News Archive 2013-2020

The Witold Lutosławski Festival Chain 12, Jan. 25 - Feb. 7, 2015

Witold Lutosławski Society, Institute of Music and Dance, Polish Radio Program 2, National Philharmonic

The programe booklet of the festival (pdf)

The idea for the Chain festivals, which are organized continuously since 2004 is to show the music of Witold Lutosławski in a captivating and significant context. The links of the 12th Chain are formed by five concerts taking place in Warsaw between January 25 and February 7, 2015. During the festival’s four evenings, eight works composed by its patron will be heard, as will the variously linked works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fryderyk Chopin, Jean Sibelius, Béla Bartók, Karol Szymanowski, Luigi Dallapiccola, Roman Padlewski, Per Nørgård, and Krzysztof Penderecki. The sequence of festival evenings will present Lutosławski’s output on the backdrop of chamber works written by Béla Bartók and Ludwig van Beethoven, Scandinavian music, compositions tied with the tragedy of WWII, and works providing the context of Baroque polyphony.

As a separate event, a concert has been planned that will inaugurate the 10th Witold Lutosławski Cello Competition and the activity of the group Chain Ensemble, while simultaneously closing the master classes for young performers. Lutosławski’s music will be heard alongside works by Giacinto Scelsi, Iannis Xenakis, György Ligeti, Arvo Pärt, and Agata Zubel. Worthy of attention is also the “Little Chain”: a mini-festival for children, organized on the occasion of the Chain already the fourth time.

The filling of such a program in such thought-out manner would have been impossible without the support and collaboration of institutions that include the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Capital City of Warsaw, Institute of Music and Dance, Polish Radio’s Program 2, the National Philharmonic and the Foundation for the Promotion of Young Cellists.

Witold Lutosławski disclosed in conversation with Tadeusz Kaczyński just how accurate and attractive seems the performance of his own music in programs conceived not in an entirely banal manner (he gave as example the juxtaposition of his own String Quartet with a canzona by Gabrieli, a work by Debussy, and a cantata by Bach). When recommending the Chain 12 festival program to the kind attention of listeners, it seems appropriate to express the hope that they too will find it attractive and not altogether banal, and that it allows hearing Witold Lutosławski’s music anew: as one rooted deep in great tradition, and thus more contemporary.



January 25, 2015, 7 PM
National Philharmonic Chamber Hall

Silesian String Quartet
Szymon Krzeszowiec – first violin
Arkadiusz Kubica – second violin
Łukasz Syrnicki – viola
Piotr Janosik – cello

Béla Bartók String Quartet no. 3 (1927)
Witold Lutosławski String Quartet (1964)
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in F major op. 135 (1826)

January 31, 2015, 7 PM
The Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Mariusz Godlewski – baritone
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Michał Klauza – conductor

Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994)
Musique funèbre for string orchestra (1958)
Interlude for orchestra (1989)
Les espaces du sommeil for baritone and orchestra to poetry by Robert Desnos (1975)
Intermission
Per Nørgård (*1932) Out of this world (Parting). Witold Lutosławski in memoriam for double string quintet or string orchestra (1994)
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) Symphony no. 4 in A minor op. 63 (1911)

February 1, 2015, 7 PM
Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Anna Mikołajczyk – soprano
Anna Lubańska – alto
Maciej Grzybowski, Ryszard Alzin – pianos
Anna Sikorzak-Olek, Anna Piechura-Gabryś – harps
Hob-beats Percussion Group (Magdalena Kordylasińska, Miłosz Pękala, Barbara Skoczyńska, Karol Krasiński, Olga Przybył, Karolina Sokołowska, Radosław Mysłek, Tomasz Bielecki, Jarema Jarosiński) – percussion
Barbara Świderska – organ
Adam Bogacki, Andrzej Gubernat, Tomasz Prawdzik, Jarosław Jekiełek – double basses
Hanna Sosińska-Kraski – celesta
Polish Radio Chorus in Cracow
Wojciech Michniewski – conductor
Ilona Polakowska-Rybska – chorus preparation, conductor

Karol Szymanowski (1882–1937) Fac me tecum pie flere for soprano, alto and mixed chorus a cappella to texts from the sequence Stabat Mater dolorosa, translated by Józef Jankowski, [Part IV Stabat Mater op. 53] (1926)
Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994) Lacrimosa for soprano, mixed chorus and organ (1937/1946)
Roman Padlewski (1915–1944) Stabat Mater for mixed chorus a cappella (1939)
Intermission
Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975) Canti di prigionia for mixed chorus, 2 pianos, 2 harps and percussion to texts by Mary Stuart, Boethius and Girolamo Savonarola (1941)
Krzysztof Penderecki (*1933) Psalms of David for mixed chorus, 2 pianos, percussion and 4 double basses to texts by Jan Kochanowski (1959)

February 4, 2015, 7:30 PM
Royal Castle Grand Hall

The concert inaugurates the 10th Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition and is organised in collaboration with the Foundation for the Promotion of Young Cellists

Agata Zubel – soprano
Paweł Arendt – piano
Chain Ensemble
Andrzej Bauer – conductor

Giacinto Scelsi (1905–1988) Ohoi “Les Principes créatifs” for 16 string instruments (1966)
Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994) “La Belle de nuit” for soprano and orchestra from the cycle Chantefleurs et Chantefables to poetry by Robert Desnos (1990)
Agata Zubel (*1978) Pomiędzy odpływem myśli a przypływem snu (In Between the Ebb of Thoughts and the Flow of Sleep) for voice, piano, and string orchestra to poetry by Tadeusz Dąbrowski (2013)
Intermission
György Ligeti (1923–2006) Ramifications for 12 string instruments (1969)
Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001) Voile for 20 string instruments (1995)
Arvo Pärt (*1935) Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten for string instruments and bell (1980)

February 7, 2015, 7 PM
The Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Krzysztof Jakowicz – violin
Robert Morawski – piano
AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of Tychy
Marek Moś – conductor

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Ricercare a 6 in C minor from Das Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1079 (1748) for orchestra, instrumentation: Anton Webern (1935)
Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994) Prelude and Fugue for 13 string instruments (1973) [abbreviated version]
Intermission
Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849) Fugue in A minor (1841?) for string orchestra, instrumentation: Paweł Mykietyn (2012)
Witold Lutosławski Partita for violin, piano, and orchestra (1984)
Interlude for orchestra (1989)
Johann Sebastian Bach Contrapunctus I in D minor from Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080 for string orchestra (1750), instrumentation: Jan Krenz (first movement of the Polyphonic Suite for orchestra, 1952)

The festival is organized in collaboration with the Institute of Music and Dance and financed in part by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as the City of Warsaw

A press conference announcing official verdict of the Composition Competition for Witold Lutosławski's 100th Birthday took place on Monday, 24th of June at Concert Hall of PWM Edition in Warsaw.

Laureates

1st Prize – 10 000 € founded by The Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski
Thomas Simaku for the work Concerto for Orchestra
Pseudonym: H. DE JONAS

2nd Prize – 5 000 € founded by The Institute of Music and Dance and The Witold Lutosławski Society
Chris Roe for the work Lavoisier’s Mirrors
Pseudonym: CJR

3rd Prize – 3 000 € founded by The Authors Society ZAiKS
Natalya Chepelyuk for the work Aria II
Pseudonym: Meandr

Honourable Mention:
Chikako Yamanaka for the work Signal to Signalless
Pseudonym: Ccp0703

The meeting was held by: Andrzej Kosowski – Director of The Institute of Music and Dance, responsible for the Year of Lutosławski, Jarosław Kutera – Office Director of Witold Lutosławski Society, Grzegorz Michalski – Chairman of The Witold Lutosławski Society, Tomasz Piotrowski – Secretary of Composition Competition for Witold Lutosławski’s 100th Birthday, Tadeusz Wielecki – composer, jury member, director of Warsaw Autumn – International Festival of Contemporary Music.

160 works from 37 countries have been submitted to the Competition.
Jury: Luca Francesconi, Kazimierz Kord, Magnus Lindberg, Steven Stucky, Paweł Szymański, Tadeusz Wielecki.

Organizers:

  • The Witold Lutosławski Society
  • Polish Composers Union
  • The Institute of Music and Dance

Winning Composition will be premiered at the final concert of Warsaw Autumn – International Festival of Contemporary Music on September 2013. Premiere of the 2nd prize work is planned at Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin by International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra (ILYO) on September 2013 as well.

Tomasz Piotrowski
Secretary of Composition Competition for Witold Lutosławski’s 100th Birthday
competition@lutoslawski.org.pl

LAUREATES

1st Prize – Thomas Simaku (pseudonym H. DE JONAS) for the work Concerto for Orchestra

The Albanian-born British composer Thomas Simaku (b.1958) began his composition studies with Tonin Harapi at the Tirana Conservatoire. After graduating in 1982, he gained first-hand experience working with folk musicians for three years in the remote town of Përmet in Southern Albania, near the border with Greece.

He moved to England in 1991, and after studies under David Blake at University of York (1991-96) he defended a PhD in Composition. Winner of the coveted Lionel Robbins Memorial Scholarship in 1993 (Simaku was the only candidate in the UK to receive the award that year), he was also Leonard Bernstein Fellow in Composition at Tanglewood, USA (1996), where he studied under Bernard Rands, and a fellow at the Composers’ Workshop, California State University (1998), under Brian Ferneyhough.

Simaku's music has been reaching audiences throughout Europe and the USA for more than two decades, and it has garnered a host of accolades for its expressive qualities and its unique blend of intensity and modernism. His works have been selected by international juries in nine editions of the ISCM World Music Days, including the 2012 Festival in Belgium. His other international festivals included Huddersfield, Tanglewood, Miami, Zagreb-Biennale, Weimar, Rome, Istanbul, Alicante (Spain), Innsbruck (Austria), the November Music Festival (Holland) and Viitassari (Finland).

His music has been broadcast worldwide by radio stations such as BBC Radio 3, SWR2, MDR, WDR, Deutschlandfunk, Amsterdam Radio 4, ORF (Austria), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and the National Radios of Japan, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, among others. Notable performances of his works have been given by the Arditti Quartet, Diotima Quartet, Kreutzer Quartet, European Union Chamber Orchestra, English Northern Philharmonia, MusikFabrik, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, New London Orchestra, Concorde Ensemble (Dublin), El Perro Andaluz (Dresden), Insomnio Ensemble (Utrecht), and Athelas Sinfonietta (Copenhagen). His prestigious awards include the First Prize at the Serocki International Competition in 2004, the Leverhulme Fellowship, and a three-year fellowship from the Arts & Humanities Research Council in London. In 2009, Simaku received a British Composer Award from BASCA for his work Soliloquy V – Flauto Acerbo, which the judging panel described as “visionary and entirely original”. Thomas Simaku is Senior Lecturer in Composition at the University of York.

2nd Prize – Chris Roe (pseudonym CJR) for the work Lavoisier’s Mirrors

Chris Roe (b.1988) graduated from Manchester University in 2010 and recently completed a Masters at the Royal College of Music, having studied with Kenneth Hesketh as an Ian Evans Lombe scholar; he was also awarded the RCM Adrian Cruft Prize for composition. Chris is currently involved in two projects to honour Benjamin Britten’s centenary year, working as Apprentice Composer with the Orchestra of the Swan, as well as participating in the Aldeburgh English Song Project.

Chris has worked closely with ensembles including the London Sinfonietta, Composers Ensemble, ECCE, l’Arsenale, and the RCM Wind Ensemble, with performances in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Britten Theatre, National Portrait Gallery, and the St. Magnus Festival, and international premieres at the Etchings Festival and Prague’s Rudolfinum hall. In 2011 Chris won the International Antonín Dvorák Composition Competition, and reached the finals in the Villiers Quartet New Works Competition.

Chris has a diverse range of musical interests, with recent projects including a chamber opera for the RCM Opera School and Tête à Tête, a piece for youth orchestra and projected film, and work on 51 Prod.’s recent film (for which he had the special honour of being shortlisted for Cinesonika’s Golden Earwax Award). He has also recently received funding from the PRS/Bliss Trust to study electronic music at IRCAM, and has set up a project called ANIMA bringing together composers, performers and animators for a live music and film event in September.

3rd Prize – Natalya Chepelyuk (pseudonym Meandr) for the work Aria II

Natalya Chepelyuk was born in Pskov, Russia; she studied composition under Professor Dmitry Smolsky and piano under Professor Boris Spektor at the Belorussian State Academy of Music in Minsk, Belarus. Her composition Terzina was performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra under Zloty Nagy at the 2001 Ostrava New Music Days in the Czech Republic. She received her diploma with distinction in 2001, and went on to pass a Master of Arts examination. In 2002, she studied composition under Enno Poppe at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin. Between 2004 and 2009 she studied composition under Professor Theo Brandmüller at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany. In this period she wrote a number of pieces, including Pictograms for 6 instruments, They are Praying, Souvenirs, Josef in der Grube for electronics, Wind for solo clarinet, Lied for 4 instruments and voice, and Profumo del mare for mezzo-soprano and piano.

In 2006, she received a commission from the Luxembourg Sinfonietta to write a composition for piano and ensemble for the project Luxembourg and Great Region, European Capital of Culture 2007. The piece e/statico was performed by Marcel Wengler, Inci Yakar and the Luxembourg Sinfonietta in Mainz (Germany), Metz (France), Saarbrücken (Germany) and Luxembourg. In 2012, she was finalist at the 7th Dutilleux International Composition Competition with Air for 7 instruments (Jacques Pési, conductor). In addition, she has worked as composer for the theatre, her most recent collaboration having been with the Saarläendisches Staatstheater on Operation Orchester. Opera Without Singer, directed by Tom Ryser (2013). She received grants from the University of Saarland’s “ZIS”, the Bruno and Elisabeth Meindl Fund, and the International Courses for New Music in Darmstadt. She participated in master classes given by Beat Furrer, Adriana Hölsky, Dieter Mack, and Michael Reudenbach.

Honourable Mention – Chikako Yamanaka (pseudonym Ccp0703) for the work Signal to Signalless

Chikako Yamanaka was born in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, in 1983. She was laureate of the 74th Music Competition of Japan in 2005. She graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts with the Acanthus Music Prize in 2007, and obtained a Master's degree in 2009. In the same year, her Rinne for cello and piano (revised version) received its premiere at the Contemporary Virtuoso! concert organized by the Japan Society for Contemporary Music. She won the Third Prize at the 2010 Toru Takemitsu Composition Award. Her works include Nocturne 1 for piano (2003), Disillient for chamber ensemble (2005), Three Fragments for Piano Played by the Left Hand, Violin and Cello (2006), ytogenesis for orchestra (2007), and A Song for Earth, Sea, and Humans for mixed chorus (2011). She studied with Shozo Aoki, Masayuki Nagatomi, Ichiro Nodaira, and Atsutada Otaka.

In the series of concerts with the music of Witold Lutosławski in Berlin created by Sir Simon Rattle, the following works of the Polish composer were performed:

Concerto for Orchestra (February 7-9, 2013), conductor: Manfred Honeck,
Piano Concerto (February 14-16), piano: Krystian Zimerman, conductor: Simon Rattle,
Cello Concerto (February 20-22), cello: Miklós Perényi, conductor: Simon Rattle,
Preludes and a Fugue (April 13), conductor: Simon Rattle,
Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp, and Strings (April 18-20), oboe: Jonathan Kelly, harp: Marie-Pierre Langlament, conductor: Simon Rattle.

The Berliner Philharmoniker web page on Witold Lutosławski: www.berliner-philharmoniker.de

We wish to remind you that to open their concert season the Berlin Philharmoniker already performed the Symphony no. 3 on August 28, 2012, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle:

Excerpt from the concert’s recording:



Conversations with Sir Simon Rattle about Witold Lutosławski: The Berliner Festspiele / Musikfest Berlin program will include eight works by Witold Lutosławski (Concerto for Orchestra, Funeral Music, Venetian Games, Les espaces du sommeil, Mi-parti, Symphony no. 3, Chain II, and Symphony no. 4) performed by superb soloists (Anne-Sophie Mutter, Matthias Goerne), orchestras (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Berlin) and conductors (Daniele Gatti, Mariss Jansons, Ilan Volkov, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alan Gilbert, Daniel Barenboim, Manfred Honeck).

A detailed program of events may be found at: www.berlinerfestspiele.de
Dear Composers,

Due to a large number of scores submitted, Witold Lutosławski Society Management decided to postpone the conclusion of the Composition Competition for Witold Lutosławski’s 100th Birthday. Conclusion of the Competition is expected in June 2013.

Thank you for your comprehension.

Yours faithfully,
Tomasz Piotrowski
Secretary of Composition Competition for Witold Lutosławski's 100th Birthday competition@lutoslawski.org.pl
An electronic publication in the form of a cellphone application is being created in partnership with The Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Its content is a rich assemblage of historical and contemporary photographs as well as text and audio information about the most important places in Warsaw connected with Lutosławski?s time there, and with his creative work.

January 24 - Thursday 7.00 p.m.

Great Hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw

Concert on the Eve of the 100th Anniversary of Witold Lutosławski?s Birth

Michał Bristiger ? programme conception

Małgorzata Dziewulska ? directorial guidance

Marcel Beekman ? tenor

Roksana Wardenga ? mezzo?soprano

Marcin Zdunik ? cello

AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of Tychy - Marek Moś ? conductor

texts read by Maja Komorowska

programme:

Witold Lutosławski [1913-1994]:

Funeral Music

The Sea from Five Songs for female voice and 30 solo instruments after poems by Kazimiera Iłłakowicz

Grave. Metamorphoses for cello and 13 string instruments

Paroles tissées for tenor, strings, harp, piano and percussion

and the texts by Paul Valéry, Henri Michaux and Cyprian Kamil Norwid

January 28 Monday, 7.00 p.m.

The Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Symphony Concert

Garrick Ohlsson ? piano

The Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra - Jacek Kaspszyk ? conductor

programme:

Witold Lutosławski:

Fanfare for Louisville

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Igor Stravinsky [1882-1971] Suite from The Firebird (1919 Version)

Maurice Ravel [1875-1937] La valse

January 29 Tuesday, 7.00 p.m.

The Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Chamber Concert

Garrick Ohlsson ? piano

Lutosławski Quartet

Jakub Jakowicz ? violin I

Marcin Markowicz ? violin II

Artur Rozmysłowicz ? viola

Maciej Młodawski ? cello

programme:

Witold Lutosławski String Quartet

Béla Bartók [1881-1945] Piano Quintet

February 1 Friday, 7.00 p.m.

Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Hall

Scholarship recipients

Weronika Dziadek ? violin

Krzysztof Lasoń ? violin

Orchestra of the Capital Royal City of Cracow Sinfonietta Cracovia - Robert Kabara ? conductor

Jadwiga Czarkowska ? bass clarinet

Łukasz Owczynnikow ? double bass

Chamber Orchestra of the ?Chain 10? Festival - Wojciech Michniewski ? conductor

programme:

Grażyna Krzanowska [1952] Silver Line for 15 string instruments

Aleksander Lasoń [1951] Suibusium felix for two violins and strings

Andrzej Krzanowski [1951-1990] Symphony No. 2 for 13 string instruments

Tadeusz Wielecki [1954] The Time of Stones for the amplified double bass and chamber orchestra

Tomasz Opałka [1983] D.N.A. Concerto for bass clarinet and instrumental ensemble (world premiere)

Paweł Mykietyn [1971] 3 for 13 for 13 instruments

February 2 Saturday, 7.00 p.m.

Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall Symphony Concert

Elżbieta Szmytka ? soprano

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice ? Pierre-André Valade ? conductor

Choir of the Teatr Wielki?Polish National Opera -
Bogdan Gola ? preparation of the Choir

programme:

Witold Lutosławski

Silesian Triptych for soprano and orchestra

Symphony No. 2

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki [1933-2010]

Old Polish Music

Ad matrem

February 7 Thursday, 7.00 p.m.

The Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio

Cello Concerto ? Hésitant ? Direct

Andrzej Bauer ? cello, electronics, artistic direction

Cezary Duchnowski ? preparation of electroacoustic sound layer

Kwadrofonik Ensemble

Emilia Sitarz, Bartłomiej Wąsik ? pianos

Magdalena Kordylasińska, Miłosz Pękala ? percussion

February 8 Friday, 7.00 p.m.

Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall

Symphony Concert

Anna Radziejewska ? soprano

The Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra - Łukasz Borowicz ? conductor

programme:

Witold Maliszewski [1873-1939] Festive Overture in D op. 11 (contemporary world premiere)

Witold Lutosławski

Slides

Five Songs for female voice and 30 solo instruments after poems by Kazimiera Iłłakowicz

Ten Polish Dances

Mikołaj Rimski-Korsakow [1844-1908] Symphony No. 2 Antar op. 9

February 9 Saturday, 7.00 p.m.

Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall Symphony Concert

Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra - Krzysztof Penderecki ? conductor

programme:

Krzysztof Penderecki [1933] Symphony No. 5

Witold Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra

In the Witold Lutosławski Centenary, the 10th ?Chain? festival differs from its earlier editions in that it is richer in the choice of repertoire and the number of participating ensembles. The kindness of al. partners enabled the festival concerts to be introduced into the most representative halls of Warsaw, although the National Philharmonic made the challenging condition that those works of Witold Lutosławski which have been scheduled by it for 2013 not be repeated.

As result, the 10th ?Chain? festival programs offer for the most part rarely performed works by Lutosławski. A special reward for this effort has been our co-authoring of a wonderful choice for music lovers visiting Warsaw ? in the Philharmonic Hall they will be able to listen to almost a complete set of Witold Lutosławski?s compositions. Such a gesture of acclaim for the Master is unmatched in the world, even taking into account the impressive initiatives of London and Berlin. Our considerable participation in this great project gives us reason for deep satisfaction.

It would be difficult to overestimate the value of the response from the ensembles which we have approached for our festival: not only did we not receive a singe refusal, but also al. the invitees were ready to offer their performance on an honorary basis. The motives were single in nature, and consisted of a desire to render public tribute to the highest-ranking art and personality of Lutosławski. In effect, each orchestra appears with a largely self-authored program, which nevertheless remains in harmony with the festival?s concept.

A situation in which the most outstanding Polish musicians stand in such solidarity and in such numbers is truly remarkable. The National Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio (NOSPR), and Sinfonia Varsovia, with the support of the Wrocław Philharmonic and the Polish Radio Orchestra have unanimously said that Witold Lutosławski?s art must be played and known at each geographical latitude, and particularly in Warsaw. They have added that knowing and performing this art abounds in happiness and experience of wise beauty. We could not ask for more.

Grzegorz Michalski
President of the Witold Lutosławski Society
In order to celebrate and popularise the 100th birthday of Witold Lutosławski, the Witold Lutosławski Society and the Polish Composers? Union announce a composition competition. The competition is international in character and has no territorial restrictions or age limit for competitors. The task of the competition is the competition of a piece for a symphonic orchestra similar to those employed by Lutosławski in his last symphonies.

The members of the jury are:
  • Luca Francesconi
  • Kazimierz Kord
  • Magnus Lindberg
  • Steven Stucky
  • Paweł Szymański
  • Tadeusz Wielecki
Deadline is 25 January 2013 (the 100th birthday of the competition?s patron of the competition).

First prize ? 10 000 Euro.

The winning composition will be performed during the International Festival of Contemporary Music, ?Warsaw Autumn 2013?.

Regulations (pdf)
The jury of the ?Lutosławski Award 2007? International Composers? Competition ? Yuki Morimoto, Bernard Rands, Vladimir Tarnopolski, Edward Pałłasz and Zygmunt Krauze (chairman) ? decided to award the following prizes:

1st Prize ex aequo
  • Maki Nakajima (Japan) for 34712 days after (for two pianos)
  • Carlo Alessandro Landini (Italy) for Le retour d'Astré for violin and piano
2nd Prize

David Philip Hefti (Switzerland) for Ph(r)asen- string quartet #1

3rd Prize

Seung-Ah Oh (Republic of Korea) for Crossing (for string quartet)

In addition, the jury decided to award three honorary mentions:
  • Eduardo Soutullo García (Spain) for Hyss Reloaded (for two pianos)
  • Andrea Portera (Italy) for (trans)FORM (for string quartet)
  • David Dzubay (USA) for All in Green for soprano and piano
Warsaw, 16.12.2007

The ?Lutosławski Award? International Composers? Competition was supported by funds granted by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Warsaw.
20 June 2007
19.00 ? Polish Radio Concert Studio
Chamber concert

Mihail Scherbakov ? cello
Soloists of the Rostov Philharmonnic
Yuri Tkachenko ? conductor

Witold Lutosławski:

Preludes and fugue for 13 string instruments
Grave. Metamorphoses for cello and string orchestra

Krzysztof Penderecki: Sinfonietta per archi

Edison Denisov: Tod ist ein langer Schlaf, variations on a theme by Joseph Haydn for cello and string orchestra

Bela Bartók: Divertimento op. 113

21 June 2007
19.00 ? Polish Radio Concert Studio

Kamila Kułakowska ? soprano
Mariusz Klimsiak ? piano
Marcin Zdunik ? cello
Agnieszka Kozło ? piano

Karol Szymanowski: 4 Kurpie songs for soprano and piano

Witold Lutosławski:

Chantefleurs et Chantefables for soprano and piano
Grave. Metamorphoses for cello and piano

Bela Bartók: Rhapsody for cello and piano

Maurice Ravel: G major Sonata for violin and piano

22 June 2007
19.00 ? Polish Radio Concert Studio

"Lutolandia" ? concert for children

Hanna Chojnacka ? staging, direction, choreography, Elżbieta Tolak ? set design, Sławek A. Wróblewski ? conductor

Performers: Julita Mirosławska ? soprano, Urszula Bardłowska ? soprano, Maciej Nerkowski ? baritone, Maciej Grzybowski ? piano, Krzysztof Zbijowski ? clarinet. Orchetra of the Chopin State Music School in Warsaw, Chorus of the Szymanowski State Music School in Warsaw (chorus master M. Siedlecka), pupils of the R. Turczynowicz Ballet School in Warsaw, children of the ?Warszawianka? Song and Dance Group (ballet master N. Późniewski).

23 June 2007
19:00 ? Polish Radio Concert Studio

Włodek Pawlik ? piano recital

"Lutosławski ? Inspirations ? Improvisations"

24 June 2007
19:00 ? Polish Radio Concert Studio

Performers:

Łucja Szablewska ? soprano
Wojciech Maciejowski ? tenor
Adrian Janda - clarinet
Lutosławski Youth Orchestra
Christian Eggen - conductor

Witold Lutosławski:

Overture for Strings
Funeral Music for string orchestra
Dance Preludes for clarinet and chamber orchestra
Paroles Tissees for tenor and chamber orchestra
Chantefleurs et Chantefables for soprano and orchestra
The Polish Culture Foundation and the Witold Lutosławski Society are happy to invite you to another meeting of the Spring Encounters with Culture cycle On the avant-garde.

Guest speaker: Tadeusz Wielecki ? composer, double bass player, director of the Warsaw Autumn Festival

The meeting will take place in the Art-Kafe cafe, ul. Podwale 1 (attic),
on Wednesday, 16 May, at 19.00.

Host ? Lech Dzierżanowski

Admission free

The listeners will have a chance to win 2 DVD-ROMs, ?Witold Lutosławski ? creative life?, published in 2006 by the Witold Lutosławski Society.

I?m often regarded as an avant-gardist, which gives me pleasure [...], but on reflection I have to say that it is a rather superficial pleasure...

This reflection by Witold Lutosławski will be a starting point for a conversation with Tadeusz Wielecki.
15 October 2006
Royal Castle Concert Hall
Piano recital

Chuan Qin (China) ? winner of the 2003 Olivier Messiaen Competition

Programme:

L. Berio, C. Debussy, W.Lutosławski, O. Messiaen

18 October 2006
Royal Castle Concert Hall

Award ceremony ? Witold Lutosławski Society medals for ?major contribution to the popularisation of Witold Lutosławski?s works?. Medals were awarded to: Esa-Pekka Salonen ? conductor famous for his distinguished interpretations of Lutosławski?s music, and Tadeusz Kaczyński (posthumously) ? musicologist, Lutosławski scholar and founder of the Society.

Chamber concert
  • Julita Mirosławska ? soprano
  • Maciej Grzybowski ? piano
  • Quarrel string quartet
Programme:

B. Bartok, CH.M. Camillieri, G. Lekue, W. Lutosławski, K. Szymanowski

22 October 2006
Łazienki Royal Palace

Lutosławski and young people

Aleksandra Karwowska, Aleksandra Katolik, Diana Lewtak, Zuzanna Sawicka, Michał Sławecki, Karol Józef Sowa, Maria Taresewicz, Katarzyna Wit, Mariusz Wysocki

Programme:

W. Lutosławski

24 October 2006
Royal Castle Concert Hall

Piano recital

Oksana Rapita (Ukraine)

Programme:

B. Bartok, C. Debussy, B. Frolak, B. Latoszyński, W. Lutosławski, I. Strawiński
109 entries were submitted, four of which did not meet the competition?s criteria. The jury ? Zygmunt Krauze (Poland, chairman), Sukhi Kang (South Korea), Magnus Linberg (Finland), Marta Ptaszyńska (USA/Poland), Karmella Tsepkolenko (Ukraine) ? met in the Society?s office between 15 and 17 December.

The winners were:

1st Prize funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage:
Thomas GARRIDO (Spain) for the Sonata Et lux perpetua…

2nd Prize funded by the Chester Edition:
CHONG Kee Yong (Malaysia) for ?Monodrama II? for oboe and piano

3rd Prize III funded by the Witold Lutosławski Society
awarded ex aequo to:
  • Philip NEIL MARTIN (England) for ?An Outburst of Time? for string quartet
  • Georgio COLOMBO TACCANI (Italy) for ?Five Heavy Dances?
Honorary mentions were awarded to:
  • Kimmo Petteri KUITUNEN (Finland) for ?Three Songs for Soprano and Piano?
  • Frank ZABEL (Germany) for ?Entrückte Gesänge für Klaviere im Vierteltonsystem?
Lutoslawski Youth Orchestra established under the baton of Heinz Holliger.
20.06.2006
National Philharmonic, Chamber Hall, 19.00
NYYD Chamber Ensemble (Tallinn)
Olari ELTS ? conductor

Witold Lutosławski ? Slides
Igor Strawiński ? Septet
Kaia Saariaho ? Nocturne in Memory of Lutoslawsky
Helena Tulve ? a travers
Witold Lutosławski ? Chain 1
Witold Lutosławski ? Dance preludes (version for 9 performers)
Arnold Schoenberg ? Chamber Symphony op.9

22.06.2006
National Philharmonic, Chamber Hall, 19.00
Concert of winners of international music competitions

Felicitas FUCHS ? soprano
David SEREBRJANIK ? piano

Roger Quilter ? Love's philosophy
Gabriel Faure ? Le rose d'Ispahan
Hugo Wolf ? Verborgenheit
? So lasst mich scheinen (Mignon)
? Kennst du das Land (Mignon)
Heitor Villa-Lobos ? Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 for piano
Dymitr Szostakowicz ? Gamajun
Samuel Barber ? The monk and his cat
Witold Lutoslawski ? Folk melodies for piano
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari ? 4 Rispetti:
? E tanto
? O si che non sapevo sospirare
Fredrik Schwenk ? Säuberliches Mägdelein

Soyoung YOON ? violin
Sergej FILIOGLO ? piano

Young Jo Lee ? Honzanori for solo violin
Witold Lutosławski
Subito
Partita
Maurice Ravel ? Tzigane

24.06.2006
National Philharmonic, Chamber Hall, 19.00
CIKADA string quartet (Oslo)
Hans-Christian BRAIN ? clarinet

John Cage ? String Quartet
Magnus Lindberg ? Clarinet Quintet
Bent Sorensen ? The Lady of Shalott for string quartet
Witold Lutosławski ? String Quartet

27.06.2006
National Philharmonic, Chamber Hall, 19.00
Bartosz KOZIAK ? cello
Agnieszka KOZŁO ? piano

Witold Lutosławski ? Sacher Variation for solo cello
Heinz Holliger ? Chaconne for solo cello
Witold Lutosławski ? Garve for cello and piano
Dmitri Shostakovich ? D minor Sonata op. 40 for cello and piano
Claude Debussy ? D minor Sonata for cello and piano
Valentin Silvestrov ? Sonata for cello and piano

Festival supported financially by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Warsaw

Artistic director:
Roman Rewakowicz

Organisers:
  • Witold Lutosławski Society
  • National Philharmonic
Media patrons:
  • Polskie Radio Program 2
  • TVP Kultura
  • Glissando
Thanks to the Society?s efforts and under its patronage an extremely valuable multimedia publication, ?Witold Lutosławski ? creative life?, was published, providing an audio-visual compendium of the Composer?s life and work.
For the third time the Society supports a competition for children and young people organised in a place where the composer spent his childhood. The competition has been held every two years since 2002. The Society is a co-organiser of the project.
28 March 2006, 19.00
Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio
17 Woronicza Street, Warsaw

Organisers: Witold Lutosławski Society, Second Programme of the Polish Radio

Performers: Andrzej Bauer, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Tomasz Strahl, Jadwiga Rappé, Urszula Kryger, Wanda Warska, Trio Andrzeja Kurylewicza, Tomasz Stańko, Leszek Możdżer

Tickets can be booked from 13 March 2006 at the Lutosławski Studio by telephone (+48 22 645 52 52) and by e-mail: society@lutoslawski.org.pl

Tickets will be sold one hour before the concert.

PROGRAMME:

Witold Lutosławski ? Sacher Variation for solo cello

Andrzej Bauer ? cello

Zoltan Kodaly ? Duo Op. 8 for cello and violin

Krzysztof Jakowicz ? violin
Tomasz Strahl ? cello

Johannes Brahms ? Duets for soprano and alto accompanied by piano
Die Meere Op. 20 No. 3
Die Schwestern Op. 61 No. 1
Phänomen Op. 61 No. 3
Weg der Liebe I Op. 20 No. 1

Jadwiga Rappé ? alto
Urszula Kryger ? mezzo-soprano
Mariusz Rutkowski ? piano

Andrzej Kurylewicz ? Music to the film Polskie Drogi

Andrzej Kurylewicz ? piano
Paweł Pańta ? double bass
Cezary Konrad ? percussion

Tomasz Stańko ? improvisation for Lutosławski

Tomasz Stańko ? trumpet

Andrzej Kurylewicz ? Jakżesz ja się uspokoję

Wanda Warska ? voice
Andrzej Kurylewicz ? piano

Rachela?s monologue from Wyspiański?s Wedding

Wanda Warska ? recitation

Leszek Możdzer ? improvisations on a theme by Witold Lutosławski

Leszek Możdżer ? piano

Leszek Możdzer/Andrzej Bauer/Michał Skrok ? LUTOSPHERE (fragment)

Leszek Możdżer ? piano, electronic instruments
Andrzej Bauer ? electric cello
m.bunio.s (Michał Skrok) ? electronic media