Dances of many a nation

On 21 January 2025, the concert hall of the Józef Świder State Music School in Jastrzębie-Zdrój resonated with the rhythms and colours of world dance music. The piano duo Anna Dębowska and Andrzej Pikul presented a vivid programme titled “Dances of Many Nations”, taking the audience on a journey across Europe and beyond — from the elegance of the Viennese salons to the vitality of Slavic, Nordic, and Hispanic traditions.

The programme embraced a wealth of national styles: Schubert’s Military March in G major, Moszkowski’s Polonaise and Krakowiak, and a set of Polish dances by Zygmunt Noskowski revealed the energy and charm of nineteenth-century salon virtuosity. From the heart of Central Europe came Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance in C major and Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, while Grieg’s Norwegian Dance and Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt added Nordic brightness and lyricism.

American and Spanish flavours concluded the evening with Samuel Barber’s Pas de deux and Scottish Dance, followed by the spirited Spanish Dances from The Wedding of Luis Alonso by Gerónimo Giménez.

A special moment of the concert featured young pianist Oliwier Godlewicz, whose participation symbolised the educational mission and artistic openness of the event.

Performed with characteristic elegance and precision, Anna Dębowska and Andrzej Pikul’s interpretations united stylistic diversity under the universal language of rhythm and movement — a celebration of dance as one of music’s most joyful forms of expression.

Programme

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Military March in G major, D 733

Moritz Moszkowski (1854–1925)
Polonaise in B minor
Krakowiak in G major

Zygmunt Noskowski (1846–1909)
Kujawiak in B minor
Mazur in F major

Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Slavonic Dance in C major

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Hungarian Dances – in G minor, D minor, F minor, F-sharp minor, and D-flat major

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Norwegian Dance in A major, Op. 35
Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt

Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
Pas de deux
Scottish Dance

Gerónimo Giménez (1854–1923)
Dances from The Wedding of Luis Alonso (Bodas de Luis Alonso)