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17th International Days of Cracow Composers - Music
2005-05-16
Cracow, 12th May - 24th May 2005
The Inaugural Concert of the 17th International Days of Cracow Composers’ Music took place at the Cracow Philharmonic on 15 May. Like the whole of this year’s festival the concert was devoted to the memory of the late Professor Marek Stachowski, Rector of the Cracow Academy of Music. The programme included two of his compositions: Jubilate Deo for choir and organ (1987) and From the Book of the Night 3 for symphony orchestra (1990). The audience, albeit few in number, showed great appreciation of the performance of the two concertos by Witold Lutosławski: for cello and piano. The solo cello part was played by Jan Kalinowski and the piano – Aleksandra Łaptaś. The choir of the Cracow Academy of Music was prepared and directed by Lidia Matynian; the Symphony Orchestra of the Academy of Music was conducted by Wojciech Czepiel, who appeared that evening also as a composer (Sequenza for symphony orchestra).
It was possible to hear Marek Stachowski again twice more during the festival: Recitativo e la Preghiera for cello and symphony orchestra (1999) on 20 May and on 21 May – Cinq petites valsesfor solo piano (1997-98), Trio for clarinet, cello and piano (1990-2000) and Tastar e canzona for cello and piano (1996). In addition, on 21 May, at 7 p.m., a documentary film Marek Stachowski’s Portrait was shown at the „Florianka” hall.
A dozen or so world premieres have been planned (indeed some of them have already taken place during the concerts preceding the premiere concerts and the inauguration Holy Mass), including Juliusz Łuciuk’s Protosacrament. Meditation on the Protosource of Love for unaccompanied choir to words by John Paul II (2005) and Zbigniew Bujarski’s Elegos – Mourning Song for cello and symphony orchestra (2004-5) devoted to the memory of Marek Stachowski, as well as many Polish first performances.
The 17th Days of Cracow Composers’ Music ended with a Concert to the Memory of the Holy Father John Paul II in Tarnów on 23 May.
The Cracow Branch of the Polish Composers’ Union was the organizer of the festival and its artistic director was Jerzy Stankiewicz.
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