Polish mezzo soprano Bernadetta Grabias performed at Attre castle on 10 and 11 June 2010 at 20:00  as part of the Printemps Musical de Silly (Musical Spring in Silly) with a repertoire of Fryderyk Chopin melodies. She was accompanied on the piano by Eliane Reyes.

At these two musical evenings at Attre castle, Bernadetta Grabias and Eliane Reyes showcased 15 of the 19 melodies composed by Fryderyk Chopin. The melodies were put together in 1859 under the number opus 74. In spite of the beauty of their charming miniature repertoire, they had never previously been part of the great recital repertoire. This performance was an opportunity to discover intimately Polish folk or popular stories, as well as allusions to the texts of Romantic poets, such as Adam Mickiewicz, Zygmunt Krasiński, Stefan Witwicki, Bogdan Zaleski or Wincenty Pol.

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Bernadetta Grabias, awarded third prize in the Queen Elisabeth International Music Festival in 2008, studied piano and oboe at the Rzeszów Music School (Poland) before beginning singing lessons at the Łódź Music Academy, studies for which she was awarded an upper second. She also took conducting classes and was awarded her conductor’s certificate.
From the very beginning of her studies, she gave concerts as a soloist and a chamber musician. From 2004, she performed as a soloist at the Łódź Grand Theatre. You may have heard her in Rossini’s l’Italiana in Algeri, Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, Bizet’s Carmen, etc. She also performed in Verdi’s Requiem and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
In Poland, she has won various competitions and received the Leon Schiller prize for her contribution to the artistic world. 

For her two recitals in Belgium, Bernadetta Grabias was accompanied by Eliane Reyes, Belgian pianist and a teacher at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris ( Paris National Higher Musical Conservatory) and the Brussels Royal Conservatory. She has received a number of distinctions, including the César Franck prize, and was a finalist in the Montréal International Competition. In 2005, she became the official accompanist for the Queen Elisabeth Competition in the violin session. She has also leant her talents to several recordings.
During the 2010/2011 season, Ms Reyes was due to go on tour with violinist Lorenzo Gatto: Rising Star will be played in many great European concert halls. 

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On the programme:
Życzenie (The Wish), Wiosna (Spring), Smutna rzeka (Sad river), Hulanka (Drinking song), Gdzie lubi (There where she loves), Precz z moich oczu (Out of my sight !), Śliczny chłopiec (Handsome lad), Wojak (The Warrior), Dwojaki koniec (Double destiny), Moja pieszczotka (My darling), Pierścień (The Ring),  Narzeczony (The Fiancé), Piosnka litewska (Lithuanian song), Z gór, gdzie dźwigali (Melody), Leci liscie z drzewa (Leaves are falling)

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More on the ‘Printemps musical de Silly’ festival on our site HERE.