On the 16th of October, the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing hosted a symposium dedicated to the life and works of Karol Szymanowski. Alongside discussions, there were concerts by Polish and Chinese musicians, bringing to life the works of one of the world's most brilliant composers.
The Chinese news site Qianlong.com reported on the meeting, gathering quotes from many prestigious members of the conservatory about the significance of Szymanowski's legacy on classical music in Poland and the world. After all, Szymanowski was not only a prolific composer, he also served as the director of the Warsaw Academy of Music, educating future generations of musicians. Ye Xiaogang, head of the organisational committee for the Symposium and the chairman of the Beijing Contemporary Music Festival noted Poland's great efforts to promote Polish music and its prized composers through not only this event, but a series of concerts earlier this year at the Beijing Concert Hall and Forbidden City Concert Hall as part of the cultural programme of the Polish EU Presidency.
Chen Danbu, administrative director for the Contemporary Music Festival and the managing director of the organisationial committee for the Symposium, remarked that Karol Szymanowski is not only a brilliant artist of the 20th century, but that he also "personifies, through his diverse talents and accomplishments, the great spirit and the power of Poland's musical culture. After Chopin, whose works gained great popularity in 19th century Europe, there was no other Polish composer who had such an influence on European music". He cited Syzmanowski, Lutosławski, Penderecki and Górecki as major representatives of Polish music throughout the world. Once Chopin was thoroughly promoted around the world last year over hundreds of events commemorating the 200th anniversary of his birth, 2011 was set as the year to bring Szymanowski back into the spotlight - and Asia was quite an important launching pad. Polish ambassador to China Tadeusz Chomicki expressed his hope that the broad calendar of events during the Szymanowski Year would prove just as wonderful a success.
The Szymanowski Year has not yet ended and several events are still planned around the world to celebrate the Polish composer. On the 19th of November, the National Philharmonic in Kiev will host both Polish and Ukrainian musicians. The “Karol Szymanowski in a multicultural dialogue…” project takes place on the 22nd of November in Paris. From the 2nd of December to the 4th, Szymanowski’s works will be featured in the Teatros del Canal and Royal High Conservatory of Music in Madrid.
For the full article from Qianlong.com in Chinese, click here.