Under the baton of Łukasz Borowicz (above left), the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra will present the “Ocalić od zapomnienia” [To Save From Oblivion] concert on April 27, featuring pianist Jonathan Plowright (above right). During the first half of the program, Paul Kletzki’s Variations for Orchestra op. 20 and Aleksandre Tansman’s Piano Concerto no. 2 will be performed. Orchestral music from the Roman Palester’s ballet The Song of the Earth (1937) will be performed in the latter half of the concert, in celebration of Palester’s 110th birth anniversary year.

Polish composer Roman Palester is one of the most prominent composers of his generation. In 1950, Palester emigrated from Poland to France, resulting in the censorship office banning his name for 20 years. The composer himself did not want to lose contact with Poland and found a singular way of maintaining it: in 1952, Palester and his wife began to work for Radio Free Europe, where he headed the Polish culture department. Though the ban was lifted in 1977, his varied and extremely interesting oeuvre never became well known on the Polish music scene. His music for the ballet The Song of the Earth is one of the few compositions by this artist that stylizes Polish folklore.

Friday, April 21, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Borowicz/Plowright: ‘To Save From Oblivion’ Concert (Palester, Kletzki, Tansman)

Warsaw Philharmonic, Concert Hall
ul. Jasna 5, 00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Tickets & Info:  filharmonia.pl

[Sources: press release, filharmonia.pl]