New Music in Poland?

[Reiner Torheit]

Our orchestra is about to embark on a new "festival" season of music, greatly concerned with (but not exclusively from) Poland?

What living Polish composers would members recommend, and are there any special works they would recommend?   The first season (Autumn) is already programmed,  but we have our Winter (St Petersburg), Spring (Nizhny Novgorod, Ekaterinburg), and Summer (Sochi & Krasnodar) seasons still ahead of us.

I make no bones about acknowledging that we've secured the funding for the season on the back of the Chopin Anniversary (and we are including Piano Concerto No 1 amongst the orchestral works, along with chamber music performances too).  However, the Cultural Section of the Polish Embassy have been foresighted enough to realise the importance of including work by living composers in the programmes too, and have come forward to support this in a very real sense.   Of course, the Polish side of the Festival has been quick to suggest new works too,  so we are not short of ideas...   I'm more interested to hear which names (and works) would kindle support amongst our wide-ranging members?  (Let us say that we are in the business of "weeding-out cronyism" in the suggested programmes coming from the Polish side... should there happen to be any such?  ;) )

(Although I am interested in hearing about almost any works, those which fitted our Chamber Orchestra resources would be of greatest value as recommendations.  We are more interested in works of substance and importance than "crowd-pleasing stuff", and we are in the happy position of having the time and resources to rehearse them thoroughly).

I know that Mr Autoharp is particularly well-versed in this area, but suggestions from one and all would be welcome :)

[some guy]

I just heard Lidia Zielinska's Nobody is Perfect in Wrocław this past spring.

Here's a short clip of that performance.

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And there's the incredible Agata Zubel, though I don't know what she's written for instrumental ensemble. Google does, I'm sure.

[autoharp]

I know that Mr Autoharp is particularly well-versed in this area, but suggestions from one and all would be welcome :)

I'm not at all well-versed, but I have heard a few things thanks to the connection I posted on r3ok some time back which still works
http://www.r3ok.com/index.php/topic,462.msg13414.html#msg13414

I would guess that ...trj... is well-versed, however.

One composer who doesn't get a mention is Krzystof Knittel - I have Homage to Charles Ives somewhere but can't remember much apart from the fact that I was quite impressed when I heard it. I'll dig it out.
Oh - that's only for 8 instruments . . .

[Reiner Torheit]

Thanks for the informative feedback :)

We're not prevented from fielding chamber ensembles - the only budgetary concern is that we cannot run to a full symphony orchestra,  much as we'd have liked to have done.

[Roehre]

Not really at home in this area, but Panufnik's 1949 Hommage to Chopin (flute with chamber orchestra, 10 minutes) might be an idea.

[Reiner Torheit]

Thank you to one and all.  We opened the festival at this evening's concert.

Out of a somewhat traditional programme (chosen by the Polish Cultural Institute, who had sponsored the opening concert) I particularly liked Grazhina Bacewicz's CONCERTO FOR STRING ORCHESTRA which must have been waaaay ahead of its time in 1948 :)

[t-p]

I played Penderecki recently (his three short pieces for clarinet).

I don't know much of other Penderecki's music. I found this article interesting to start my personal investigation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/nov/03/krzysztof-pendercki-horror-soundtracks-david-lynch

Here is his second cello concerto.