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On 30th of April 2026 at 7:30 PM, audiences at Kraków’s Cricoteka will discover just how unexpected the sources of inspiration for contemporary composers can be. For years, Sinfonietta Cracovia has been passionately presenting such works, and this concert in the Sinfonietta Nova series is no exception.
The evening’s program includes Butterfly Effect by Maciej Zakrzewski, whose title playfully references chaos theory and the concept of sensitivity to initial conditions. In fact, the piece is a tribute to Giacomo Puccini, and the defining “event” shaping its character is the appearance in the score of the opening bars of the famous opera Madama Butterfly.
The audience will also hear Bellows Breath Concerto for accordion and strings by Krzysztof Wołek, featuring Rafał Łuc as the soloist. The composer draws on the sonic properties of the accordion bellows to symbolically evoke human breathing. Through extended performance techniques, the body of the instrument becomes an excellent resonator, functioning at times as a percussion instrument.
A key highlight of the program will be Soft-body by Monika Szpyrka for string orchestra and electronics, commissioned by Polskie Radio to mark its centenary. Fascinated by the mysterious world of octopuses — remarkable invertebrates with highly developed nervous systems — the composer draws inspiration from the way their arms operate, independently sensing external stimuli. Each performer becomes an autonomous “arm,” capable of surprising musical actions that blur the boundaries between the acoustic and electronic layers of the work, while fulfilling a precisely defined role on stage.
The concert will be conducted by Szymon Morus, Artistic Director of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot and the NDI Sopot Classic International Festival.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.
