Chicago Philharmonic 2018-2019

THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY | FALL 2018 17 2018 2019 SEASON: CELEBRATE POLONIA Andrzej Panufnik (1914 -1991) Tragic Overture (1941) Sir Andrzej Panufnik was a leading Polish composer and conductor of the 20 th century and played a vital role in the re-establishment of the Warsaw Philharmonic a er the devastating e ects of World War II. Panufnik lived in Warsaw under the Nazi regime during the war, risking his life to perform underground piano duets with friend and fellow composer Witold Lutosławski. During this di cult time, he composed his famous Tragic Overture. Just months a er the piece’s premiere in 1944, Panufnik lost his only brother Mirek in the Warsaw Uprising. Soon a er, all of his compositions, including the Tragic Overture, were destroyed in the res of the burning city. Despite the a ermath of the Warsaw Uprising, Panufnik reconstructed Tragic Overture from memory a er the war and dedicated the piece to his brother. Panufnik wrote the following notes regarding the overture: Tragic Overture was composed in Warsaw in 1941 under the in uence of the fear and horror of our daily life, and my agonizing sense of worse things to come. Tragic indeed was the fate of Warsaw - in 1943, the Nazi destruction of the Ghetto, and in 1944 the Warsaw Uprising, when the Russian Army, right close to the city gates, passively watched the Germans systematically attening almost the whole of Warsaw, killing over a quarter of a million defenseless Polish men, women and children. During this uprising, I lost my Tragic Overture together with every note of music I had ever composed in my rst thirty years of life. However, Tragic Overture being my most recent work, with its structure very deeply engraved upon my mind, I decided to reconstruct it immediately a er the war, and to dedicate it to the memory of my only brother, a valiant member of the Polish Underground Army, who fought and lost his life in that tragic Uprising. Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860 -1941) Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 17 (1889) In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt dubbed Ignacy Jan Paderewski a “modern immortal”, a tting title for the in uential Polish composer, pianist, diplomat, politician, and philanthropist. His career as a virtuoso pianist began with a concert debut in 1888, and he quickly rose to fame, aided in part by his dashing good looks and formidable stage presence. His musical reputation also opened the door for a career in politics. As an international Polish advocate, Paderewski played a pivotal role in Poland’s independence by securing vital support from the United States. He later brie y held the position of Prime Minister in Poland in 1919. Paderewski’s Piano Concerto debuted in 1889, conducted by none other than the famous conductor Hans Richter, to immediate success. In his later tours, Paderewski o en played the Piano Concerto to great critical and popular acclaim. He composed the piece in the style of a traditional 19 th century piano concerto, beginning with an Allegro movement inspired by Polish folk music. An Andante second movement provides contrast with a lovely slow melody passed between solo piano, violin, and cello parts. e sweeping third movement begins calmly and quickly turns into a fast- paced, enchanting nale. e famous music critic Jan Kuczyński wrote: “Paderewski’s work has beautiful themes, full of warmth in the rst part, poetic in the romance and packed with passion in its nale; the orchestra is o en combined with the piano in witty combinations whereas the solo instrument is conducted exquisitely." Celebrate Polonia supported in part by Łukasz Krupiński Piano In September 2016, pianist Łukasz Krupiński was the winner of the 7 th International Piano Competition in San Marino, and the winner of all contest prizes: the Audience Award, the Music Critics Award, and the Orchestra Award (September 2016). He has been a nalist of the International Competition of Ferruccio Busoni in Bolzano (2017) and the winner of International Piano Competitions in Aachen and Hannover. In October 2015 Łukasz found himself in the prestigious group of the best 20 pianists of the 17 th Frederic Chopin Inter- national Piano Competition. His debut album, Espressione, was released in January 2017. e CD was inspired by his musical travels to Italy with works of Haydn, Chopin and Scriabin and received excellent reviews at Pizzicato Magazine, MDR Kultur, Radio Luxembourg, and Radio France. Krupiński has given numerous concerts in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Belgium, France, Norway, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, China, South Korea, Australia, and the USA. He is a two-time laureate of the "Pro Polonia" Foundation Award (2013, 2014), the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prize for remarkable artistic accomplish- ments (2013, 2014), the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship (2015), and Krystian Zimerman Foundation Scholarship (2015). In 2016 he was honored with a Commemorative Medal of Frederic Chopin University of Music in recognition of artistic achievements. e pianist has won numerous prestigious prizes and awards at international piano competitions, including the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Competition of Slavic Music in Minsk, Belarus, 2011 (First Prize and Special Award), the 2 nd Chopin Siberian International Piano Competition in Tomsk, 2013 (Grand Prix and two Special Awards), Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship Competition 2014 (First Prize), the 46 th Polish National F. Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, 2015 (Second Prize), the 15 th International Piano Competition 2015 of Chopin-Gesellscha Hannover (First Prize), and the ClaviCologne International Piano Competition 2016 in Aachen (I Prize). Born in 1992 in Warsaw, Poland, Krupiński is a graduate of the Frederick Chopin University of Music in Warsaw under the supervision of Professor Alicja Paleta-Bugaj and Dr. Konrad Skolarski. Currently he is a student of Professor Arie Vardi at Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media. Photo by Bruno Fidrych