Glass, Kulenty and Kilar

Sinfonietta Cracovia concerts in Muziekgebouw Amsterdam and Chassé Theater in Breda will be the occasion to present the mastery of a leading Polish orchestral ensembles to the Dutch audience.

On 23 October in Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw, chamber musicians from Krakow will present inspiring and acclaimed works of Polish and American composers of the 20th and 21st century, including Hanna Kulenty, Wojciech Kilar, Andrzej Pnufnik, Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

While the concert on 29 October will be a commemoration of the 80th anniversary the of liberation of Breda by the Polish Army. The programme of the concert will be dominated by Polish music composed by Hanna Kulenty, Karol Szymanowski and Wojciech Kilar. Alongside Sinfonietta Cracovia, choirs from Brada will grace the stage as well. The concert will conclude with a piece popular during World War Two We’ll Meet Again, performed by the combined ensembles from Poland and the Netherlands.

The special treat during each of the Sinfonietta Cracovia concerts in the Netherlands will be the premiere of a piece composed by Polish-Dutch composer Hanna Kulenty. Mémoire de Mémoire for trumpet, bass trombone and string orchestra was commissioned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Breda by the 1st Polish Armoured Division under general Stanisław Maczek, to honour this special moment in the shared history of both countries.

In both concerts, Sinfonietta Cracovia will be led by the first conductor of the orchestra, Katarzyna Tomala-Jedynak. The solos in Kanna Kulenty’s piece will be performed by Piotr Majoor (trumpet) and Adrian Gryciuk (trombone).

This year, Sinfonietta Cracovia celebrates its 30th anniversary. In the course of the 30 years of its activity, Sinfonietta Cracovia completed numerous tournées in Europe, China and the US where it had the opportunity to perform the music of Philip Glass in New York, in the presence of the composer himself.

The map of international performances of the Orchestra includes leading concert halls in Europe: Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Konzerthaus, Theatre Mogador in Paris, Saint Petersburg Conservatory and Mariinsky Theatre, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Casa da Música in Porto, Italian theatres in Brescia, Naples and Parma, Teatro Leal San Cristóbal de La Laguna on Tenerife, National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Zurich Tonnhalle, Wiener Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus. Most recent tours (e.g. of Germany, Portugal and Spain) also fulfil the mission of performing lesser known, yet exciting compositions authored by Polish artists. The calling card of the Polish culture during Dutch concerts will be most certainly the pieces of Andrzej Panufnik on the 90th anniversary of the composer, and Wojciech Kilar (in particular Orawa combining the classical form with ethnic sound that has already won over the hearts of audiences from Manhattan to Tenerife).

The tour is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland thanks to support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

The presented concert projects of Sinfonietta Cracovia was possible thanks to an established relationship between the institutions and cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy in Poland, the Polish Embassy in the Netherlands, the Polish Institute in Brussels and Polskie Wydawnicwo Muzyczne. The local government has become the partner of the concert in Breda as well.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) brings Polish culture to people around the world. As a state institution, we create lasting interest in Polish culture and art through strengthening the presence of Polish artists on the global stage. We initiate innovative projects, support international cooperation and cultural exchange. We promote the work of both established and emerging artists, showcasing the diversity and richness of our culture. We also run the Culture.pl portal, a comprehensive source of knowledge about Polish culture.

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