Lutosławski Festival opens in Warsaw

The event begins with a concert of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Singers Ensemble from Katowice conducted by Alexander Liebreich and Anna Szostak.

The programme includes Lutosławski’s Trois poemes d'Henri Michaux for choir and orchestra and Livre pour orchestre, as well as Metastaseis B by Iannis Xenakis and Gyorgy Ligeti’s Clocks and Clouds.

The annual Chain Festival, now in its 16th year, takes its name from one of Lutosławski’s pieces. The event coincides with the 25th anniversary of the composer’s death (on February 7).

One of the festival’s six concerts features Lutosławski’s less well-known miniatures that were conceived as incidental music for the theatre and the radio. Lutosławski started to work at Polish Radio in April 1945. His principal task was to provide musical illustrations to literary programmes. Even though he gave up full-time employment after a year, he continued to work for Polish Radio on a freelance basis until 1960, contributing music for around 80 radio plays.

In the final concert of the event, on February 9, Sinfonia Varsovia will be led by world-renowned German conductor Marek Janowski, who was born in Warsaw 80 years ago. (mk/aba)