Polish contemporary music magazine NO. 1(8), JULY 2009 | ISSN 2080-4598 The music of Paweł Mykietyn In between pastiche, deconstruction and great narration by Marta Szoka Photo: P. Krzakiewicz/visavis.pl Photo: P. he decade and half after Witold ten refers to music that interprets other mu- CONTENTS: Lutosławski passed, the situation of sic. According to Adrian Thomas who said: T new Polish music could be diagnosed “Mykietyn’s ability to bring fresh insights 1-4 PAWEŁ MYKIETYN as a time of strong polarization; polarization to found material […] gives his instinct for th creates history between an ostentatious return to the 19 humour, parody and deconstruction an ex- 1 5 NOWAK and KOWALSKA century aesthetics on the one hand and post- tra edge” , there are two significant variants joined PWM Edition modern playing with different sources on of composer’s method: parody and decon- the other. This partition did not necessarily struction. The best examples one could find 6 PENDERECKI – REBELLION coincide with the turn of generations. in his early pieces include: La strada combin- AND LIBERATION. New book by Paweł Mykietyn represents the genera- ing romantic harmony with baroque rhyth- Mieczysław Tomaszewski tion of 1970s. The spectacular beginning of mics, and U Radka (At Radek‘s) with the in- his career at the age of 22, and many presti- fluence of jazz idioms and repetitive music. 8 MIECZYSŁAW KARŁOWICZ – gious prizes, made him the most significant But sometimes irony gives way to nostalgia, composer, photographer Polish composer of the young generation, as in Eine kleine Herbstmusik or Piano Con- and mountaineer worthy to become a successor of K. Pende- certo, both with clear allusions to the music 10 Interview with recki and H. M. Górecki. It is very difficult to by Paweł Szymański. Also Epifora (a kind of PAWEŁ ŁUKASZEWSKI characterize the music of the composer who “romantic nostalgia”) is a piece quite typical has not yet turned forty, who still remains of this composer’s method. Then, a “baroque 12 KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN “permanently searching”. But let’s consider nostalgia” unfolds in the piece 3 for 13. It is plays BACEWICZ the problem of locating Mykietyn’s output a three-part structure for 13 performers based 13 EVELYN GLENNIE marking out two poles, defined conventional- on elements typical of baroque music as: or- premieres “Drum of Orfeo” by ly as “deconstruction” and “great narration”. namentation (part II), tonal cadences (part I), Marta PTASZYŃSKA From the very beginning it has been clear that to Mykietyn musical postmodernism of- continued on page 2 14 Celebration of POLISH MUSIC in CANTERBURY quarta • July 2009 { editorial } { personality } continued from page 1 research in the area of sound is quite specific Dear Readers, since I am still interested in traditionally com- melodic sequences (II, III) or polyphony (II). prehended harmony”.4 Symphony No. 2 is just We are pleased to present a new issue So called pre-composition – in this case it is an example of such a way of harmonic think- of QUARTA – a magazine about PWM a hypothetical fugue – has been transformed ing. There are tonal chords with penetrating composers’ activities and the musical into pointillistic (part I) or homophonic tex- microtonal harmony, long minor sequences life we are living every day. In bringing ture. Although the tonal harmony of the part often based on an ostinato, and a sort of ten- QUARTA back to life after a long silence, I is defracted and baroque motorism swells sion being a result of linear expansion of the we decided to make it full color, to refl ect into repetitive technique, the basic model of sound substance. Especially, it is worthwhile in form and substance the truly colorful baroque style has been only smashed, not to pay attention to very sophisticated orches- Polish music. destroyed. Mykietyn does not devastate mu- tration with elements of space-composing, sical styles and idioms of the past music; he dynamic and sonoristic ideas. In the course Last year we were ear-witnesses to just places them in an alternative system. of this work Mykietyn did not use any ideas a remarkable success of Paweł Mykietyn, Also his next important piece, Shake- of deconstruction, nor did he deform any id- who won the prestigious OPUS Award speare’s Sonnets from 2000, is very close to this iomatic qualities of the symphonic genre into for his Symphony No. 2. The two concept. Mykietyn in general is very appre- parody. On a contrary, he entered his name performances of his Passion after ciated as an author of theatrical music.2 After into a Mahlerian “building of the world”, St Mark inspired critics call him a direct several years of theatrical experiences, his ex- into the great symphonic heritage.5 successor of Witold Lutosławski and tended knowledge of narration techniques, Also his Passion after St Mark confronted Krzysztof Penderecki. We believe that the the role of gesture and sense of timing in dra- modernity with the rich history of the genre. articles from the fi rst section will help you matic art have been put into good use in his In his vision, however, Mykietyn has been understand the enthusiastic opinions on autonomous music. His only opera (so far) independent. Among contemporary works Mykietyn’s music. entitled The Ignoramus and the Madman com- based on the Passion theme, after Penderec- bines elements of classical opera with the ki, whose St Lukas Passion is regarded as one 2009 is an important year regarding aesthetics of the 20th century surrealistic art. of the most important contemporary piece,6 two outstanding composers who made The musical material in Shakespeare’s Sonnets after Sofia Gubajdulina, after Tan Dun rep- a strong mark on the history of the is also derived from different sources, but resenting the non-European perspective, or Polish 20th century music: 100 years ago the elements of deconstruction and pastiche even after conceptual Sankt-Bach-Passion of Mieczysław Karłowicz tragically died in have been reduced here in favour of the nar- Maurizio Kagel, Mykietyn’s Passion seems to Tatra Mountains and Grażyna Bacewicz ration principle. be most closely affiliated with the extremely was born. For a few days the musical past The piece Ładnienie of 2004 sets the individual, ascetic music of Arvo Pärt. Al- and future were symbolically overlapping. poem by Marcin Świetlicki that is opposed though Passion is the first religious work of We decided to show a different face to Shakespeare’s love sonnets. It represents Mykietyn, on the purely musical level we of Karłowicz, who was not only the a poetry of extremely private expression, of find the continuation of the composer’s ideas composer of wonderful symphonic poems, the experience of the contemporary world’s presented in his earlier works, now devel- but also an outstanding mountaineer, and absurdity and destruction. Formally it is very oped and synthesized with new impulses. a great photographer. chary, coarse, rough, stripped of stylistic and poetic grandeur. Mykietyn has created here In the following pages you will also fi nd an unusual atmosphere of claustrophobia, Excerpts from the paper presented at the conference an excerpt from the newly released with diluted narration of time, quasi non- “Polish Music since 1945”, Canterbury, April/May book by Mieczysław Tomaszewski about substantial sound and very slow tempo. 2009 Penderecki, an interview with Paweł The text of the poem is articulated in a very Łukaszewski, who told us about his goals, special way, extravagantly, remaining for 1 A. Thomas Polish Music since Szymanowski. England and avant-garde music, as well a long time on singular words, syllables, or Cambridge 2005, p. 319. as information about recent premieres, even phonemes. Instrumental intermezzi 2 Mykietyn collaborates with Krzysztof Warli- events, recordings of Polish music, between successive stanzas are also based kowski (more than 20 performances), Grze- new PWM publications and repertoire on the special current of time, with micro- gorz Jarzyna, Piotr Cieślak and others. recommendations. tonal sound quality and dissipated energy of 3 A. Kwiecińska W co gra Paweł Mykietyn? “Ruch syntax. Although the composer explained in Muzyczny” 2007, no. 10, p. 7-8. Bogusław Schaeffer – who celebrated an interview of 2007 that “the sound experi- 4 A. Kwiecińska, op. cit. this year his 80th birthday – wrote once: ments are not a dominant factor to me, nor at 5 As A. Chłopecki in his article Pawel Mykietyn’s “New music, and particularly music of the the moment, neither in the past”,3 Ładnienie Opus, means Symphony No. 2 (published in composers who are ahead of their time, undoubtedly belongs to his most aestheti- “Ruch Muzyczny” 2008, no. 17/18) diagnosed: cannot count on a multitude of listeners, cally radical works. This work proves that it is still possible in Polish on full concert halls – it can count In the same interview with Mykietyn one music to write symphonies after Lutosławski (p. 8). though on the little group of those who could find another statement: “At present my 6 Hans Vogt, Neue Musik seit 1945, p. 359 are interested in it, no matter for what reasons”. We hope that the reading of QUARTA will be one of those reasons. Mykietyn’s Symphony No. 2 This work proves that the Polish symphony after micro – and macro durations, speeding up and *** Witold Lutosławski’s III (1983) and IV (1992) can slowing down, by audio-analogy with the famous ANNIVERSARIES 2009 still exist as a fundamental worldforming genre. strip by August Ferdinand Möbius […], Paweł Without postmodernist irritations, without hol- Mykietyn builds the world of his symphony. […] Zygmunt NOSKOWSKI 1846–1909 low disbelief in great narrations, but with traces It’s obvious.