Polish contemporary music magazine NO. 2(9), DECEMBER 2009 | ISSN 2080-4598 “With these despised and rejected wares…I will load my modest pack” A conversation with Mikołaj Górecki Christopher Cary Photo: M. Makowski usic undoubtedly flows through How does Mikołaj Górecki fit in? How do you CONTENTS: the veins of Mikołaj Górecki. characterize your musical philosophy? MGiven his last name, one might 1-3 Interview with think that the son of Henryk Górecki I will use here words of Leonardo da Vinci MIKOŁAJ GÓRECKI carries a great weight on his shoulders. which I find perfectly fitted to my think- This is simply not the case. While following 4 “KING ROGER” ing: “Because my predecessors have already on European stages in his father’s compositional footsteps, taken as their own all useful and necessary Mikołaj is clearly his own man. A synthesist themes I will do like one who, because of 6 SZYMANOWSKI rather than a specialist, he is writing his poverty, is the last to arrive at the fair, about CHOPIN music his own way…music that engages and not being able otherwise to provide diverse contemporary influences while himself, chooses all the things which others 8 ZBIGNIEW BUJARSKI remaining profoundly respectful of the have looked over and not taken but refused – composer and painter past. This unique composer has been as being of little value. With these despised 10 Remembering living a life secluded from the currents of and rejected wares…I will load my modest ZYGMUNT NOSKOWSKI musical life in contemporary Poland, and pack”. yet he remains intimately connected to 12 SCHAEFFER’S “Electronic Mass” his heritage and comfortably aware of the This is an intriguing artistic premise! What are some at the Polish Music Festival legacy which he perpetuates. And he is of the ‘wares’ to which your philosophy refers? 12 London Sinfonietta premieres continuing his family’s musical legacy in a “Dark Haired Girl...” remarkable fashion…. What are my wares? Well… first of all, I by Aleksander NOWAK have great respect for composers from the Many diverse compositional trends characterize past. I do not understand the arrogance of 13 ZYCH: the new face contemporary Polish art music. Living in the United at PWM Edition States, you are unique among Polish composers. continued on page 2 quarta • December 2009 { editorial } { interview } Anniversaries are good moments to ask ourselves: continued from page 1 press the invisible, touch the unknown. But how much have we changed? How far have we it should not be forgotten that other types of come? What have we achieved? Have we used some critics or composers who despise, for music are also needed. Bach composed not our musical heritage properly? Anniversaries also example, everything what was written be- only Masses and Passions but also gigues, bring us a sense of pride about the accomplish- fore the Second Viennese School. When they minuets and gavottes. ments of musicians who are dear to us, and they hear a major chord they immediately see it allow us to look to our musical future with great- as an old-fashioned and insignificant musi- What, then, is the greatest artistic challenge facing a er understanding and heightened anticipation. cal gesture. They are forgetting that it is not composer in our contemporary world? We have reserved several pages in QUARTA to the device which a composer uses that is im- commemorate the contributions of composers portant, only how the device is used. Many I believe that the lack of the artistic need for whose lives and works are woven into the very people are not seeing the fact that the same expressing beauty is a main problem of con- fabric of our Polish cultural heritage. They simply sonority – c, e, g, – may have totally different temporary art. This need alone makes a piece cannot be forgotten. meanings in different contexts. This sonor- of art beautiful even when devices applied On the eve of the Chopin year, we decided to ity was used by Palestrina, Bach, Beethoven, by the artist in a given piece are not neces- present an intriguing excerpt from Karol Szyma- Wagner, Messiaen and others and each time sarily considered by the majority of society nowski’s writings about Chopin. Almost 90 years it had a completely new sound quality. Obvi- as beautiful (Chopin’s modulations or Wag- ago the ‘father’ of contemporary Polish music ously, everyone would agree that Beethoven ner’s works were received by their contem- analyzed the cult of Chopin as a national hero. uses a C major triad in a different manner poraries as bizarre and even ugly). The need The cover interview introduces our readers to than Messiaen. My point is that there is not of expressing ugliness in art as such, with- Mikołaj Górecki. Like Paweł Mykietyn (the sub- always a need of inventing something totally out a reference to its polar opposite, beauty, ject of our last cover story), Mikołaj was born in new to be original. Sometimes is enough to worked well 50 to 80 years ago but not to- the year 1971...but the two composers are very look at the things which we already have, day. different in their aesthetic orientation. Mikołaj is but to see them in a new light. the son of one of Poland’s most renowned com- Some composers explore a certain technical or posers. How much does he resemble his father? What else do you have in your ‘modest pack’? Do musical device for a period of time and through Just look at the picture. How much alike does you have other thoughts about music that you use several pieces, while others seem to set new chal- his music sound? We hope that the interview will as guiding compositional principles? lenges for each piece. How do you characterize intrigue you enough to check for yourself. your approach? You will also fi nd a review of the recent stagings I do not accept the division of music on tonal of King Roger in the present issue. Szymanow- and atonal. There is only one music. The rest I see myself, as a composer, in a constant ski’s opera in its provocative new dress is the is just a different approach to the use of over- musical journey. Each day, month or year subject of a captivating discussion. tones. The history of music follows a pattern brings new discoveries, new reflections and And, in the kaleidoscopic pantheon of contem- of overtones very closely. Today we live in sometimes disappointments. Writing a piece porary Polish music, Zbigniew Bujarski holds a time when the human ear is already ca- of music means to make constant choices; by a unique place. Renowned as a composer and pable of distinguishing very subtle nuances choosing this harmonic/melodic/formal solu- visual artist, his works are inspiring and breath- from the upper portion of overtones, where tion I refuse dozens or hundreds of others. taking every time they are presented. Just have we find pitches which produces halftone, That is the hardest part of writing for me. a look.... quartertone clusters. But we should not for- In our time there is no ‘mainstream’ style in get where these quartertones, clusters, etc., music, as it was in 18th or even 19th Century, *** come from. As a comment on the side, I want so there is no help from society in that re- to mention here a little episode from Schoen- spect. Today almost everything is acceptable ANNIVERSARIES 2010 berg’s life. When the Italian premiere of his which is horrifying to me. From the most Fryderyk CHOPIN 1810-1849 Pierrot lunaire was approaching, Schoenberg banal, vulgar musical styles to almost com- Henryk WIENIAWSKI 1835-1880 was trying very hard to invite Puccini to plete musical anarchy, there will be always a Roman MACIEJEWSKI 1910-1998 the premiere. The opinion of Puccini about critic or musicologist who will praise this or Andrzej KRZANOWSKI 1951-1990 Pierrot was important to Schoenberg! To me another movement/style. Włodzimierz KOTOŃSKI b. 1925 that fact from Schoenberg’s life was a revela- Józef ŚWIDER b. 1930 tion. For many critics, theorists and compos- What can a composer do about this? Romuald TWARDOWSKI b. 1930 ers today that is simply an insignificant epi- sode and even a ridiculous one. The only hope resides in an inner intuition. I believe that there is no single prescription PWM Edition has signed new agency That is a very revealing historical anecdote! for good music today. It is possible to write a agreements with Schott Music GmbH, good piece using diatonic language and it is SEEMSA and Gehrmans Musikförlag. I also believe that the individual personality also possible to write good quartertone music These publishing houses are PWM’s hire of an artist/composer is much more impor- using the most advanced techniques. In that agents in following territories: tant than certain stylistic movements. It is sense I am very open-minded. This attitude • Schott Music – Germany and Switzerland, usually an individual name which makes a of mine is reflected, I think, in my music. It • SEEMSA – Spain and Portugal, given movement significant. Without that, is a ‘risky’ artistic attitude which may lead to • Gehrmans – Sweden and Denmark non- movements alone are just empty words (e.g. certain confusions among listeners, because exclusive. the style brilliant from the 19th Century would some of my pieces are written in quite con- At the same time PWM Edition became the be almost completely forgotten without the trasted languages. However, I prefer this agent of these publishers in Poland as well early works of Chopin).