“Contemporary music (art), frequently overlooked, forms an essential part of our existence; it is a crux of culture as art which belongs to us, in contrast to other forms of art, created in the past for people living in different eras, sensitive to other forms of expression and perceiving art in a wholly different context,” says the conductor Wiktor Kociuban. He also draws comparisons between art and dark matter: invisible, existing only hypothetically yet apparently responsible for holding the Universe together. It’s no accident, then, that the series of concerts featuring orchestral and operatic works from the 20th and 21st centuries resounding across Poland is titled Dark Matter(s).
In Kraków, the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre hosts a multimedia concert on 19 December: we will see and hear (featuring 3D Audio technology) world premieres of works by Polish composers Piotr Peszat and Paweł Mykietyn. The visual setting is provided by Grzegorz Mart, illustrating Peszat’s The Artist’s Way for symphonic orchestra, audio playback and video, and Mirosław Bałka who has prepared the stage settings and video for Mykietyn’s latest stage work Herr Thaddäus for electronics and symphonic orchestra. The Beethoven Academy Orchestra is led by Wiktor Kociuban, with the recorded voices of Lukas Konieczny (bass) and Barbara Sieroslawski (recitation) featuring in Herr Thaddäus. (Barbara Skowrońska)
Piotr Peszat The Artist’s Way (2017) for symphonic orchestra, audio playback and video, video – Grzegorz Mart
Paweł Mykietyn Herr Thaddäus (2017) for electronics and symphonic orchestra in spatial arrangement, set design/video – Mirosław Bałka
Beethoven Academy Orchestra
Wiktor Kociuban – conductor
recorded voices (Herr Thaddäus):
Lukasz Konieczny (bass)
Barbara Sieroslawski (recitation)
