Krzysztof Meyer’s 80th Birthday


A versatile composer, perfectly au fait with the styles of music old and new. His remarkable erudition, intuition and curiosity helped him to master the features of musical language from different epochs. Hence we find in the oeuvre of Krzysztof Meyer both works based on twelve-note technique and symphonies in the style of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, deceptively similar to works by the Austrian genius. He began composing as a child, then honed his skills under the guidance of Krzysztof Penderecki, Nadia Boulanger and Witold Lutosławski. His special relationship with Dmitry Shostakovich led Meyer to write a monograph, translated into a dozen or so languages, and to finish one of the Russian composer’s operas.

During this concert to mark Krzysztof Meyer’s eightieth birthday, we will hear his Musica festiva for organ and orchestra. This composition was commissioned by Łodź Philharmonic for the orchestra’s centenary, and its first performance came in 2015. The original score required the participation of two organs, which makes it impossible to perform in most of the world’s concert halls. Fortunately, foreseeing that difficulty, the composer also prepared a version with ‘only’ one organ, which will be performed in the concert in Warsaw.

Bartłomiej Gembicki