Symphony Concert 7.11.2026 at 18:00

Concert Hall / Symphonic Saturdays 4 subscription, Golden Saturdays (formerly D2, Z2)

Performers:
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Christoph König - conductor
Timothy Ridout - viola

Programme:
Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil - Polaris for orchestra (world premiere, commissioned by the National Philharmonic for its 125th anniversary) [16']
Grażyna Bacewicz - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra [19']
... intermission [20']
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67 [33']

The evening opens with the world premiere of Polaris by Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil - a work commissioned by the National Philharmonic to mark its 125th anniversary. A student of Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, and Iannis Xenakis, the composer has developed an idiom she calls "ecomusic": the art of shaping form through timbre and the movement of sound structures, inspired by the experience of nature. As she puts it: "Composing is thinking in sound for me".

Grażyna Bacewicz's Concerto for Viola was created at the initiative of Stefan Kamasa and became the composer's last solo concerto. The delicate orchestration allows the viola to fully display its noble timbre while simultaneously "challenging" stereotypes about the instrument's use. The world premiere took place in 1969, after Bacewicz's death - with Stefan Kamasa and the National Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Witold Rowicki. The soloist recalled his work on the Concerto: "In March 1968 I received the third movement. I was so absorbed in this music over the following year that I didn't notice when I had learned my part by heart. All the more painfully did I experience the news of Grażyna Bacewicz's death...".

The second half of the evening features Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67. The four-note opening gesture - one of the most recognizable in music history - becomes the seed of the entire dramatic structure: from its lapidary energy, Beethoven builds an expansive form, leading the narrative from the drama of the first movement to a luminous finale.

Piotr Maculewicz