Karol Szymanowski, villa "Atma" in Zakopane, photo. Antoni Wieczorek/Krakow National Museum Archives
In early August Beijing hosts the International Karol Szymanowski Festival. The event, themed "Karol Szymanowski – an Artist Before his Time" comprises a series of five concerts showcasing different themes and styles within Szymanowski's oeuvre. Performances illustrate the Polish composer's works in the context of the various cultures and societies in which he thrived
The cycle of concerts will include symphonic concerts, chamber concerts and Polish-Chinese music workshops and masterclasses. The festival aims to not only introduce the Chinese public to the innovation of Szymanowski's works, but also to represent Poland as a European country that is, at the same time, very much inspired by Eastern artistry.
Among the compositions that the festival's programme includes are works that Szymanowski wrote in collaboration with his lifelong friend, Paweł Kochański - "Danse sauvage" / "Savage Dance" and "L'Aube". Kochański, a renowned violinist and composer, introduced Szymanowski to completely new technical possibilities that made novel use of the violin. He also inspired Szymanowski to pursue his own composition style. He very much influenced the creation of several of Szymanowski's works, often re-writing the latter's orchestral works for violin and piano. For the most part, Kochański was the first to perform the new pieces publicly.
Date: 5th of August -chamber concert- "Slovakian Inspiration & European Avant-garde", 6th of August – symphonic concert- "Sacrum & profanum in the music of Karol Szymanowski", 7th of August – symphonic concert-"Symphony or a Concert?", 8th of August – chamber concert- "A History of Friendship", 9th of August – symphonic concert- "Chopin & Szymanowski – Polish Genuises".
Venue: 5th September – Resource Center in the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), 6, 7, 8th of August– Beijing Concert Hall, 9th August– Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing.
Organiser: Fundacja Muzyczna APOLLO.
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute