Lutosławski | Bartók Symphonic concert
Witold Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto was composed in 1969–1970 on commission from the British Royal Philharmonic Society and the Gulbenkian Foundation. The work was dedicated to the great Mstislav Rostropovich, whose individual playing style and technique served as a direct inspiration for the composer. The world premiere took place on 14 October 1970 in London – the famous soloist was accompanied on that occasion by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edward Downes. Formally speaking, the composition has a continuous, single-movement structure, within which the composer has distinguished four distinct phases. They are based on the dramatic relationship and conflict between the soloist and the orchestra. The work opens with a solo cello introduction lasting several minutes, beginning with a repeated D note. The second section comprises four episodes in the form of dialogues between the soloist and groups of instruments. The third section is a lyrical cantilena, and the whole piece culminates in a dynamic finale ending with a striking coda. The solo part will be performed by Tomasz Strahl, one of Poland’s leading cellists, a teacher and the rector of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. The artist regularly performs with renowned orchestras around the world, and his achievements include numerous recordings and awards at prestigious international competitions.
The only opera in Béla Bartók’s oeuvre is Bluebeard’s Castle – a one-act drama for two singers. The Hungarian libretto was written by the poet Béla Balázs, who drew on Charles Perrault’s version of the French fairy tale Bluebeard and transformed it into a study of loneliness and the impossibility of truly knowing another person. Bartók composed the work in 1911, later revised it, and added a new ending in 1917. The world premiere took place on 24 May 1918 at the Hungarian Royal Opera in Budapest, conducted by Egist Tang. The action, rich in symbolism, is intimate and focused: Judith arrives at her husband’s gloomy castle and demands that seven locked doors be opened, one after the other. Behind each one, a different scene is revealed – from a torture chamber and a treasury to a secret garden and a lake of tears – until the truth about Bluebeard’s former wives comes to light, and Judith ultimately joins them. Although the music is not atonal, its dense, polytonal texture creates an atmosphere of mounting unease. The leading roles will be performed by two renowned Hungarian singers: Dorottyia Láng is a mezzo-soprano with a warm, rich tone. She is now one of the most highly regarded performers of this role, which she has sung at events including the BBC Proms and with leading European orchestras. The role of Bluebeard will be sung by András Palerdi – a bass with a rich, deep tone and a soloist with the Hungarian State Opera, for whom this role has long been one of his signature stage roles. The concert will be conducted by Wojciech Rodek, Director of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.
Concert production in collaboration with the Polish Music Publishing House (PWM) as part of the TUTTI.pl programme, promoting the performance and dissemination of Polish music
