Sto lat! Happy Birthday! 23 November 2013
Jubilee gala must be great and unique, and this is how it was on 23rd November, the exact day on which Krzysztof Penderecki celebrated his 80th birthday. This is why the final concert of The Krzysztof Penderecki Festival, at the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera, gathered world-renowned stars.
„You are the most important figure of Polish culture,” said the Minister of Culture Bogdan Zdrojewski, opening Saturday’s anniversary gala. And added, “There are no more gifts that we could offer you, only compliments, wishes of good health, prosperity and creating those examples that are most important to us.”
The composer’s wife, originator and organizer of the jubilee Festival admitted with emotion, “Thank you Krzysztof for those 48 years of great life and for your wonderful works. I hope that you will bestow your music upon us for many, many more years to come!”
The evening was opened by the eminent conductor of the young generation Krzysztof Urbański, who reached for one of the most difficult and moving works of the master - Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. Leading the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra he painted before our eyes amazing and dramatic images, but also full of melodious delicacy. Under his hand the Warsaw orchestra sounded with power, expression and perfection of the greatest masters.
Star of the evening most awaited by the audience was the phenomenal violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. She appeared on stage with a very young Slovakian double-bassist Roman Patkolo, with whom she brilliantly performed Duo Concertante (composed for her in 2010), gathering a thunderous applause and ovation. Earlier, during a midday meeting with journalists Mutter admitted that it was a great honor for her to be able to celebrate the composer’s jubilee in Warsaw. “I feel honored by the friendship with Krzysztof Penderecki and by the fact that in three weeks in New York, I will perform for the first time his latest work La Folia, which he wrote for me. Please believe that nothing could be better than the moment when I hold the score of a new composition by such an eminent artist and I know that no one has seen it before me,” said the violinist. To the question whether one has to wait long for a work by Penderecki, she answered, “What comes with the greatest effort gives the sweetest fruit!”
Referring to these words, one can compare them to the atmosphere of Saturday evening. Anne-Sophie Mutter does not perform often in our country. But when she does, it is a true celebration of music. Because every sound from her violin is like a precious diamond, with the most perfect cuts, and shining with a unique feast of color.
Just as great successes (also rare in Poland) turn out to be the performances of the Russian master of conducting Valery Gergiev. And so it was also this time. Gergiev not for the first time proved, that he is the most dangerous predator on the world stage of conducting. His Credo performed with Sinfonia Varsovia together with Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera Choir and Warsaw Boys Choir, a monumental and extremely important in work in Penderecki’s oeuvre, delighted with the power of sound. Also the soloists performed splendidly: captivating with her pearly clear and strong soprano Iwona Hossa, just as excellent sopranos Ewa Vesin and Agnieszka Rehlis, as well as the fantastic tenor Rafał Bartmiński and Nikolay Didenko, whose strong bass sent shivers down the spine.
The program of the festive evening was completed by the interpretation of Concerto Grosso for three cellos and orchestra, where in special musical creations shone three great cellists: Arto Noras, Ivan Monighetti and Daniel Müller-Schott, and the Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit. And although the concert came to a finale, the surprises did not end, especially those prepared for the jubilarian. The President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic awarded Krzysztof Penderecki with a state decoration. A similar distinction was given to him by a representative of the Armenian government. “It is not a coincidence that I receive these medals from the authorities of Armenia and Croatia. President Josipovic is a great composer. I have conducted his works many times. And my grandmother was Armenian,” admitted with his characteristic humor Penderecki. The biggest surprise however was prepared for him by Adam Myjak, Jan Kulczyk and Waldemar Dąbrowski. It was a bust of the master sculpted by Prof. Myjak, which from today will decorate the interiors of Polish National Opera, reminding about the vast composing opus of Krzysztof Penderecki. After these presentations Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, Warsaw choirs and soloists sang “Sto lat” (Hundred Years!) and a moment later, because there were hundreds of foreign guests in the audience (and on the stage) – also the English version of the song – Happy Birthday.
Tomasz Handzlik
„You are the most important figure of Polish culture,” said the Minister of Culture Bogdan Zdrojewski, opening Saturday’s anniversary gala. And added, “There are no more gifts that we could offer you, only compliments, wishes of good health, prosperity and creating those examples that are most important to us.”
The composer’s wife, originator and organizer of the jubilee Festival admitted with emotion, “Thank you Krzysztof for those 48 years of great life and for your wonderful works. I hope that you will bestow your music upon us for many, many more years to come!”
The evening was opened by the eminent conductor of the young generation Krzysztof Urbański, who reached for one of the most difficult and moving works of the master - Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. Leading the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra he painted before our eyes amazing and dramatic images, but also full of melodious delicacy. Under his hand the Warsaw orchestra sounded with power, expression and perfection of the greatest masters.
Star of the evening most awaited by the audience was the phenomenal violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. She appeared on stage with a very young Slovakian double-bassist Roman Patkolo, with whom she brilliantly performed Duo Concertante (composed for her in 2010), gathering a thunderous applause and ovation. Earlier, during a midday meeting with journalists Mutter admitted that it was a great honor for her to be able to celebrate the composer’s jubilee in Warsaw. “I feel honored by the friendship with Krzysztof Penderecki and by the fact that in three weeks in New York, I will perform for the first time his latest work La Folia, which he wrote for me. Please believe that nothing could be better than the moment when I hold the score of a new composition by such an eminent artist and I know that no one has seen it before me,” said the violinist. To the question whether one has to wait long for a work by Penderecki, she answered, “What comes with the greatest effort gives the sweetest fruit!”
Referring to these words, one can compare them to the atmosphere of Saturday evening. Anne-Sophie Mutter does not perform often in our country. But when she does, it is a true celebration of music. Because every sound from her violin is like a precious diamond, with the most perfect cuts, and shining with a unique feast of color.
Just as great successes (also rare in Poland) turn out to be the performances of the Russian master of conducting Valery Gergiev. And so it was also this time. Gergiev not for the first time proved, that he is the most dangerous predator on the world stage of conducting. His Credo performed with Sinfonia Varsovia together with Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera Choir and Warsaw Boys Choir, a monumental and extremely important in work in Penderecki’s oeuvre, delighted with the power of sound. Also the soloists performed splendidly: captivating with her pearly clear and strong soprano Iwona Hossa, just as excellent sopranos Ewa Vesin and Agnieszka Rehlis, as well as the fantastic tenor Rafał Bartmiński and Nikolay Didenko, whose strong bass sent shivers down the spine.
The program of the festive evening was completed by the interpretation of Concerto Grosso for three cellos and orchestra, where in special musical creations shone three great cellists: Arto Noras, Ivan Monighetti and Daniel Müller-Schott, and the Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit. And although the concert came to a finale, the surprises did not end, especially those prepared for the jubilarian. The President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic awarded Krzysztof Penderecki with a state decoration. A similar distinction was given to him by a representative of the Armenian government. “It is not a coincidence that I receive these medals from the authorities of Armenia and Croatia. President Josipovic is a great composer. I have conducted his works many times. And my grandmother was Armenian,” admitted with his characteristic humor Penderecki. The biggest surprise however was prepared for him by Adam Myjak, Jan Kulczyk and Waldemar Dąbrowski. It was a bust of the master sculpted by Prof. Myjak, which from today will decorate the interiors of Polish National Opera, reminding about the vast composing opus of Krzysztof Penderecki. After these presentations Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, Warsaw choirs and soloists sang “Sto lat” (Hundred Years!) and a moment later, because there were hundreds of foreign guests in the audience (and on the stage) – also the English version of the song – Happy Birthday.
Tomasz Handzlik
