A few miles north of Stirling is Dunblane, a small town made famous by Andy Murray, Scotland’s most accomplished tennis player, yet sadly known as the location of a tragic mass shooting that took place more than two decades ago. Just a 15-minute walk from the train station is the area of Kippenross – a central point in the Jane Stirling Project. It was in this very place that Chopin’s benefactress was born and it was this very location that Chopin failed to visit. Too bad for him. Had he accepted Jane Stirling’s invitation, he would have enjoyed the opportunity to admire what Susan Stirling-Aird calls „the most beautiful place in Scotland”. And indeed, so it is.
I came to Dunblane for the first time in 2015 during my initial expedition with Marek, following in the footsteps of Frederic Chopin in Scotland. We did not enjoy the luxury of a rental car at that time. It was on foot or by means of public transport that we made our way to the places we wished to visit. Luckily enough, one can get to Dunblane by railway, whose tracks were laid as early as in 1849, a year after Chopin’s stay in the area.
After visiting the magnificent Dunblane Cathedral, with a skimpy map in our hands and limited knowledge of the town and its neighbouring areas, we began our search for traces of Frederic Chopin and Jane Stirling in the vicinity of the train station. We had two objectives in mind – the Kippendavie House and the Kippenross House. As it turned out a couple of hours later, the former is there no more. The latter, however, certainly is, majectically standing over the banks of the Allan Water.
We were not able to see it that easily, though. Trying to enter the area from the side of the Old Kippenross House, we were successfully discouraged by the man in the lodge, who claimed no such house stood there any more. It seems he did his job with an adequate degree of commitment, as apparently required by the Stirling-Airds, who were later to become our friends.
Susan Stirling-Aird’s description of Kippenross was no overstatement. Indeed, it does exhibit an abundance of esthetic value. Enormous trees towering over the park are a reminder of all those years that the history of this place embraces. And the sinuous Allan Water proudly flowing across the bottom of Kippenross with the blissfully browsing sheep over its eastern bank suggests this place must have looked just the same two hundred years ago. Was it there that Jane Stirling spent her pastime contemplating the next meeting with Chopin or planning his next concert? It could have been, but I cannot be sure. The only witness would have been the Scottish larches, a few broken trees, and the stones in the river that have been there for centuries.>>>
My breath was taken from me. Spectacular – that’s the only word for it. No description can do justice to the immensity of the land and the compelling character of the landscape. I am afraid photos can do the job only a little bit better.
I was in the car when we entered the area, this time installed comfortably in the passenger’s seat. The steering wheel was in the hands of Irek, a Ryanair captain in his day job. We had just completed a visit to Kippenross and were now heading for the heart of the Scottish Highlands – Fort William. And here we were now – in the middle of nowhere, struggling with the gusts of the wind and listening to the tales of old. Creepy a little.
Glencoe had been home to the MacDonald clan since the early 14th century when they had supported King Robert the Bruce. It was here in February of 1692 that horrible events took place that have ever since been imprinted in Scottish history. The members of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe (or MacIains as they were more specifically known) were treacherously slaughtered by soldiers under the command of Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll. Alexander MacDonald of Glencoe had before failed to take an oath of allegiance to King James II by postponing his submission until the 31st of December 1691.
Under the legislative powers of „Letters of fire and sword”, authorizing savage attacks upon those wo seemed recalcitrant, more than 100 of Argyll’s soldiers suddenly attacked the MacDonalds. Many of the clan escaped. Still, the chief, 33 other men, 2 women, and 2 children were not as lucky and were barbarously killed. To think that the perpetrators of this horrible crime had enjoyed their victims hospitality in the days leading up to the massacre. Who knows, perhaps the whistles of the wind still resonate with the groans of the slaughtered… or the remorse of the savage murderers. Anyway, Glencoe offers more than just an aesthetic contemplation of visual beauty. It stands still over there, with the passage of time held back a little. For a little while. And then it moves forward, with the dynamically changing weather and the past kissing the present.>>>
We arrived in Fort William at around 3pm. We checked into our cozy hotel with a dead-end view of a bricked wall and set out for what we call dinner in Poland. We did not want to see any more sights, still grappling as we were with the breath-taking implications of the Glencoe experience. All we needed was a few calories, a bit of sleep and a good plan of what to see in the area the next day
We woke up pretty early in the morning and headed cheerfully for a full Scottish breakfast. Haggis, beans and „carton” sausages lay in wait for us. A quick look out of the window and a sobering experience sent shivers down my spine: it was raining. Well, that was the least of it. The whole sky was covered with a thick layer of grey clouds preventing a single sunray from sneaking in; you almost believed the sun had been extinguished. Nonetheless, we were not to waste this well-deserved holiday. Optimistically, we headed for Ben Nevis Range hoping we would manage to get lifted up there in Britain’s only mountain gondola. No way, not on that day. The winds were too strong. The gondola was closed, for safety reasons and much to our disappointment. Luckily enough, a cashier, seeing our devastation, lifted our spirits by giving us directions to the beautiful Steall Falls, just a short ride down the road. That was a good choice, indeed.
It took us approximately 20 minutes to get there. After parking our car, we began our ascent along a narrow rocky path. After passing by a few edible mushrooms, the same type that we so eagerly pick back in Poland, and jumping over a few lively streams, we made our way out of the forested area. What was once a violent river falling down the rocks throughout the valley was now the peacefully flowing Water of Nevis. The terrain grew less rugged and eventually turned into a vast plain with the Steall Falls to be admired just across the river. To get there, however, one had to use the rope bridge. Irek did the job. I chose to stay on the safe side of the river. Safe from the Water of Nevis, not from the water of the rain falling in increasing quantities from the clouded sky. That moment I realized that to have a waterproof jacket is a must in Scotland. Soaked, we returned to the hotel to plan our next trip, which would turn out to be to Glenfinnan.>>>
I’m not a big fan of Harry Potter, I must admit. But I certainly am a big fan of Glenfinnan. When I came here for the first time I didn’t even realize Harry Potter’s 'Hogwarts Express’ is the same train that passes through this very valley twice a day. I have seen it. Twice. Not that I didn’t like it. But to be honest, I was more flabbergasted with the gigantic structure of the viaduct that holds it there.
We just wanted to see some sights. I didn’t really know where to go after spending a few rainy hours in the Fort William area. The GPS showed us this place. We got there within 30 minutes to barely find a parking space along the road. We went to the Glenfinnan Monument right across from the loch and saw a crowd of people gathering on the nearby hill. There was a bunch of American guys standing at the monument, to whom I inquired about the nature of this somewhat baffling gathering. They gave me a quick reply: „They’re waiting for something.” A train, I figured out a few minutes later.
We rushed up the hill immediately almost certain we would be late for this twice-a-day experience. After all, the crowd of adventure seekers had certainly been waiting there for more than an hour. We had just gotten there a few minutes earlier after randomly selecting the sight on our navigation system. Who says that luck doesn’t exist?
From gentle whispers to waves of genuine excitement, from fidgeting a little to moving franticly back and forth, the Harry Potter fans raised their cameras and looked north towards the viaduct. Here it came, an old red train cheerfully whistling and puffing steam into the air. It all lasted a minute or so. And after that the train was gone. And so was all the excitement that had brought these hundred folks to the hill on this rainy, chilly afternoon. As soon as the whole experience came to an end I realized all of a sudden: I had just seen the Hogwarts Express. And then I had to learn to live with this…>>>
This was my first trip all alone. Just me and my car and … Scotland. There is something in the land of Robert Bruce and William Wallace that I am absolutely fascinated with. One could even say that my fascination with Caledonian soil skirts the edge of obsession. If it is true that this really is an obsession, I want to be psychologically unfit forever.
The Spittal of Glenshee is an area surrounded with never-ending hills and … ubiquitous sheep. You try climbing any of these hills and you will certainly bump into these cute white fluffy animals staring at you in bewilderment. After all, you have encroached upon their private dominion. The hills are their natural habitat. At least until the fall, when they are forced to leave the blissful greenery and yield it to the white craze. And the color of green is truly magical. Especially in the morning when the first sunrays emerge from behind the ominous clouds and gently tickle the sides of the hills.
Accommodated at the top floor room of the nearby Dalmunzie Castle, the whole of Glenshee was within my reach – the hills, the river, the birds, the sheep and the feeling of transcendental peace and seclusion. Just before getting some long-awaited and well-deserved sleep, I managed to see some of the sights, I climbed some hills and provided some nutrients to my weakened body. The next morning, right before the so-called „Scottish breakfast”, I continued persuing the beauty of the area under slightly different lighting. Yet I still felt freed and liberated, wandering unconfined and roaming o’er the mountain’s side, among the muirs, and around the rocks. Listening to the warbler’s song and watching those fleecy flocks, 'Cause I was „the Shepherd of Glenshee”.
(inspired by The Shepherd of Glenshee by William Thomson)
free event
There is a future in the past and hope in the young. It was in this spirit that four young Polish artists paid tribute to Jane Stirling through the artistic output of two Great Romantics – the music of Frederic Chopin and the poetry of Sir Walter Scott. And they did so to demonstrate that they do indeed remember the contribution which Chopin’s greatest benefactor made to preserve the legacy of the composer.
Time: 22 April 2017, 6.30 p.m.
Venue: Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church in Stirling
Aleksandra Moliszewska: piano
Radosław Goździkowski: piano
Anna Lach: poetry reading
Aleksandra Misiura: poetry reading
Programme:
F. Chopin
Barcarolle in F sharp major op. 60
Polonaise in G sharp minor op. posth.
(Aleksandra Moliszewska)
F. Chopin
Nocturne No 3 in B Major op. 9
Polonaise in F sharp minor op. 44
Scherzo in C sharp minor op. 39
(Radosław Goździkowski)
F. Chopin
Nocturne No 1 in C minor op. 48
Scherzo in B flat minor op. 31
(Aleksandra Moliszewska)
Immense thanks must go to McLaren’s Pianos of 266 Clyde Street, Glasgow, and Ewa Mleczko, for their generosity in providing the Yamaha grand piano used in this concert.
Photo gallery
In 1848 Chopin gave a number of concerts in Scotland, but it was during his performances held en famille, in stately houses rather than in large concert halls, that his music showed the melancholy and plaintive sentiment which typically pervaded his ailing soul. Organized in such a mansion – the sixteenth century Bamff House – Nocturnalia featured exclusively nocturnes by the precursor of this musical form – John Field – as well as those by Frédéric Chopin himself, including the two Nocturnes, which he dedicated to his Scottish benefactor.
Time: 23 April 2017, 6. p.m.
Venue: Bamff House, Perthshire
Anna Dębowska: piano
Programme:
Part 1
J. Field
Nocturne No 12 in G major
Nocturne No. 1 in E flat major
F. Chopin
Nocturne in C sharp minor op. posth.
Nocturne No 1 in C sharp minor op. 27
Nocturne No 2 in D flat major op. 27
Part 2
J. Field
Nocturne No 2 in C minor
Nocturne No 5 in A major
F. Chopin
Nocturne No 2 in F sharp minor op. 48
Nocturne No 1 in F minor op. 55
Nocturne No 2 in E flat major op. 55
Photo gallery
An Evening with Jane Stirling was an opportunity to listen to a variety of Chopin’s compositions as performed by the inimitable Anna Dębowska. Her performance during An Evening with Jane Stirling fused the past and the present, as it provide the audience with a unique opportunity to commune with sounds that so clearly carry a message. Combined with readings from Chopin’s letters given by Marcin Jaroszek and contextualized by Marek Kucharski’s narration, Anna offered a musical voyage in time back to 1848, when Caledonian soil hosted the dying Chopin, impoverished by his declining lot, yet enriched by numerous tokens of hospitality and genuine friendship.
Time: 28 April 2017, 7 p.m.
Venue: Edinburgh Society of Musicians
Anna Dębowska: piano
Marek Kucharski: narration
Marcin Jaroszek: Chopin’s letters
Programme:
F. Chopin
Polonaise No 1 in C sharp minor op. 26
Nocturne in C sharp minor op. posth.
Nocturne No 1 in F minor op. 55
Prelude No 20 in C minor op. 28
NocturneNo 2 in E flat major op. 55
Nocturne No 2 in D flat major op. 27
Ballade in A flat major op. 47
Photo gallery
free ticketed event, invitations required
It was to the apartment of his compatriot – Dr. Lyszczynski – located at 10 Warriston Crescent in Edinburgh that Frédéric Chopin repeatedly and eagerly returned. Chopin was granted the nursery in a small bedroom on the first floor, where he would seek both physical and spiritual recovery through his host’s homeopathic treatment and an opportunity to converse in the Polish language. This concert, given by Poland’s Anna Dębowska and Scotland’s John Willmett, took place in the very bedroom occupied in 1848 by the forlorn composer.
Time: 29 April 2017, 4 p.m.
Anna Dębowska: piano
John Willmett: piano
Programme:
F. Chopin – Waltz No 2 in A minor op. 34
Study No 7 in C sharp minor op. 25
(John Willmett)
F. Chopin – Nocturne in C sharp minor op. posth.
Nocturne No 2 in D flat major op. 27
(Anna Dębowska)
F. Chopin – Variations in D major
on a Theme by Moore B.12a
(Anna Dębowska/John Willmett)
Photo gallery
The exhibition shows places related to Chopin’s stay in Scotland in 1848. Some of them are the stately homes which the Great Romantic visitted thanks to the hospitability of Jane Strling, her family, and her friends. Photographs by Jakub Orłowski illustrate unique venues, often unavailable to the public, such as the legendary Calder House, New Kippenross House (Jane Stirling’s birth place) or Chopin’ bedroom in Dr Lyszczynski’s flat at 10 Warriston Crescent in Edynburgu.
Openning: 11 May 2017, 13.00
venue: Collegium Paderevianum,
Al. Mickiewicza 9A
Photo gallery
AN EVENING WITH JANE STIRLING
An Evening with Jane Stirling was an opportunity to listen to a variety of Chopin’s compositions, including the two Nocturnes which he dedicated to Jane Stirling, performed by the inimitable Anna Dębowska. Normally fragile and fearful, Anna becomes a musical sovereign when she tames the grand piano through Chopin’s music. She can calm the audience with her subtle rendition of the composer’s nocturnes, but at the same time she can roll through the keyboard like a hurricane with demanding passages as she interprets his ballades. And so did she perform at An Evening with Jane Stirling in the Collegium Maius on 11 May 2017..
Anna’s performance during „An Evening with Jane Stirling” fused the past and the present, as they provided the audience with a unique opportunity to commune with sounds that so clearly carry a message. Combined with readings from Chopin’s letters given by Marcin Jaroszek, they offered a musical voyage in time back to 1848, when Caledonian soil hosted the dying Chopin, impoverished by his declining lot, enriched by numerous tokens of hospitality and genuine friendship.
Contextualized by Marek Kucharski’s narration, An Evening with Jane Stirling span a story of love, devotion, disillusionment and unconditional respect for this somewhat whimsical Romantic genius. It told the story of Jane Wilhelmina Stirling, who gave so much and received so little. It told a story that had rested dormant for nearly two centuries – a story that will now unfold…
11 May 2017, 18.30,
venue: Aula Jagiellońska Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Collegium Maius w Krakowie
Anna Dębowska: piano
Marek Kucharski: narration
Marcin Jaroszek: readings from Chopin’s letters
Programme:
F. Chopin – Polonez cis-moll op. 26 nr 1
Preludium Des-dur op. 28 nr 15
Nokturn cis-moll op. posth.
Nokturn f-moll op. 55 nr 1
Mazurek B-dur op. 7 nr 1
Preludium c-moll op. 28 nr 20
Nokturn Es-dur op. 55 nr 2
Nokturn Des-dur op. 27 nr 2
Special thanks must go to Yamaha Polska and Mx music for providing a grand piano used during the concert.
Photo gallery
THE YOUNG FOR JANE STIRLING
wstęp wolny/free event
There is a future in the past and hope in the young. It was in this spirit that, following the concert held in Stirling on 22 April 2017, four young Polish artists paid tribute to Jane Stirling through the artistic output of Great Romantics – the music of Frederic Chopin and the poetry of Sir Walter Scott, Cyprian Norwid and Juliusz Słowacki. And they did so to demonstrate that they do indeed remember the contribution which Chopin’s greatest benefactor made to preserve the legacy of the composer.
12 May 2017, 18.00
venue: Aula Florianka, ul. Basztowa 8, Kraków
Aleksandra Moliszewska: piano
Radosław Goździkowski: piano
Anna Lach: poetry reading
Aleksandra Misiura: poetry reading
Programme:
F. Chopin
Barcarolle in F sharp major op. 60
Polonaise in G sharp minor op. posth.
(Aleksandra Moliszewska)
F. Chopin
Nocturne No 3 in B Major op. 9
Polonaise in F sharp minor op. 44
Scherzo in C sharp minor op. 39
(Radosław Goździkowski)
F. Chopin
Nocturne No 1 in C minor op. 48
Scherzo in B flat minor op. 31
(Aleksandra Moliszewska)
Photo gallery
