Maciej Tomasiewicz – photo Artist’s archive; Jagodziński Trio – photo Paweł Cegielski

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Sir Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991), whose 110th birthday anniversary falls this year, is one of the most outstanding Polish composers of the 20th century. He left Poland in 1954 in dramatic circumstances, opposing communist oppression and the fettering of creative freedoms, and continued his artistic career in the United Kingdom, where he gained great, international, reputation. In recognition of his achievements he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and very few Poles can claim such honour. His Sinfonia Rustica was awarded first prize in the Chopin Composition Competition in Warsaw (1949). It is his third work in this genre, but the author did not give it such a number because the first two were lost during the war – nor did he call it ‘First’. Henceforth, he gave his symphonies distinctive nicknames (Elegiaca, Sacra, Mistica, Votiva…). This is what he wrote about his work: “My Sinfonia Rustica emerged as an expression of my love for the Polish peasant music from the northern part of our country where the songs have exceptional charm. The folklore of the region is also outstanding, with imaginatively carved wood-work, brilliant folk costumes, and intricate, colourful paper-cuts, either abstract or semi-abstract, often of symmetrical design. I decided that I would reflect these naïve but aesthetically appealing features in my new symphony. The symmetry of the paper-cuts was to enter into all aspects of the composition”. Sinfonia Sacra marks another phase in the author’s creative development – it was commissioned by the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York to commemorate Poland’s Millennium of Christianity and Statehood in 1966. “Because of the source of inspiration, I wanted this composition to be very much Polish in character and also to emphasise the Catholic tradition so deeply rooted in the country of my birth. Therefore I based Sinfonia Sacra on the first known hymn in the Polish language, the Bogurodzica, a magnificent Gregorian chant. […] without reading too much literary, programmatic meaning into the music, the listener might still feel the atmosphere of the battlefield and of prayer, these two persistently repeated elements having dominated Polish life throughout all the thousand years of its tragic history.”

Andrzej Jagodziński is a versatile artist; French horn player by training, jazz pianist, accordionist, composer, arranger, and educator. In his career to date, he has toured almost all over the world, gaining immense popularity and recognition, and he has recorded many acclaimed albums. One of the most popular is Chopin from 1993, which he recorded as a member of the now legendary trio with Adam Cegielski on bass and Czesław “Mały” Bartkowski on drums. For this work he received the Fryderyk award in the ‘best jazz album’ category. The album (which was followed by others that also very well received) marked the beginning of a fashion for jazz interpretations of Chopin’s music and at the same time it defined an important field of the musician’s creative interests: exploration of the borderline between classical music and jazz. The visionary Concerto in G minor, which was written to mark the 20th anniversary of the Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio, also belongs in this category. The Jubilee was celebrated in 2013 at the Warsaw Philharmonic (the National Orchestra and Choir of Poland), coincided with the 60th birthday of the ensemble’s founder, Andrzej Jagodziński, and the 70th birthday of the drummer Czesław “Mały” Bartkowski.

The concert will be led by conductor Maciej Tomasiewicz, a graduate of the Academy of Music in Katowice, with specialisations in: composition and music theory, and symphonic and opera conducting. Tomasiewicz has held the post of Assistant Conductor at the the Warsaw Philharmonic from 2019 to 2022 and he was also Deputy Musical Director of the Silesian Opera. During the 2022-2023 season, he was Artistic Director of the Silesian Chamber Orchestra. In 2021, he was awarded the honorary badge of “Merit in the Service of Polish Culture”. Polish music plays a leading role in his rich and versatile repertoire. So far, he has recorded works by: Ryszard Bukowski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Eugeniusz Knapik, Karol Lipiński, Piotr Moss, Stefan Bolesław Poradowski. Compositions by Bolesław Szabelski have a special place in his repertoire. [pmac]

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Tickets: MHP,  bilety24, eBilet

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN ARTISTIC EVENT

Donor: Fundacja PGNiG im. Ignacego Łukasiewicza

Media patronage: TVP Kultura, Radio dla Ciebie, Polska Agencja Prasowa, Presto, polmic.pl 

Organiser: Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra

The organiser reserves the right to change the programme or the performers of the concert

Partner: Polish History Museum in Warsaw