Warszawsko-Lubelska Orkiestra Dęta

Warszawsko-Lubelska Orkiestra Dęta was formed in autumn 2017 in Warsaw at the Embassy of Traditional Music under the influence of strong inspiration from archives, but also from lively encounters with Lublin brass bands, which are the last to continue the tradition of playing to dance in the Roztocze region. This function has disappeared among modern orchestras, and with it the old repertoire, which has been replaced by interpretations of popular music hits, usually Western.

For much of the 20th century, it was wind orchestras that led the way at weddings and dance parties in the villages of Lublin/Roztocze, playing the then eagerly danced repertoire of decidedly national origin – polkas, obereks, foxtrots, tangos, waltzes. The WLOD is trying to revive this tradition, learning tunes from the still-active orchestras of Zdziłowice and Goraj, as well as writing down scores on their own from archival recordings or poring over old manuscripts of sheet music found in Roztocze during field research.

The orchestra has played to dance at festivals including Mazurkas of the World Festival, Oj Wiosna, Ty Wiosna, Move Your Brass and Fanfara, but also in more intimate and spontaneous situations.

Photo: Mariusz Cieszewski