The protagonists of the concert are Olivier Messiaen and his compositions Préludes, La Fauvette passerinette (Polish premiere and the third ever performance in the world), Fantaisie and Poèmes pour Mi. But the supporting cast is just as important: we will also hear Krzysztof Penderecki’s Miniatures, Zbigniew Bujarski’s The Fear of Birds I and Marek Stachowski’s Miroir du Temps. The concert Olivier Messiaen and Cracovian Composers reveals how all those musical paths intertwine. On 10 December at the Jagiellonian Library, coinciding with the opening of the exhibition Olivier Messiaen’s Music in Poland, we will hear Andrzej Tatarski (piano), Barbara Borowicz (clarinet), Dominika Peszko (piano) and Aleksandra Zamojska (soprano).
Let’s remember that during the Second World War, Messiaen was taken to the prisoner of war camp at Zgorzelec (Görlitz), where he composed his acclaimed work Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time). One of the most important chamber compositions of the 20th century, the piece inspired Polish composers to explore other works by the French musician who became an important influence on their work.
