Gabrieli, Bach, Strauss... We often mention the names of composers forgetting that they sometimes belonged to different individuals not always related to one another. We should bear this in mind when someone brings up the name Górecki. Henryk Mikołaj or Mikołaj? The relationship between these two composers assumes at least two forms: father/son and master/pupil. Their close bond is evident in the fact that after his father’s death, Mikołaj Górecki decided to complete the works left unfinished by Henryk Mikołaj (as indeed their composer had anticipated). During this concert of music by the two Góreckis, the father’s output will be represented by Three Pieces in Old Style, written more than half a century ago, inspired by music of the Polish Renaissance. But the programme is dominated by works composed by Mikołaj Górecki over the last three decades. These will also invoke music of the past, albeit the much closer past than in the case of his father’s composition. The reference point for all these works will be the string orchestra, although there will also be solo instruments, as in the Concerto-Notturno, popular among violin virtuosos, and the Accordion Concerto, performed this evening for the first time.

Bartłomiej Gembicki

The premiere performance of the Concerto for Accordion and Strings by Mikołaj Górecki has been co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland within the programme ‘Composition Commissions’ implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.