw hosts 170-hour party for Chopin". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 March 2010.