First day 61st National Festival of Polish Song in Opole started the competition Premieres, which traditionally featured 10 performers. They were: Alicja Szemplińska (“Calm down, gentlemen”), Lanberry (“What am I doing here”), Józefina & Skubas (“When it's ugly”), Łukasz Drapała (“You won't be alone”), Piotr Cugowski (“Calm before the storm”), Zabłocki Personally & Czesław Mozil (“Ławeczka”), Monika Lewczuk (“Lekko”), Marcin Sójka (“House of Sand”), Tatiana Okupnik (“I'm Coming Back”), Jan Górka (“No Tell Me”) – program winner “The Voice of Poland”.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, good evening Opole. Opole unites again” – she greeted the wet audience in the amphitheater Paulina Chylewskafor which this is a return to TVP after a seven-year break.
Then the Prime Minister, acting as the host of the concert, appeared on stage Kayah and Andrzej Piasecznywho started with the group's hit Bemib – “Give me some sun” (check!).
“I missed you so much. I haven't been here for eight years,” Kayah emphasized. Piaseczny also talked about the same thing.
The leading duo also paid tribute to the person who died on May 6 Jacek Zieliński“to the musical heart Skaldów“. The great hit of this group – “In the Yellow Flames of Leaves” (originally duet with Lucy of Prussia) – they reminded us on stage Gaba Kulka and Łukasz Lach (L.Stadt) supported by a violinist Adam Bałdych and Skaldów, including a keyboard player Andrzej Zieliński, Jacek's brother. “Jacusiu, we played for you,” said his brother.
They assessed the participants Jacek Cygan (president of the jury), Elżbieta Zapendowska, Maria Szabłowska, Ania Wyszkoni and Jarosław Wasik (director of the Polish Song Museum in Opole). The award was also given by TV viewers in SMS voting.
She started competing Alicewhose song “Calm down, gentlemen” announces her anticipated debut album. The second one showed up Janek Górka (“Tell me”), who, like Alice, is a winner “The Voice of Poland”. Interestingly, she was the singer's trainer in this program Lanberrywhich also appears in these Premieres.
They were the first of two duos in this competition Józefina and Skubas in a ballad “When It's Ugly”and a slightly more lively face was presented by the one who returned after a few years Monika Lewczuk (“Slightly”).
He also takes part in “The Voice of Poland”. Łukasz Drapała (ballade “You won't be alone”) – in the fall of 2022, on the Lanberry team, he reached the final of the 12th edition. Afterwards, the coach of the TVP show appeared on stage in the song “What am I doing here?”.
The second duet was a joint project of a lyricist who is starting a musical career – Michał Zabłocki (under the banner Zabłocki Personally) and Czesław Mozila (“Bench”). They both have many hits sung by the latter, now Czesław supported his friend.
After 12 years, he returned to Premier in Opole Piotr Cugowski – “Calm before the storm” announces the new solo album of the former coach “The Voice Senior”. Marcin Sójka in 2019 he won the audience award in Premieres, and his new entry in the competition after a five-year break is “House of Sand”.
The last one to appear was returning after a long break Tatiana Okupnik with a song with a clear title “I'm coming back”and after her performance, voting lines opened.
Andrzej Piaseczny also had their moments on stage (“Drawing You”, “And More”, “The Name of the Rain”) and Kayah (“Daughter”, “Superman”, “Hand in hand”), supported by an orchestra led by Adam Sztabaartistic director of this year's Opole.
The award of the ZAiKS Authors' Association was presented by the singer Wanda Kwietniewska and lyricist Marek Dutkiewicz. They received a statuette for music authors Piotr Cugowski and Jarek Chilkiewicz (“Calm before the storm”), in turn, they were winners for the text Józefina and Skubas (“When It's Ugly”).
Jacek Cygan also talked about returning to Opole after many years and announced that Józefina and Skubas won the jury vote (the prize was PLN 35,000).
“Opole is uniting again,” shouted the president of Opole Arkadiusz Wiśniewski. It was he who announced that the award named after The duo won the Karol Musioł Prize (and PLN 30,000). Zabłocki Personally and Czesław Mozil for a song “Bench”. “I'm glad that there is room for different songs at this festival,” Czesław Mozil emphasized at the end.