Krzysztof Penderecki, photo: Peter Andersen
The 41st International Music Festival in Istanbul presents a life achievement award to Krzysztof Penderecki. The award ceremony takes place during a gala concert at the Aya İrini basilica
Munich Chamber Orchestra are to perform during the concert, under the baton of Alexander Liebreich and with pianist Khatia Buniatishvili on solo. The recital is hosted by the byzantine Aya İrini shrine from the 6th century, located near the iconic Hagia Sohia. The concert’s programme includes Joseph Haydn’s 45th Symphony, the D-dur concert for a string orchestra by Igor Stravinsky, Mozart’s A-dur Piano Concerto (KV 488) and Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. For Liebreich, a rising star of conductorship and a leader of the Munich orchestra, the show is a debut at the Turkish festival.
According to information released by the Polish General Consulate in Istanbul, the Festival had plans of commissioning a piece by Penderecki that was to enjoy its premiere performance during the festival. The project proved impossible due to the Penderecki’s highly busy schedule, as the composer celebrates his 80th birthday this year.
Fortunately, Turkish audiences are provided with several occassions of hearing music by Penderecki. On the 16th of July, the International Festival in Izmir the Apollon Musagète Quartet are to present the III String Quartet composed by Penderecki, also known under the title Kartki z niepisanego dziennika (Pages From an Unwritten Diary). The ensemble is a group that was founded by Polish instrumentalists in Vienna, and it has recently won the 57th edition of the International Music Competition ARD in Munich.
In 2014, 600 years pass since the establishing of diplomatic relations between Poland and Turkey. This significant moment creates an opportunity for the rememberance of historic connections between the two countries as well as the instigation of new intellectual, commercial and cultural exchange. Thanks to the collaboration of the Polish General Consulate, the Foundation for Culture and Art in Istanbul and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, next year’s edition of the International Music Festival is bound to see a roster of top-quality events with the participation of Polish musicians.
Editor: Filip Lech, translated by Paulina Schlosser, source: press release, 3.06.2013