TIME LOOPS

Although many composers have tried to prove that the past is not necessary for them, music is full of examples of how tradition and the achievements of great predecessors can be an inexhaustible and current source of inspiration.

For Arvo Pärt, the past became the starting point for the creation of an original musical language. This aged Estonian composer, on the news of the death of Benjamin Britten in 1976, composed a kind of mourning song in which the returning sound of the bell reminds us of the inevitability of passing away. The 50th anniversary of the death of one of the most important British composers of the 20th century is also a great opportunity to recall his music. The piano concerto of 1938 is a brilliant work, surprising in ideas and theatrical expression. It opens with an energetic Toccata, the second part is a sentimental, somewhat sleepy Waltz, and the other — dreamy Impromptu, and the whole is closed by a rhythmic and humorous March. The solo part will be performed by Ignacy Lisiecki — one of the most appreciated Polish pianists of his generation.

The achievements of great predecessors were particularly appreciated by Johannes Brahms. As an avowed admirer of Bach and Beethoven, he faced their legacy for a long time, intimidated especially by the genius of the latter, whose footsteps he heard behind his back whenever he thought of writing his own symphony. The last — Symphony No. 4 in E minor, completed in 1885, is one of the composer's most moving works. There is no glamorous triumph or romantic momentum here; there are: deep reflection, inner drama and extraordinary discipline of construction. One of the most wonderful moments is the final Passacaglia based on a fragment taken from the cantata Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich Bach (BWV 150) — a poignant tribute to the past, which in the hands of great creators becomes part of their own story.

Photo by Igor Andruch