Programme

The finals of the 8th Krzysztof Penderecki Composers Competition is a unique evening during which you will listen to the music of our times in the interpretation of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra “Sopot” conducted by Rafał Janiak. Four compositions selected at the first stage of the competition will be presented to the audience for the first time. Then three awards will be granted: AUDIENCE AWARD (individual voting cards will be distributed at the beginning of the concert), ORCHESTRA AWARD and JURY AWARD. In anticipation of the results of the competition, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra “Sopot” will play the String Orchestra Concerto of Grażyna Bacewicz: a composition which reflects the diversity of orchestral colours with extraordinary energy and virtuosity. It has been included in the repertoire to refer to the tradition of Polish music of the 20th century and provide a context for contemporary composer quests. The most important point of the evening will involve the performance of four final compositions, which delighted the jury with their original musical language, innovative approach to form and sound, as well as distinctive artistic vision. This is the meeting with music created here and now, which explores new ideas and emotions. The Finals of the Composers Competition are the celebration of contemporary music and a unique opportunity for discovering new talents.

The universe enters the earth: at night on 29 June, the Forest Opera will become a portal to audio galaxy of sounds, which will combine the classics of film music with modern sounds. The Space Odyssey is a concert that will take listeners to unknown orbits of imagination. The first part of the concert will be filled with the electrifying energy of Motion Trio, which will unwind an accordion in an unobvious way: like a cosmic machine generating sounds from other worlds. The band, known of their virtuosity and experimental approach to music, will open the evening in the atmosphere full of pulsating rhythms and celestial melodies. Their works will take you for a trip through space and time, and the instrument in their hands will become a vehicle that will take the listeners outside the limits of imagination. In the second part of the concert, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra “Sopot” conducted by Szymon Morus will take the audience for a film trip with John Williams’ music, which does not need to be presented. Star Wars, Harry Potter, E.T.: suites from these unforgettable films at their full symphonic best will create epic pictures in the listeners’ minds. This is the music that will evoke images of galactic battles, mysterious plantes and magic worlds. Two different musical perspectives: one breaking patterns and the other combining tradition with monumental film sounds, will meet on the same stage. The Forest Opera will become a bridge between the real world and the world existing solely in sounds.

For sure there is no place in the world where a man would travel with greater pleasure than to Italy.
With those words, Joseph Addison commenced the account of his trip to Italy, where he travelled only several years before Haendl. And although the idea of travelling did not originally arouse such enthusiasm in young Haendl, undoubtedly his visits to Florence, Venice, Rome and Naples played a key role in the development of his creative personality. Thus, do not let the German text of Barthold Heinrich Brockes’ poetry, used in the cycle entitled Neun deutsche Arien HWV 202-210, which was created already in London between 1724 and 1727, mislead you. The musical style of those works does not differ from Italian works of the same period. Although the arias are not included in a wider narration, they, similarly to solo fragments of Rodelinda or Julius Cezar, enrapture the audience with their melodiousness, sense of harmony and natural, however moderate, expression. Haendl’s instrumental works are also maintained in the Italian style. In Trio Sonata in G minor, HWV 387, the inspiration with Arcangel Corelle’s works is clearly heard. Similar influence is present in the sonata in D minor, HWV 281. Although this four-part composition meets the scheme of a so called sonata da chiesa, the fast part following the solemn Adagio makes us think about the dancing rhythm of gigue, which is unsuitable for the church.

Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska 

The family spectacle, which will take the youngest and adult audience to the magical world, full of cosmic miracles, where friendship, love and values are more important than any distances. Owing to the combination of speed sand painting, light and water effects, the story of the Little Prince revives in an extraordinary way. Each element of the spectacle absorbs children in unforgettable visual sensations, which arouse their imagination. It will be performed by the Sand Theatre of Tetiana Galitsyna, which combines art and theatre in a brilliant way by creating spectacular images in front of the audience. The Little Prince is not only a story about a little boy from a different planet. This is also an emotional tale about things that are really important life: friendship, love and respect. 
Come to admire this extraordinary spectacle and make your child remember this cosmic story of the Little Prince forever!

Recommended for children of 4 and above. 
Duration: 60 minutes without interval. 
The spectacle uses stroboscopic lights.

In music, like in the space, borders are only an illusion. Atom String Quartet is inviting you to discover new sound universes, where classics meets improvisation and each composition is another galaxy of sounds. Each work is a musical phenomenon, where rhythm, harmony and chaos meet together and create unexpectable sound spaces, where sounds, like stars, appear and disappear, creating a live and dynamic space. This is the music without borders, searching for new undiscovered cosmic horizons all the time.

You must not miss the final concert of the 15th edition of the NDI Sopot Classic Festival. In the Forest Opera, two tremendous musical galaxies will meet: masterpieces of opera and a symphonic monolith. On the stage there will appear one of the most eminent contemporary artists, SeokJong Baek, whose voice brings a new dimension to each aria. Baek can move the audience by the depth of emotions and his performances on the greatest opera stages of the world are the proof of his extraordinary talent. And that is everything. Exciting opera arias will be followed by one of the most surprising works of the 20th century: Planets by Gustav Holst. This symphonic suite is an extremely colourful and dynamic travel across various features of each planet. Each piece is a separate story: full of dramatic tension and sophisticated orchestration. Holst created a composition which, although set in the tradition, remains fresh and fascinating. All the pieces will be performed by the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra “Sopot”, which, conducted by its artistic head Szymon Morus, guarantees excellent interpretation and full sound involvement. The evening will satisfy not only enthusiasts for classics, but those who search for space and magic in music, as well.