The Kraków International Festival of Composers has been part the cultural life of the city since 1989 (formerly known as the Days of Music by Kraków Composers and, from 2014-2019, the International Festival of Kraków Composers). The main purpose of the Festival is the promotion and presentation of contemporary professional work of Kraków composers—classics and professors, but also the outstanding middle generation, and the youngest composers and students of composition—created in relation to world music. This concept is realized via organization of concerts and meetings with composers. What is more, special lectures are organized during the Festival (conducted, among others, by music theorists of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, musicologists of the Jagiellonian University and invited guests from Poland and abroad).
The main theme of the 33rd Kraków International Festival of Composers held in 2021 are ancient civilizations—mainly the ancient culture of Greece and Rome, but there will also be other references, including the South American culture of Nazca. We will hear such compositions as Toshio Hosokawa’s Medea Fragments, Brian Ferneyhough’s Casandra’s Dream Song, Michael Gatonska’s Ecotopia 4, Witold Szalonek’s Głowa Meduzy, and Jacek Domagała’s Cassiopee II.
Two scientific sessions will be held during the festival: Antiquity in Music and Music and Nature (at first planned for last year), during which outstanding music theorists and musicologists will present their papers (Teresa Malecka, Jerzy Stankiewicz, Magdalena Dziadek, Agnieszka Draus, Kinga Kiwała, Iwona Sowińska-Fruhtrunk, Dominika Micał and Jan Topolski).
The concerts will feature works by composers from Poland, England, China, Greece, Japan, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, and the USA. Audiences will hear 23 world premieres and one Polish premiere. Concerts will be complemented by two lectures referring to antiquity in the works of contemporary composers: T by Iwona Glinka and Athanasios Trikoupis from the University of Ioannina in Greece.
Due to COVID, all events will be held without audience; instead they will be streamed online on the official YouTube channel of the Kraków International Festival of Composers, and one of the concerts will be broadcast from Patras, Greece.
Schedule of Events
Saturday, 10 April, 6.00 p.m. CET (Central European Time)
THE OPENING CONCERT OF THE 33rd KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COMPOSERS
Krakow Philharmonic Hall
Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej (Ensemble OMN), Szymon Bywalec – conductor and Alicja Molitorys – flute
Jongsung Oh – A Horny Faun’s Rampage for chamber orchestra (2021) [Winner the 4th Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition for Young Composers] *
Michael Gatonska – Ecotopia 4 for chamber orchestra (2021 – commissioned by 33rd KIFC) ***
Toshio Hosokawa – Medea Fragments Overture for chamber ensemble (1996) **
Ryszard Osada – Concerto for flute and chamber orchestra (2021) ****
Monday, 12 April, 7.00 p.m. CET
KRAKOW COMPOSERS’ SCHOOL CONCERT
The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music „Florianka” Hall
Martyna Klupś-Radny – flute; Tomasz Sowa – clarinet; Aleksandra Zamojska (Poland/Austria) – soprano; Dominika Peszko – piano; Agnieszka Bugla – violin; Natalia Warzecha-Karkus – viola; Aleksandra Lignar – cello
Józef Rychlik – Le Miroir for soprano (mezzo-soprano) and piano (1971) *
Juliusz Łuciuk – Three miniatures for violin and piano (1984)
Marek Stachowski – Madrigali dell’estate for soprano and string trio (1984)
Marcel Chyrzyński – Reflection No. 7 for flute, clarinet, cello and piano (2018)
Maciej Jabłoński – Przebudzanie for clarinet, string trio and piano (2011/2021) *
Grzegorz Majka – Litofonia for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (2021) *
Martyna Kosecka – Omicron for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (2021) *
10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. CET
MUSICOLOGY SESSION ON: MUZYKA I NATURA (MUSIC AND NATURE)
PARTICIPANTS: Dr. H.C. Jerzy Stankiewicz, Prof. Dr. Hab. Teresa Malecka, Ed. Jan Topolski, Assoc. Prof. Kinga Kiwała, and Assoc. Prof. Renata Borowiecka – leading
2.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m. CET
MUSICOLOGY SESSION ON: ANTYCZNOŚĆ W MUZYCE (ANTIQUITY IN MUSIC)
PARTICIPANTS: Prof. Dr. Hab. Magdalena Dziadek, Assoc. Prof. Agnieszka Draus (Prof. Amkp), Dr. Iwona Sowińska-Fruhtrunk, Dr. Dominika Micał, and Assoc. Prof. Kinga Kiwała – leading
10.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. CET
Dr. Iwona Glinka (Poland/Greece), Ioannina University, Department of Music Studies – lecture on „Casandra’s Dream Song Briana Ferneyhougha: połączenie mitu z estetyką nowej złożoności”
1.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. CET
Prof. Dr. Athanasios Trikoupis (Greece), Ioannina University, Department of Music Studies – lecture on „Music and Drama in Ancient and Contemporary Greece: Derivatives of Speech and Language”
Thursday, 15 April, 7.00 p.m. CET
MUZYCZNE MITY (MUSICAL MYTHS)
Iwona Glinka – flute (Poland/Greece) and Athanasios Trikoupis – piano (Greece)
Witold Lutosławski – Trzy fragment, version for flute and piano (1953)
Witold Szalonek – Głowa Meduzy for solo flute (1993)
Michail Travlos – Night Walk in the Woods for solo alto flute (2013) *
Athanasios Trikoupis – Orpheus’s Last Lament for solo piano (2021) *
Giacinto Scelsi – Krishna e Radha for flute and piano (1986)
Brian Ferneyhough – Casandra’s Dream Song for solo flute (1970)
Michail Travlos – The Castle of Kwidzyn for solo alto flute (2013)
Jacek Domagała – Cassiopee II for flute and piano (2020) *
Friday, 16 April, 7.00 p.m. CET
KOKTAJL ELEKTRONICZNY (ELECTRONIC COCKTAIL) – Concert of the Electroacoustic Music Studio of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy Of Music
The MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow
Aleksander Olszewski – flute, Alex Clov and Adrian Szymański – saxophones, Filip Gąsiorowski – piano, Mojżesz Tworzydło and Nikita Abramenko – guitars, Artur Małecki – drum set, Melis Senguler – cello, Minyi Wu – cello, Estera Wityńska – voice, Valeriia Datsiuk – electronics (processing), Wojciech Ilski – electronics (synthesis); Artur Kryvych, Fan Yuqingqing, Janusz Krzysztof Korczak, Xing Yu, Olga Demeter and Oktawia Pączkowska – realization; GrupLab: Bożena Boba-Dyga, Marek Chołoniewski, Laurent Estoppey, Piotr Grella-Możejko, Katarina Gryvul, Artur Lis and Piotr Madej; and Marek Chołoniewski – realization, project coordination
Artur Kryvych – no time to analyse for fixed media (2021) * (under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Michał Pawełek)
Yuqingqing Fan – Eikasia IV for cello (vocoder) and tape (2021) * (under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Mateusz Bień)
Janusz Krzysztof Korczak –Terra incognita for electroacoustic layer (2021) * (under the supervision of Prof. Magdalena Długosz)
Xing Yu – Swordsman for amplified flute, cello and fixed media (2021) * (under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Mateusz Bień)
Olga Demeter – Another Shakespeare’s Sonnets for fixed media (2021) * and Parce Que C’est Moi for fixed media (2021) * (under the supervision of Dr. Piotr Peszat)
Andrzej Ojczenasz – Mad muddy mood for electronic layer (2021) *
Estera Wityńska/Wojciech Ilski/Valeriia Datsiuk – Pan Tom buduje dom for voice and computer ensemble (2021) * (under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Mateusz Bień)
Maciej Polakowski – dart music for ensemble (2021) * (under the supervision of Prof. Marek Chołoniewski)
Andrzej Ojczenasz – Mikserror for ensemble (2021) * (under the supervision of Prof. Marek Chołoniewski)
PME21 – LaGeTer for ensemble (2021) * (under the supervision of Prof. Marek Chołoniewski)
Oktawia Pączkowska – do you need any experimental music? for video and electronics (2021) *
Katarina Gryvul – Seamy side for bass flute, bass clarinet, piano, cello and electronics (2020) – video version from the concert
GrupLab – Plejrek 267 for voices, instruments, objects and electronics (2021) *
Saturday, 17 April, 6.00 p.m. CET
MUZYCZNE WIDNOKRĘGI (MUSICAL HORIZONS)
Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music „Florianka” Hall
Łukasz Długosz – flute, Agata Kielar-Długosz – flute and Andrzej Jungiewicz – piano
Michał Pawełek – Mittsu no Yume Monogatari for 2 flutes and live elektronics (2012)
Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil – Eco per 2 flauti (1980)
Wojciech Widłak – Widnokręgi for two flutes and piano (2017)
Mateusz Ryczek – Timbres of the Nights for solo flute (2018)
Justyna Kowalska-Lasoń – Zmień moje plany i wydobądź dźwięki for 3 equal instruments – flute and flute and piano (2018)
Sunday, 18 April, 1.00 p.m. CET
Mass offered for composers, musicologists and musicians of Krakow
St. Mary’s Basilica
Rev. Grzegorz Lenart, Cappella Marialis Choir from St. Mary’s Basilica, Zygmunt Kokoszka – organ and Krzysztof Michałek – conductor
Missa De Angelis (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus) – Gregorian Chants
Wacław z Szamotuł – Alleluja, Chwalcie Pana for mixed choir (2nd half of the 16th c.)
Giovanni Croce – Alleluja for mixed choir (II poł. XVI w.)
Mikołaj Gomółka – Kleszczmy rękoma for mixed choir (ca. 1580)
Orlando Gibbons – Amen for mixed choir (I poł. XVII w.)
Charles Wood – Oculi omnium for mixed choir (publ. 1933)
Mikołaj Gomółka –Nieście chwałę mocarze for mixed choir (ok. 1580)
Krzysztof Michałek – Ave Maria for mixed choir (2016)
Sunday, 18 April, 6.00 p.m. CET
THE CLOSING CONCERT OF THE 33rd KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COMPOSERS
Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music Concert Hall
AdAstra Piano Trio: Anna Szabelka – violin, Łukasz Frant – cello and Joanna Galon-Frant – piano
Andrzej Panufnik – Dreamscape for cello and piano (1977)
Adam Walaciński – Intermezzo for solo cello (2003)
Aleksander Nowak – Undertows for cello and piano (2010)
Krzysztof Kostrzewa – Taniec wirujących derwiszy for solo piano (2021) *
Lera Auerbach – Piano Trio No. 2 Triptych – The mirror has three faces (2012)
* World Premiere
** Polish Premiere
*** World premiere. Financial support provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as a part of “Collections” programme – “Composing Commissions”, realized by the Institute of Music and Dance
**** Financial support provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as a part of “Collections” programme – “Composing Commissions”, realized by the Institute of Music and Dance
For a full schedule and details, such as the titles of papers presented, please see festiwal.zkp.krakow.pl (available in Polish and English). All events of the Kraków International Festival of Composers will be livestreamed here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxu4B1i2w0tkeBODnrvF2Bw.
[Sources: facebook.com, festiwal.zkp.krakow.pl]