Jerzy Maksymiuk – photo Artist’s archive

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Maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk will be the conductor for the October concert. For our Orchestra, any contact with this charismatic artist is of great importance. Already half a century ago, he won the hearts of music lovers as a charismatic conductor of the Polish Chamber Orchestra, with this success being only an example of his numerous achievements. He has conducted a variety of ensembles, both in Poland and abroad, and inspired general admiration for his inexhaustible, impressive energy that seems to extend to all the musicians and listeners. Youth – one of our attributes – should always be inspired by experience, and the doyen of Polish conductors is, after all, the symbol of an entire era – not only a witness, but a creator of stylistic changes in the performing arts for many decades. This collaboration, which has continued for more than a decade, is the perfect embodiment of our mission: “We believe that the opportunity to work with outstanding artists will inspire many talented musicians and ignite their desire for further artistic development, and that the personal artistic responsibility of each musician will contribute to a collective responsibility for the composition and quality of the orchestra.” One of the pieces listed in the programme will provide the opportunity to showcase that each of our Musicians is also a competent soloist! This piece is the Concerto for 7 wind instruments, timpani, percussion and string orchestra by the Swiss composer Frank Martin (1949). Here, the author allows both the solo instruments and their various combinations to shine. The young musicians of our orchestra will showcase their talent in these impressive parts. Composed in 1949 for the Bern Musikgesellschaft, the composition has a three-movement structure similar to a traditional concerto. The juxtaposition of the instrumental groups seems to refer to the concept of concerto grosso, but the piece does not have the characteristics of ‘Neo-Baroque’ stylisation. The work’s harmonious beauty and its mysterious aura (with some ‘Iberian’ references) have made the Concerto one of Martin’s most frequently recalled compositions as of today.

The last completed symphony by Finnish Neo-Romantic composer Jean Sibelius from 1924 is also his only one-movement work in this genre. The author initially planned for it to be a cyclic piece. After deciding to leave it in the one-movement version, he referred to the work as Fantasia sinfonica, and eventually published it as Symphony No. 7, Op. 105. It is an unusual experiment by a mature master – he almost abandons creating different tonal plans (typical of the genre), remaining consistently in the C major/minor key, and uses mainly changes of tempo and dynamics as a basis for development of the form.

His Valse triste, full of subtle nostalgia, was to become one of his most popular works, presented both in its original version for orchestra with reduced brass section and in numerous arrangements. The piece was written as incidental music for a performance of the play Kuolema (Death) by Arvid Järnefelt (1903), a Finnish lawyer and writer, privately Jean Sibelius’s brother-in-law.

Jerzy Maksymiuk will also conduct the performance of his own work (which we already had the pleasure of performing with him): Vers per archi. This 2014 miniature charms the listeners with delightful sounds of the string ensemble and astonishes them with an extensive variety of emotions: its arch form begins and ends with episodes filled with lyricism and nostalgia, while the middle section, which is more lively, offers a dramatic, rhapsodic mood. The piece was inspired by the story of Hanna Czaki, a girl scout and a heroic runner of the Home Army (AK), who was murdered by the Germans in 1944. “She was incredibly heroic and exceptionally sensitive. That’s why my piece starts off gently and then it practically diminishes to nothing…,” commented the author.

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Tickets: Polskie Radio – bilety24, eBilet
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF TICKET SALES AND PARTICIPATION IN ARTISTIC EVENTS

Standard price of the tickets: 60 zł/1 seat
Reduced price of the tickets: 45 zł/ 1 seat
* reduced tickets are available to pupils, students under 26 years of age, pensioners, persons over 70 years of age and persons with a recognised disability group or a recognised degree of disability

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