Ewa Demarczyk


Ewa Maria Demarczyk was a Polish singer, generally associated with the sung poetry genre and the Piwnica pod Baranami cabaret.
Demarczyk was recognized as one of the most talented and charismatic singers in the history of Polish music. She was praised for her unique interpretations, expression, and unusual stage personality. In the 1960s, she drew comparisons with Édith Piaf. In Poland, she was often referred to as "the Dark Angel".
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Biography

She started her career in 1961, when she joined Jagiellonian University Medical College's student cabaret Cyrulik. After a year she left Cyrulik for Piwnica pod Baranami, where she met Zygmunt Konieczny, with whom she would work for the next four years.
Her first big success was a performance at the 1963 Polish Song in Opole">Polish people">Polish Song in Opole, where she received an award for the songs "Karuzela z madonnami", "Taki pejzaż" and "Czarne anioły". Later the same year, she sang at the Sopot International Song Festival and was named the best artist of 1963 by Polish journalists. In 1964 she took second place in Sopot for "Grande Valse Brillante". She went on to perform at Olympia in Paris, at Bruno Coquatrix's invitation, as well as at a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of United Nations.
In 1966, Demarczyk graduated from the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts. The same year she teamed up with another composer, Andrzej Zarycki. 1967 saw the release of her first album, Ewa Demarczyk śpiewa piosenki Zygmunta Koniecznego, which proved to be a major success and was later certified platinum for selling over 100,000 copies.
At the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, she travelled extensively around the world to countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Finland. She performed in numerous concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the Chicago Theatre.
Demarczyk left the Piwnica pod Baranami in 1972. Two years later her next album was issued, including some new Polish songs and four Russian-language versions of her previous hits. The album was released in Russia by the state-owned label Melodiya and sold several million copies. Later in the 1970s she was awarded an honorary award at Opole Festival and the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Her 1982 live album, simply titled Live, turned out to be a big success, achieving gold certification in Poland. In the mid-1980s Demarczyk founded her own theatre in Kraków. In spite of formal difficulties, it was soon shut down, although it generated interest. In the 1990s her albums were re-released on CD and Demarczyk received a number of awards recognising her input to Polish culture. She continued to perform live until the late 1990s.
She gave her last concert on 8 November 1999 at the Grand Theatre in Poznań and afterwards she completely withdrew from public life. In 2001 a foundation, Teatr Ewy Demarczyk, was created. She died on 14 August 2020, aged 79.

Style

Demarczyk's repertoire consisted of demanding, not easily accessible interpretations of poems. Since her songs are often based on works by "classical" poets – both Polish such as Julian Tuwim and Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński and international like Goethe, Mandelstam, Rainer Maria Rilke, as well as avant-garde writers such as Miron Białoszewski – the genre that Demarczyk is associated with is called sung poetry.
In her performances, she united both dramatic theatrical expression and vocal art. The songs she performed were essentially short, intense musical dramas.

Awards and honours

Discography

Albums:
  • 1967: Ewa Demarczyk śpiewa piosenki Zygmunta Koniecznego
  • 1974: Ewa Demarczyk
  • 1982: Live
Singles:
  • 1963: Karuzela z madonnami / Czarne anioły / Taki pejzaż
  • 1964: Grande Valse Brillante
  • 1968: Grande Valse Brillante / Tomaszów
  • 1974: Groszki i róże / Sur le pont d’Avignon / Jaki śmieszny / Cyganka / ''Zmory wiosenne''

List of songs

The list presents the songs sung by Ewa Demarczyk arranged in alphabetical order:
TitleAuthorComposer
Am SonntagnachmittagStanisław BalińskiLeszek Długosz
BabuniMarina TsvetaevaAndrzej Zarycki
Ballada o cudownych narodzinach Bolesława KrzywoustegoGallus AnonymusAndrzej Zarycki
Biegnie dziewczyna lasemBolesław LeśmianAndrzej Zarycki
Canción de las voces serenasJaime Torres BodetAndrzej Zarycki
CygankaOsip MandelstamAndrzej Zarycki
Czarne anioły Wiesław DymnyZygmunt Konieczny
Czerwonym blaskiem otoczonaStanisław RatoldAndrzej Zarycki
Dans bien longtempsRobert DesnosAndrzej Zarycki
Der Herbst des EinsamenGeorg TraklAndrzej Zarycki
Deszcze Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiZygmunt Konieczny
Don JuanMarina TsvetaevaAndrzej Zarycki
Folguj szczątkom swej młodościWisława SzymborskaAndrzej Zarycki
GarbusBolesław LeśmianZygmunt Konieczny
Grande Valse BrillanteJulian TuwimZygmunt Konieczny
Groszki i różeJulian KacperZygmunt Konieczny
Il était une feuilleRobert DesnosAndrzej Zarycki
Imię Twoje Marina TsvetaevaAndrzej Zarycki
Jaki śmiesznyWincenty FaberZygmunt Konieczny
Karuzela z madonnamiMiron BiałoszewskiZygmunt Konieczny
Kląskały słodko słowikiJoanna Olczak-RonikierAndrzej Zarycki
Kupcie szczeniakaTadeusz ŚliwiakJulian Kaszycki
Musik im MirabellGeorg TraklAndrzej Zarycki
Nähe des GeliebtenJohann Wolfgang von GoetheAndrzej Zarycki
Nie ma nasLeszek DługoszAndrzej Zarycki
NieśmiertelnikiBronisława OstrowskaAndrzej Zarycki
O czemu panAgnieszka OsieckaZygmunt Konieczny
Opuszczony dom Wiesław DymnyAdam Nowak
OsjanBolesław LeśmianZygmunt Konieczny
Palma solaNicolás GuillénAndrzej Zarycki
Panna ŚnieżnaAndrei BelyAndrzej Zarycki
Pieśń nad PieśniamiSolomonAndrzej Zarycki
Piosenka pod choinkęLeszek DługoszAndrzej Zarycki
Pocałunki Maria Pawlikowska-JasnorzewskaZygmunt Konieczny
Pokochaj mnie Emanuel SchlechterRobert Stolz
Przychodzimy, odchodzimyJanusz JęczmykZygmunt Konieczny
Psalmen für den HausgebrauchTadeusz NowakAndrzej Zarycki
Psalmy DawidaDavidStanisław Radwan
Puchowy śniegu trenAndrzej WłastP. Arezzo
Purpurowe ciepłe słońceTadeusz MicińskiAndrzej Zarycki
RebekaAndrzej WłastZygmunt Białostocki
Ronda del fuegoGabriela MistralAndrzej Zarycki
Samotność Bolesław LeśmianAndrzej Zarycki
SchattengetränkBolewsław LeśmianAndrzej Zarycki
Skrzypek HercowiczOsip MandelstamAndrzej Zarycki
Słowiki Joanna Olczak-RonikierAndrzej Zarycki
Smutna, niedokończona historia – Laura i onMikhail LermontovKrzysztof Litwin
Stary CyganJ. WimaAndrzej Zarycki
Sur le pont d’AvignonKrzysztof Kamil BaczyńskiAndrzej Zarycki
SzewczykBolesław LeśmianJerzy Wysocki
Taki pejzażAndrzej SzmidtZygmunt Konieczny
Time long pastPercy Bysshe ShelleyAndrzej Zarycki
TomaszówJulian TuwimZygmunt Konieczny
Wiersze wojenne Krzysztof Kamil BaczyńskiZygmunt Konieczny
Wiosenna noc w Starym KrakowieFranciszek SerwatkaFranciszek Serwatka
Z ręką na gardleJerzy SkolimowskiKrzysztof Komeda
Zbyt młodamRobert BurnsAndrzej Zarycki
Zmory wiosenneBolesław LeśmianAndrzej Zarycki
Życie szareAnna AkhmatovaAndrzej Zarycki