news

61. Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music

The 61st "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music will be held on September 21-29, 2018. The program is already available on the Festival website.

On the 100th anniversary of Polish independence, the Warsaw Autumn Festival explores the relationship between modern music and the reality it addresses. The programme of this year’s Warsaw Autumn is framed by the words of Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Józef Piłsudski in Rafał Augustyn and Cezary Duchnowski’s text-and-sound composition, which will open the Festival, and Louis Andriessen’s De Staat (The Republic), a legendary treatise on statehood and power, with texts from Plato’s Republic, which will closure Warsaw Autumn.

Musical works, stage music, music theatre, intermedia, electronics, traditional and new instruments, improvisation, installations, and film. The third edition of Warsaw Autumn Hits the Club and the eighth of Little Warsaw Autumn. Plus the traditional meetings with composers, and the second edition of workshops for young composers and internet radio broadcasts. The Festrival feature many first performances and "Warsaw Autumn" commissions, including works by from Michał Nejtek, Aleksander Nowak, Anna Zawadzka-Gołosz, Rafał Ryterski, Krzysztof Wołek, Wojciech Błażejczyk, Mateusz Ryczek, Zbigniew Bargielski and Piotr Tabakiernik. Special features will include Stefan Prins, Bernhard Lang, Trond Reinholdtsen and Agata Zubel.

The performers this year will include the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk, the Polish National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice led by Etienne Siebens, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra led by Wiktor Kociuban, Klangforum Wien under Titus Engel, the EWCM with Rüdiger Bohn, the New Music Orchestra with Szymon Bywalec, Ensemble Recherche, Black Page Orchestra, Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble, Kwartludium, proMODERN, as well as soloists such as Gareth Davies (bass clarinet), Kakushin Nishihara (biwa), Stephane Ginsburg (piano and multimedia) i Frederike Möller (piano).

More information at: http://www.warszawska-jesien.art.pl

Warsaw | Concerts under the stars

On September 20 and 21, 2018, the Copernicus Science Centre Planetarium will host two "Concerts under the stars" performed by Krzysztof Knittel and Szábolcs Esztényi. The events accompany the 61st "Warsaw Autumn" festival.

Krzysztof Knittel will perform on September 20 at 8:30 p.m. He will present works for electronic instruments, including those created by inventors – computer scientists Piotr Sych and Michał Silski. The movements of the musician's hands are read by sensors reacting to infrared rays, and also by means of miniature accelerometers, which control many parameters of the sampler and DSP.

Intuitive music in space? Andrzej Bieżan's idea will be used by Szábolcs Esztényi on September 21 at 6:00 p.m. The concert "Piano Night at the Planetarium" will be filled with improvised music.

The coordinators of the concerts are: Aldona Nawrocka (FCUM) and Tomasz Drela (CSC).

Information on tickets at: http://www.niebokopernika.pl

Warsaw | Presentation of a new website dedicated to Grażyna Bacewicz

On September 21, 2018 at 4.00 p.m., in the Warsaw branch of the Polish Music Publishers (8 Fredry St.), the presentation of a new website dedicated to Grażyna Bacewicz will take place as part of the 61st International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn".

"For people, I always have a cheerful face" – this sentence taken from a letter of Grażyna Bacewicz to brother Vytautas is almost a signature of the personality of the Polish composer, violinist, teacher and ... writer. This is how Bacewicz remained in the memory of people who knew her: a woman full of warmth and openness, but also completely absorbed in creative passion. In her music she unite idiomatic style features with new means of expression. As a violinist she amazed with technical ease, expressive temperament and purity of sound. She gave concerts, composed, traveled, held responsible positions in the Polish Composers' Uniion, and at the same time was a wife, mother, friend ... The ability to efficiently combine various activities she jokingly explained by having "a tiny, invisible motor" allowing her to do everything much faster than others.

All these faces of Grażyna Bacewicz – "the first lady of music" – will be revealed on the new portal, which is part of the POLMIC website. The presentation of the portal will be led by: the chairwoman of the Musicologists Section of the Polish Composers' Union dr Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska and musicologist Lech Dzierżanowski. During the presentation, rarely performed songs by Grażyna Bacewicz will be performed by a wonderful duo of outstanding musicians: Joanna Freszel and Bartłomiej Kominek.

Admission free!

The event is organised by the Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The website is available at: https://bacewicz.polmic.pl/

14th International Contemporary Music and Visual Arts Festival "Mózg Festival"

The 14th International Contemporary Music and Visual Arts Festival "Mózg Festival" will take place in two cities: from September 22 to November 10, 2018 in Bydgoszcz, and from November 21 to 24, 2018 in Warsaw.

The Festival is an encounter of artists who work and create in all areas of contemporary music as well as performance art and multimedia installations where music plays an important part. In the years 2016-2018 each edition of the festival had a motto, which directed the attention to problems emerging in the modern world. The main theme of the 2018 edition is: Spritituality is Everywhere.

In Bydgoszcz, we will hear the improvisation by the Insubora Meta Orchestra, and the festival itself will begin a series of performances by Krzysztof Gruse, Sławek Janicki and Leszek Przyjemski, regarding the message of this year's festival. There will also be a concert of the Ed Wood band and the Scandinavian trio Yes Deer. September's series of events will end with a futuristic audiovisual work Metroscan, in which the images are based on the conversion of current sounds into graphics, and Chemistry of Love – a series of six latest compositions by Marzena Majcher, inspired by the chemical substances responsible for falling in love.

Admission to all festival events with a free invitation, which can be ordered on the Festival website.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Full programme available at: http://festiwal.mozg.pl/bydgoszcz#day-program

Katowice | Prelude to Independence with Karłowicz and Ingolf Wunder – Inauguration of the 74th artistic season of Silesian Philharmonic

The Symphony Orchestra of the Henryk Mikołaj Górecki Silesian Philharmonic will start the new artistic season on September 21, 2018 at 7.00 p.m. with works by Fryderyk Chopin and Mieczysław Karłowicz.

The inaugural evening under the baton of Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk will feature Ingolf Wunder as soloist. Austrian pianist, winner of the second prize at the 16th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition, will perform Chopin's Piano Concerto in E minor, Op.11. The concert will start with Karłowicz's Symphony "Rebirth", Op. 7, celebrating the centenary of Poland regaining Independence.

Concert under the patronage of the Polish Music Publishers as part of the TUTTI.pl project promoting performances of Polish music.

More information available at: https://www.filharmonia-slaska.eu

Głogówek | 26th Ludwig van Beethoven Silesian Festival

Beethoven's stay in Głogówek in 1806 inspired the Regional Museum in Głogówek to organize the Ludwig van Beethoven Silesian Festival. The 26th edition of the project will be held on September 21 to 28, 2018. The theme of this year's edition is "Polish Music for the Centenary of Regaining Independence".

The result of Beethoven's visit in Głogówek, as a guest of Franz Wenzel von Oppersdorff, was a dedication of the Symphony No. 4 in B Major, Op. 60 to the host of the castle in Głogówek. A great local orchestral ensemble was active at that time. The excellent performance of the Symphony No. 2 initiated very friendly contacts between the count and the composer. During his stay at the local castle, Beethoven performed himself several times.

The program of this year's Festival shows the multi-color and richness of the Polish musical culture of the 19th and 20th centuries. The works of Fryderyk Chopin, Szymon Laks, Witold Maliszewski and Karol Szymanowski will be performed as well as works inspired by Polish culture by Schubert, Beethoven or Poulenc. Apart from the inaugural concert, which will take place in the St. Bartłomiej Apostole Church in Głogówek, all other concerts will take place in the Municipal and Communal Culture Center in Głogówek.

The organizers of the 26th Ludwig van Beethoven Silesian Festival is the Głogówek are the Commune and the Regional Museum in Głogówek. Admission to all events is free, are no passes or seat reservations required.

More information at: http://muzeum.glogowek.pl

Inauguration of the artistic season 2018/2091 at Łódź Philharmonic

On September 21, 2018 at 7.00 p.m., the Łódź Philharmonic will inaugurate the new artistic season with a symphonic concert featuring works by Penderecki, Bernstein and Shostakovich.

During the inaugural concert, we will hear Psalms of David for mixed choir, percussion and strings by Krzysztof Penderecki, who this year celebrates 85th birthday. The piece, awarded in 1959 in the Youth Competition of Polish Composers' Union, is based on excerpts from the David's Psalter by Jan Kochanowski.

The evening will also feature Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" by Leonard Bernstein, which was inspired by the poem (of the same title) of the British poet, Hug Auden (1947). The piano part will be performed by Joseph Moog, praised for his outstanding technical skills and mature, thoughtful musical vision. His album with concerts by Edvard Grieg and Maurycy Moszkowski was nominated for the Grammy award. In the concert finale, the orchestra of the Łódź Philharmonic, under the baton of Paweł Przytocki, the artistic director of the Philharmonic, will perform Dmitrij Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6 in B minor.

More information at: http://filharmonia.lodz.pl

Czechowice-Dziedzice | "Alkagran" Autumn Music Festival

The 24th "Alkagran" Autumn Music Festival will take place on September 25-29, 2018 in Czechowice-Dziedzice.

The festival has been held regularly since 1991 and is associated with Andrzej Krzanowski – composer, excellent accordionist and pedagogue, author of Polish modern accordion literature, who died in 1990 at the age of 39.

The main event of this year's edition is the 10th Andrzej Krzanowski Accordion Competition in solo and chamber music categories. The judges of the Competition are highly educated artists and pedagogues: Marek Andrysek, Klaudiusz Baran, Marcin Bortnowski, Bogdan Dowlasz, Geir Draugsvoll, Grażyna Krzanowska (honorary member) and Janusz Pater (secretary). The winners of the previous editions and invited guests will perform during the jubilee concert.

A significant part of the festival concert programme includes 20th and 21st century music. There will be concerts presenting accordion and electroacoustic music as well as works by composers connected with the city of Czechowice-Dziedzice: Stanisław Krupowicz, Józef Świder, Witold Szalonek, Andrzej Krzanowski, Grażyna Krzanowska, and Jagna Krzanowska. The festival will also feature a number of world premieres, including compositions by Marcin Bortnowski, Jagna Krzanowska, Krzysztof Olczak, and Ignacy Zalewski.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information available at: www.alkagran.pl

Olsztyn | Inauguration of the Master Organ Recitals

The cycle of the Master Organ Recitals in the 73rd artistic season of the Warmian-Masurian Philharmonic will be inaugurated on 22 September 2018 at 6.00 p.m. by organist Roman Perucki.

During the first recital we will also hear two great flutists: Agata Kielar-Długosz and Łukasz Długosz. Certainly a great attraction of the evening will be the fact that among the presented compositions for two flutes and organs there will be two premieres: Three colored figures by Jarosław Siwiński and 3 × 9 by Maciej Żółtowski.

The recital by Roman Perucki will also include organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, compositions from the Tablature of Oliwa, works by Hans Leo Hassler, Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély, Giovanni Morandi and Cecilie Chaminade. Among the rich recital programme, we will also hear chorale from Missa Orbis factor by the patron of the Philharmonic, Feliks Nowowiejski. The evening will end with Aria for flute and organ by Wojciech Kilar.

Information on tickets at: https://filharmonia.olsztyn.pl