I love Chopin

Fryderyk Chopin remains an icon of Polish national identity, a source of pride, and a subject of extensive research. He's revered to the point of being a cult figure and a pop culture celebrity, appearing on bottles of alcohol and chocolate packaging. To this day, he stands alongside figures like Pope John Paul II, Lech Wałęsa, and Robert Lewandowski as one of the most internationally recognized Poles. His music is considered a product of genius and a testament to what is Polish, patriotic, and national—"ours."

We might think we know everything about Chopin, but that's not true. A mere glance beyond the official, school-taught narrative of his life and work uncovers many secrets and paradoxes. Topics that are uncomfortable and therefore repressed. These don't fit into the stereotypical stories about longing for the homeland, storks over flowered meadows in mazurkas, or "Szopen" as the romantic heartbreaker of women. Chopin's closets are full of such matters, including the issue of love letters written by the composer to his youth friend Tytus Woyciechowski, which often began with the romantic phrase: "My dearest life!" and ended with a farewell: "I hug you warmly, 'right on the lips' may I?"

However, the Piaskowski/Sulima duo's play will not merely present an alternative, queer biography of Chopin. It will serve as a starting point for examining what could not find a place in official Polish culture or the public sphere for centuries. Everything that did not fit within the canons, norms, or ideologies and thus remained unspoken and unfulfilled. Chopin's music will become a portal to the nooks and crannies of reality and the margins of imagination, but also a search for consolation, comfort, and escape. The performance will also contribute to a discussion on the complex, non-obvious nature and sources of creativity, including that considered "national."