Old Wilno in 1930s: Adam Aston sings “Możesz odejść“ (You Can Go)

Adam Aston & Orkiestra Henryka Warsa -- Możesz odejść... (You Can Go) English waltz (Jaszczyński - Jaksztas), Syrena-Electro 1933 (Polish) NOTE: When I was preparing this film, a bunch of prewar Wilno photographs suddenly came into my hands. And I immediately thought: yest, this is it! Nothing better goes with that dreamy melody as the dreamy, misty, absolutely stunning photographs of pre-war Wilno, made by the photographers from so-called “Wilno photographic school“ -- with Jan Bułhak as leader of that group. Let me add a little information, referring to the Wilno topic. Today is an important Polish holiday: The day of St. Mary The Queen of Poland and the anniversary of the 3rd of May 1793 Constitution. The documento was established during the days of the last gathering of the parliament of the Polish Kingdom It was the last national attempt to save Poland - through the most basic reforms - from the partition by three neighbouring powers: Tzarist Russia, Imperial Prussia and Austria. The constitution was very modern and, so to say, “democratic“ - in the sense of the spirit of Magna Charta. It was first such constitution in Europe -- following the one in America. In the time of the absolutist powers of the imperialist states such as Russia, Prussia or Austria, such set of reforms -- leading to empowering the kingdom of Poland -- must have provoked fury and nervous haste. Katharina II, kaiser Friedrich called “der Grosse“ and queen Maria Theresa in Vienna decided, they can’t wait any longer, until Poland recovers from its political weakness and again becomes a powerful partner in this part of Europe. So, their armies attacked Poland from three sides and torn it apart. The 3rd of May Constitution of 1793, which was supposed to be a new spring for Poland -- became in fact, its gravestone. Therefore, today’s anniversary has two soundtracks behind its happiness façade: one is joyious and the other one is sad. My film refers to that happy Old Poland -- an invitation to a sentiomental journey into the past, into the pre-war Wilno, which used to be one of the most beautiful cities in Poland, until 1939. and a thriving Polish cultural center, radiating to the whole country. Those magnificent monuments of the Polsih history are still present on each step along the streets and squares of the Lithuanian capital, which is now called Vilnius. Alas, in September 1939, after the invasion of Poland by the nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, Wilno was “transferred“ by Stalin to the Republic of Lithuania, which existed just a few years longer, until in 1945 it was incorporated into the Soviet Union. Currently, Vilnius is still a very beautiful city, although traces of the Polish history are discreetly, yet continually erased . In spite of belonging to the European Union, Lithuanian state seems to discriminate also the Polish minority living there, in terms of the property rights and the right to free use of the Polish language. And that sad connotation must be added to the sad part of the melody, which is played today - to celebrate the rise and the fall of the Polish Kingdom. The recording belongs to a collection of Сергеи Ставицки (Sergey Stavitsky) from Запорожье (Zaporoshe)