Concert honors Polish composer's key birthday

A concert marking Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki's 90th birthday was held at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Sunday.

Regarded as one of the leading and most distinguished musicians of his generation, Penderecki died in Krakow, Poland, on March 29, 2020, at the age of 86. His legacy comprises over 100 compositions, including concertos, orchestral and chamber pieces, symphonies, choral pieces and operas.

For the concert, In Memoriam: Krzysztof Penderecki at 90, three pieces by Penderecki were played by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Huang Yi, who stepped in for veteran conductor Yu Long.

"The composer was an old friend, whom we first performed with back in 2000. He came to Xinghai Concert Hall eight times from 2004 to 2017 for seven concerts with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra," says Chen Qing, head of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra.

Chen played the English horn for Adagietto from Paradise Lost (English horn and String Orchestra Version).

"I was very honored to perform this version on May 16, 2009, at this concert hall, which was the version's China premiere. I will never forget that the composer was the conductor that night," says Chen.

The concert also featured the composer's Symphony No 6 (Chinese Poems) for baritone and orchestra, which had its world premiere in 2017 by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under conductor Yu Long. Baritone Thomas Bauer sang in the Sunday concert.

Co-commissioned by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, it comprises eight songs based on ancient Chinese poems by poets including Zhang Ruoxu, Li Bai and Du Fu. It took the composer from 2008 to 2017 to finish. Following its premiere in Guangzhou, it received its German premiere as part of Penderecki's season-long residency with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018.

"He made multiple visits to China since the end of the 1990s. He merged Chinese traditional musical instruments, like the erhu (Chinese fiddle), into this music," says Chen. "It was the last piece that Penderecki finished writing. In between, he also wrote his seventh and eighth symphonies."

Chen also says that the piece was published by the Schott publishing house, one of the oldest German music publishers.

"On the title page, a line saying that 'the music was premiered by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, conductor Yu Long and baritone Yuan Chenye' was printed. We are very proud," says Chen.

At just about 25 minutes, the piece contrasts with his earlier symphonies. Penderecki declared this to be his farewell to the symphonic genre.

"I have spent decades searching for and discovering new sounds. I have also closely studied the forms, styles and harmonies of past eras. I continue to adhere to both principles ... my current creative output is a synthesis," the composer once said.

Another highlight of the Sunday concert was the Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, featuring Julian Rachlin on violin and Sarah McElravy on viola.

In 2012, it was premiered at the Vienna Musikverein with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons, featuring Rachlin on viola.

"I was very lucky to be a close friend of Penderecki's, who was a wonderful, kind, warm and strong man. He knew exactly what he wanted for his music," said Rachlin in Guangzhou before the concert, adding that he first met the composer in 2000.

"I once asked him to write a concerto for violin and viola. Not many composers write for viola. He suggested that I learn his pieces for viola first. Then I spent 12 years learning and playing all his music for viola," says Rachlin, who played in the premiere of Penderecki's Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano in 2000.

Penderecki later wrote and dedicated two pieces to Rachlin, the Double Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra and the Ciaccona for Violin and Viola.

"The composer understood the range and sounds of viola. We cannot think of a better choice than this double concerto. This piece is very meaningful to us," says McElravy, who is Rachlin's wife. The concert in Guangzhou on Sunday was her China debut performance.