::FOREST OPERA
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Sopot
offers rich calendar of artistic and cultural events, which
contribute to specific nature of the town. Undoubtedly,
since 30 years, the song festival constitutes the attraction
of the town. At the end of the August, the whole life is
focused on the event. This most popular music festival takes
place in Forest Opera. It is a beautiful amphitheatre with
audience for 4,500 people, and its location, among forested
hills, creates great acoustics. Each year, hundreds of people
come to the town to listen to the stars performing on natural
stage in Sopot. During the festival different types and
styles of music are presented. Enthusiasts of theatre and
painting may attend events on the Chamber stage of Wybrzeze
Theatre, located in a house near the beach. Also the beach
alternative theatres present their art. Numerous exhibitions
are organized by galleries. People can admire paintings,
sculptures, prints, drawings, photography and all other
artistic works. Since 1996 Sopot has been trying to bring
back the tradition of jazz festival from 1950s when the
town was the cradle of Polish jazz.
In the year 2003 the International Song
Festival, Sopot Festival, celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The festival is one of the oldest song events in Europe.
In the unique scenery of the Forest Opera representatives
of various styles and genres of song and pop music come
together.
Over these thirty-seven years the name
of the festival, its formula and its organisers has changed
a number of times. In the 1960s and at the beginning of
the 70s the festival was a typical song contest organised
by the Ministry of Culture and Art and the Polish Artistic
Agency "Pagart". Among its participants were well-known
and popular in those times performers like for instance
Karel Gott (former Czechoslovakia), Frida Boccara (Monaco),
Henri Dés (Switzerland), Isabelle Aubret (France), Salomé
(Spain) and many many others.
In the middle of the 70s these same organisers
together with the Committee For Radio and Television organised
in Sopot the Intervision Festival, a festival regarded as
the most prestigious song and musical event in Eastern Europe.
It was there that the stars of the Eastern Block had their
success - Helena Vondračkova, Jizi Korn, Frank Schäbel,
Ałła Pugaczowa, Maryla Rodowicz.Since 1994 Telewizja Polska
S. A has been the sole organiser of the festival. Thanks
to the live broadcasts by Channel One of Telewizja Polska
S.A. the festival concerts can be watched live by a multimillion
audience.
In the past few years the following stars
performed in Sopot:
1995 Chuck Berry, Vanessa Mae, Annie Lenox
1996 The Kelly Family, Vaya Con Dios, Deep Forest, La
Bouche
1997 Khadja Nin, Alexia, Secret Garden, Boyz II Men
1998 The Corrs, Chris Rea, Tanita Tikaram, Ace of Base,
ERA
1999 Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston
2000 Bryan Adams
2001 Goran Bregovie, Lou Bega, UB40
2002 ZUCCHERO (Italy) GAROU (Canada)
2003 Kayah, Ricky Martin, Skaldowie, Justyna Steczkowska,
Edyta Górniak, Janusz Radek, Kapela Karpieli Bulecki
Earlier,
in the 70s and 80s, the participants and stars performing
at the festival included: Charles Aznavour, Shirley Bassey,
Boby Solo, The Temptations, Boney M, Johnny Cash, Jose Feliciano,
Alison Moyet, Marillion, Paul Young.
Thanks to the International Song Festival,
each year the Forest Opera is an attraction of the Sopot
summer and thanks to the live broadcast, for a few days
each year it is the centre of attention throughout Poland.
"Sopot Festival" - one of the oldest song contests
in Europe, celebrated its 35th jubilee in 1998. For many
years now the unique scenery of the Forest Opera in Sopot
has been a background to performances by representatives
of various styles and genres of pop music.
