The idea behind the Łańcuch [Chain] Festivals is to showcase the music of Witold Lutosławski in an appropriate context. The 12th Łańcuch Festival encompasses five concerts, taking place in Warsaw from January 25 until February 7. Each evening, Lutosławski’s works will be juxtaposed against other works, including masterpieces by Bartok and Beethoven, as well as Scandinavian music, works related to World War II tragedies, and examples of Baroque polyphony.
Although related to the Festival, the 10th Lutosławski Cello Competition and the activities of the Chain Ensemble will be treated as separate events, just like the workshops for young performers, and the Łańcuszek [Little Chain] series of concerts for young audiences.
The Festival will be inaugurated on January 25 at the Chamber Hall of the Warsaw National Philharmonic when the Silesian Quartet presents Bartok’s III String Quartet and Beethoven’s Op. 135 Quartet along with Lutosławski’s String Quartet (1964). Admission is free.
On January 31 in the Lutosławski Polish Radio Studio, the National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Michał Klauza will pair Lutosławski’s Musique funèbre (1958), Interludium (1989) and Les Espaces du sommeil (1975) with works by Per Nørgård and Jean Sibelius.
The February 1 concert (also at the Lutosławski Polish Radio Studio) will feature a concert of works for solo voices, choirs and instrumentalists. Fragments of Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater will be juxtaposed with Lutosławski’s Lacrimosa for Soprano, Mixed Choir and Organ (1937-1946), Roman Padlewski’s Stabat Mater for Mixed Choir a cappella (1939), Luigi Dallapiccola’s Canti di prigionia (1941), and Krzysztof Penderecki’s Psalmy Davida.
The February 4 concert, held at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, will inaugurate the 10th International Lutosławski Cello Competition. Performers include soprano Agata Zubel, pianist Paweł Arendt, the Chain Ensemble, and conductor Andrzej Bauer. Besides Lutosławski’s La Belle de nuit for soprano and orchestra, the program will feature works by Giacino Scelsi, Agata Zubel, Györgi Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, and Arvo Pärt. Admission to this concert is by invitation only.
Finally, on February 7 at the Lutosławski Polish Radio Studio, violinist Krzysztof Jakowicz, pianist Robert Morawski, the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra and Maestro Marek Moś will present Lutosławski’s Preludes and Fugue for 13 String Instruments (1973), Partita for Violin, Piano and Orchestra(1984/1988), and Interludium for Orchestra (1989), as well as works by J.S. Bach and Chopin (orchestrated by Paweł Mykietyn).
On February 6 and 7 the Little Chain Festival will be held at the Centre for Contemporary Art at the Ujazdowski Palace. Master classes and workshops accompanying the Łańcuch Festival will take place January 23—February 1 at the Radziejowice Artists’ Retreat.
January 25, 2015 | 7:00 p.m.
12th Łańcuch Festival presents Silesian Quartet
Warsaw National Philharmonic Chamber Hall – ul. Jasna 5, Warsaw
Admission: Free, tickets available as of 4:00 p.m. at the National Philharmonic box office
January 31, 2015 | 7:00 p.m.
12th Łańcuch Festival presents NOSPR
Lutosławski Concert Studio – ul. Modzelewskiego 59, Warsaw
Admission: 35zł, tickets available at sklep.polskieradio.pl and one hour before the concert at the box office Studies at. Modzelewski 59
February 1, 2015 | 7:00 p.m.
12th Łańcuch Festival presents Hob-beats Percussion Group, Polish Radio Choir & soloists
Lutosławski Concert Studio – ul. Modzelewskiego 59, Warsaw
Admission: 35zł, tickets available at sklep.polskieradio.pl and one hour before the concert at the box office Studies at. Modzelewski 59
February 4, 2015 | 7:00 p.m.
12th Łańcuch Festival inaugurates the 10th Int’l Lutosławski Cello Competition
Royal Castle – plac Zamkowy 4, Warsaw
Admission: invitation only. A limited number of invitations will be available – please enquire at d.chotynska@mik.waw.pl by January 30, 2015
February 7, 2015 | 7:00 p.m.
12th Łańcuch Festival presents AUKSO & soloists
Lutosławski Concert Studio – ul. Modzelewskiego 59, Warsaw
Admission: 35zł, tickets available at sklep.polskieradio.pl and one hour before the concert at the box office Studies at. Modzelewski 59