The “Chain XVII” Festival ran from 25 January to 8 February 2020 at the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio in Warsaw. The Festival’s program revolved around the work of Lutosławski and the circle of artists associated with the composer.
For Lutosławski, color and harmony are interconnected elements. Lutosławski’s Chain II and Double Concerto expose the connection between cantilena and ornament, a connection across the ages from romanticism (Chopin) to classicism (Mozart), and from Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas to the compositions of Prokofiev (Op. 19). Krzysztof Penderecki’s Symphony No.1 and Lutosławski’s Quartet and Symphony draws from the same idea of purely instrumental drama and great form associates as Beethoven’s Great Fugue and Sonata op. 109.
The above works were presented during symphonic concerts performed by NOSPR, Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, and chamber concerts by Chain Ensemble, Royal String Quartet and Jan Krzysztof Broja.
The festival was co-organized by Polish Radio “Program 2” and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.
[Source: polmic.pl]