Folk symphonically

Thursday Concerts, symphonic — Lutosławski's Little Suite, Part II of the Third Symphony by Weinberg and Krzesana Kilar performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Krzysztof Urbański.

Krzysztof Urbański, photo by Bartek Barczyk

There are sounds that were not born for concert halls, yet have found their way into the world's greatest orchestras and the most outstanding conductors. When folklore and symphony meet in the music of Wojciech Kilar, Mieczysław Wajberg or Witold Lutosławski, it is difficult to remain indifferent.
All three composers were fascinated by traditional music — its severity, rhythm and primordial energy. From simple motives they were able to build sounds of enormous impact, sensual, disturbing, at times almost trance-like. No wonder Kilar's work resonated so strongly with cinema. Can you already hear the seeds of ideas from the legendary music to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula in Krzesany? The work grows gradually — from short, austere motifs to a monumental phrase of almost physical intensity. Folklore escapes aesthetic frameworks here. It is an element enchanted by the repetitive rhythm and energy of dance. The original rite hidden in the sound of the orchestra.
Mieczysław Weinberg's Symphony No. 3 in B minor Op. 45 is a beautiful musical story about longing and hope. The second part of this monumental work, Allegro giocoso, is a serene, danceable celebration of Polish folk tradition. The composer, thrown by history far from his native Warsaw, thus returned to the land of his childhood, seeking spiritual refuge there.
Lutosławski's small suite pulsates with movement and color. Danceable and light, it creates a space that evokes a world away from the urban rush — communal, immersed in nature and the rhythm of daily rituals. In this music, however, there is an extraordinary precision of construction and a characteristic sonic imagination of the composer.
Under the baton of Krzysztof Urbański, this repertoire acquires a special intensity — fresh, dynamic and devoid of museum distance. Music does not reconstruct tradition. It brings out its modern strength.

Maria Peryte

Witold Lutosławski's Little Suite and Wojciech Kilar's Krzesany Symphonic Poem come from the catalogue of the Polish Music Publishing House.