PWM

search
Advanced
Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego
biuletyn informacji publicznej

News

2nd Festival of Polish Music

2006-10-31
Cracow, 5-12 November 2006 O, city of Cracow, the unity
Of your inhabitants abundantly
Serves as your adornment:
A multitude of clergy, dignity of men,
And matrons with a great many children;
Riches in profusion.
You are washed by clear springs,
Guarded by shade-giving hills.
The guilty will not escape retribution,
The innocent will receive benefaction,
Everyone will encounter compassion.

(Anonymous, tr. Michael J. Miko)

This fragment of a hymn extolling the charms of Kraków, from the first half of the 15th century, is probably the best motto for this year’s edition of the Festival of Polish Music. For where else, if not in the former capital of the Republic, should a musical event take place which presents those ‘riches in profusion’ of Polish music, from the works of Mikołaj of Radom to Paweł Mykietyn?

Already the first concert will reveal the ideas of this festival, for compositions will be presented which were written in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries: the first Polish symphonic poem, by Noskowski; a violin concerto by Szymanowski – the father of 20th-century Polish music – which, additionally, will be performed by a soloist from the Oriental country of Japan; and the most recent symphony of world-famous composer Krzysztof Penderecki. During the eight days of the festival, we will showcase pearls of Polish Renaissance music, magnificent 19th-century symphonic repertoire, and outstanding contemporary works, as well as a group of the youngest composers. As was the case last year, there will be world premières of several compositions: Paweł Mykietyn’s String Quartet no. 2, commissioned specially with the festival in mind; new choral works by Lidia Zielińska and Paweł Łukaszewski; the most recent works with electronic media by young artists from Wrocław. There will also be no lack of historic world premières, symbolized this year by Juliusz Zarębski’s Polonaise triomphale. We shall turn yet again to the great Polish symphonic repertoire in the form of Zygmunt Noskowski’s Symphony no. 2 ‘Elegy’, forgotten chamber music represented by such pieces as Dobrzyński’s String Quintet or Tansman’s Variations, as well as to one of the greatest masterpieces in all of 20th-century music – Krzysztof Penderecki’s Passion according to St. Luke.

Invitations to the second edition of the Festival have been accepted by the best Polish chamber, choral and symphonic ensembles, magnificent soloists, as well as distinguished conductors, of which three (Agnieszka Duczmal, Jerzy Maksymiuk and Jan Krenz) will be celebrating birthday jubilees (60th, 70th and 80th respectively) during the event. We will inaugurate a tradition of regular festival visits from Polish philharmonic ensembles – this year, we will be hosting the Warsaw Philharmonic, under the direction of Antoni Wit. We have also invited new ensembles, such as ElettroVoce with the charismatic Agata Zubel. And importantly – Polish music will be performed by renowned foreign performers, from the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Holland, Austria, Germany and Russia, whom we have managed to convince yet again in favor of Polish music. If such ensembles as the Kronos Quartet, Ursula and Heinz Holliger, or the Altenberg Trio are coming to Kraków to perform works by Polish artists, then aren’t we becoming one of the more important music centers?

Our partner – aside from the Mayor and the Polish Music Society – is Polish Radio. Yet again, we will be hosting at the Festival all of the Radio music ensembles; but also yet again, all concerts will be recorded for archival purposes, and some of them will be transmitted live for all listeners to Channel 2, from Gdańsk to Zakopane. Thanks to Polish Radio’s participation in the European Broadcasting Union, our festival concerts will reach broadcasters all over Europe.

In 2006, the entire musical world is observing Mozart’s 250th birthday. Can such an occasion be noted in any way at a Festival of Polish Music? Of course, especially since many Polish composers paid musical homage to the genius from Salzburg with their own compositions. Chopin’s Variations on a theme from the opera Don Giovanni have no doubt been heard by many, but have you ever heard of Dobrzyński’s Hommage à Mozart based on the same duet ‘La ci darem la mano’? If not, then your only chance will be in Kraków…

Andrzej Kosowski
Editor-in-Chief, PWM Edition
Festival Program Director

www.fmp.com.pl

Most popular:

THE TALE OF THE HEART. FAVOLA IN MUSICA: a joint project by Aleksander Nowak and Radek Rak from ANAKLASIS on sale as of 6th October

It is a musical-literary tale about a quest for identity, truth, and for what makes us human. The new stage work by Aleksander Nowak – which is, at the same time, Radek Rak’s operatic debut – explores the sources of good and evil, fusing reality with mythology and steering towards ‘the left-hand side of the world’. The authors spin a tale about the dual human nature. THE TALE OF THE HEART. FAVOLA IN MUSICA – the album that presents their joint project – will go on sale on 6th October.

 

Różycki’s Adventures in Jazzland. The album INSPIRED BY LUDOMIR RÓŻYCKI from ANAKLASIS on sale as of 28th August

Spectacularly successful as Ludomir Różycki’s music was in his lifetime, it is seldom programmed nowadays. All the same, such remarkable art could hardly fall into utter oblivion. It has attracted and fascinated excellent jazz pianist Kuba Stankiewicz, who has translated it into the language of jazz. The effects have been recorded and released on ANAKLASIS label’s most recent album, INSPIRED BY LUDOMIR RÓŻYCKI, which goes on sale as of 28th August.
 

PWM przenosi się na Wiejską

PWM Edition is entering the execution phase of the revitalisation of its Warsaw department. With the commencement of the renovation and the implementation of the assumptions of the architectural design, the Hire Department and the editorial office of “Ruch Muzyczny” are moving to a temporary headquarters at 19 Wiejska Street, Warsaw.

THE QUEEN THAT LOVED A GERMAN. OUR ALBUM WANDA PREMIERES ON 31ST MARCH!

This is by no means a piece about the centuries-long Polish-German conflict. It is, instead, a tale of impossible love, of tragic conflict between personal happiness and the common good.

PWM Edition is the exclusive representative of the Ricordi publishing house in Poland

PWM Edition resumes cooperation with the Italian publishing house Ricordi, as well as with its international partners forming Universal Music Publishing Classics & Screen. This means that rentals of orchestral materials from the catalogues of all publishing houses belonging to Classics & Screen is carried out in Poland by Dział Zbiorów Nutowych (Sheet Music Department) of PWM.

#SHARPENYOUREARS WITH ANAKLASIS: THE LABEL’S THIRD BIRTHDAY

The most fascinating phenomena in contemporary music; a wide range of genres; outstanding works, excellent composers and performers – are the trademarks of the record label ANAKLASIS, launched by PWM Edition. ANAKLASIS is now celebrating its third birthday. It continues to grow at a dizzying pace and maintains the high artistic standards of its releases.

VIRTUOSITY WITH A FLOURISH. ELŻBIETA SIKORA’S CONCERTOS ALBUM PREMIERES ON 2ND DECEMBER!

When asked to attempt a definition of her music, she called it lyrical expressionism. The choice of this term says much about the emotional intensity of Elżbieta Sikora’s music, which may reflect the experience of her two home countries, Poland and France, but is also a consequence of her artistic maturation in an age when two powerful trends – the avant-garde and neo-Classicism – were vying for the palm. Such a label may also result from the artist’s focus on the listener as her target, whom she invariably attempts to surprise, shock, or bewilder.

Polish chamber music of the 19th and 20th centuries in Estonia!

In cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn, we invite you to two concerts and lectures presenting the diversity and beauty of Polish music. 

The first “ChopinLand Piano Competition” in Japan goes down in history

Over 300 performances of works by Polish composers, 114 finalists, a total of 36 repertoire pieces in 6 age categories, 20 winners, 17 jurors, 4 competition locations and one day of master classes. The piano competition for children and teenagers, “ChopinLand Piano Competition,” is behind us – an extraordinary project that took several months, which PWM Edition organized in Japan. Thanks to cooperation with local partners, Polish music could reach hundreds of young pianists and their teachers, creating the ambassadors of Polish music in the Land of the Rising Sun.