I lift my lamp beside the golden door
Concert by Agata Wąsik
Agata Wąsik's recital titled “Podnoszę lampę w stronę złotych drzwi” (“I raise a lamp towards the golden door”) is the effect of the vocalist's collaboration with the artist Joanna Pawlik.
The recital's repertoire selection is an attempt to search the history of music for works that embark on the issues of social injustices, exclusion, war and senseless death.
The recital is held together by the “Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti” (parts 1, 2 and 3) by Ennio Morricone, originally sung by Joan Baez. The ballad tells the story of Italian immigrants who came to the US at the beginning of the 20th century, fought for the rights of workers, and were wrongfully sentenced to death.
Other pieces performed by Agata Wąsik include: a Lemko song of war and fear of senseless death, used as a protest song at the Maidan; "Strange Fruit”, a song originally sung by Billie Holiday which became an African American anthem in the fight against racism; and “Never Let Me Go” by Florence Welsh, inspired by the tragic death of the writer Virginia Wolf.
