This morning I was treated to the most amazing sight. As I approached the ICA, a murmuration of birds swooped and swirled, wonderful patterns in the sky. What an excellent way to start the day. A guy in front of me, riding his bike, also stopped to watch the display.
While that was extremely unexpected and beautiful, it wasn’t half as odd as the concert we attended at Ytterjärna tonight. I first saw mention of it on their Instagram account and thought it sounded excellent. It was also free. In fact, along with the saxophones and flutes, it was the second brilliant and free concert we attended this week.
Little did we know that the concert would feature the one and only Paganini of Norrköping and his daughter, Nicole Biegniewska. Nicole is an exceptional violinist. She’s 21 and already an extremely accomplished performer.
The concert started outside, in the foyer, where Ethno on the Road performed back in October. We had collected some delicious food (and beer) and managed to grab a table at the front, with an excellent view.
Without fanfare, introduction or faffing, a man with a guitar and a woman with a violin stepped onto the small platform and started playing the most amazing music. It was father and daughter team, Nicole and Kryspin Biegniewska. And can I just say that daddy Kryspin looked very proud of his daughter’s flair and skills. And so he should.
Actually, while Kryspin played guitar, he is far better known as an accomplished violist himself. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an awful lot about him online. The Ytterjärna website, in their piece about the concert, called him the Paganini of Norrköping so, I assume, he is well known for playing Paganini.
Anyway, the night belonged to Nicole as she bowed her way through rousing Romany and Celtic tunes that delighted us all. Well, not exactly all. There was one chap who sat by the fire and didn’t seem affected at all. I have no idea how. Maybe he was deaf. However, he wasn’t the only weird thing to happen tonight.
The original ad I read about the concert, the Instagram post, said there’d be a concert in the foyer by an unnamed perfomer/s followed by some Paganini in the big hall. The unnamed performer/s didn’t materialise. Nicole and Kryspin started us off and never, really stopped.
That’s not completely accurate.
They played some tunes, then left the stage for about 20 minutes before returning to play some more. This time, they included a few songs, which Nicole started singing and encouraged us to join in. This was fine for most of the audience, but we were silent until she started Silent Night. When, ironically, we weren’t.
It was all quite brilliant and very enjoyable. When they left the small stage, some people in the audience looked like they were starting to pack up to go home. If anyone did, they missed the real concert.
A man took up the microphone and announced something. Obviously, it was all in Swedish. Even so, he managed to confuse everyone in the room. English, Swedish and Chinese* speakers alike.
Eventually, a woman walked around the audience, telling us all, almost individually, that the concert would continue in the auditorium. Everyone, obediently, moved to the more comfortable seats. We scored two in the front row.
Mirinda asked a couple of women sitting near her what was going on but they seemed just as confused as we were. Not that it mattered. What was to come was superb.
In fact, the second, and possibly real, concert was an extraordinary display of virtuosity. Seriously, Nicole is a brilliant musician. She played, I assume, Paganini with aplomb. This time, in a red frock. And Kryspin changed into something a little more formal as well.
It was quite an odd night, but the music was exceptional. Nicole, who first performed publicly aged nine, had us mesmerized. For all the oddness of the occasion, I am so glad we went.
* At the end of the concert, two Chinese women rushed up to the stage to thank Kyspin before he left. I know they were Chinese because one of them said, “We’re from China. We loved it.” It was a long way to travel but, I’d say, based on their reaction, that it was well worth it.
