Between 27 January and 3 February, Witold Lutosławski World Days is a new, special initiative commemorating the great Polish composer Witold Lutosławski.
Between the anniversaries of the artist’s birth and death, as part of an international project run every three years, concerts will be held during which various works by Lutosławski will be performed. The first edition of the festival will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Witold Lutosławski went down in history as a great Polish composer, conductor and pianist. He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle. He was born on 25 January 1913 in Warsaw in a noble family with an estate in Drozdowo on the Narew River. His interest in art manifested itself in the years of childhood – he grew up in the tradition of family music-making, surrounded by extraordinary personalities. He wrote in a turbulent time for Poland, and the outbreak of World War II thwarted all plans of the young, promising composer. After the war, he joined the Polish Composers’ Union, devoted himself to the reconstruction of Polish musical life and the organization of the “Warsaw Autumn” International Festival of Contemporary Music.
An innovative approach and exploration of sound possibilities, an original approach to form, as well as excellent skills in the field of instrumentation ensured Lutosławski a place in the pantheon of the greatest Polish composers of all time. On the one hand, he was a continuator of tradition, on the other hand, he boldly drew on the achievements of the twentieth-century avant-garde. The figure of Witold Lutosławski and the immensely valuable musical literature he left behind continue to inspire generations of artists and music lovers. For these reasons, in order to honour the memory of the master who died on 7 February 1994, his name was given to the Wrocław Philharmonic. Twenty years later, since the establishment of the National Forum of Music, his name is still a part of the institution’s name, which together with the CD Accord creates a unique publishing series dedicated to him – Witold Lutosławski. Opera omnia – presenting all his works. It has been created on the initiative of the NFM Director Andrzej Kosendiak. Renowned Polish and international artists take part in the recordings, including Aleksandra Kurzak, Agata Zubel, Jacek Kaspszyk, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Garrick Ohlsson, and Jean Deroyer, as well as NFM resident ensembles.
The idea behind the Witold Lutosławski World Days is to promote the work of Witold Lutosławski. The composer’s legacy has been propagated by contemporary artists of note for years, e.g. Sir Simon Rattle and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Witold Lutosławski World Days is an initiative aimed at even wider dissemination of the master’s work. As part of the event at the turn of January and February 2023, there will be four concerts, during which world-class musicians will perform at the NFM, including winner of the 8th International Chopin Piano Competition – Garrick Ohlsson – and the acclaimed Australian violinist and conductor, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra – Richard Tognetti. Among the performers there will also be musicians from the ensembles of the National Forum of Music – NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, Lutosławski Quartet, LutosAir Quintet, as well as choirs: the NFM Girls’ Choir and the NFM Boys’ Choir. From the catalogue of Lutosławski’s works, the project will include the famous Third Symphony, commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Partita, referring to the pre-Classical eighteenth-century tradition of instrumental music, and Livre pour orchestre, in which Lutosławski employed controlled aleatorism. Witold Lutosławski’s work includes not only symphonies or instrumental concertos, but also works intended for the youngest. He wrote songs for children in the post-war decade. A selection of them will be heard during the Witold Lutosławski World Days, at a concert performed by the NFM Girls’ Choir and the NFM Boys’ Choir conducted by Małgorzata Podzielny.