Premiere of Erēmōs for trumpet with live electronics and string orchestra by Martyna Kosecka at 11. Festival of Premieres, NOSPR, Katowice, Poland.

What is the individual in the face of the oppressive majority? Is it possible to find shelter where it is impossible to live? Do we perceive life today as a gift? Modern music reflects many of our current fears and concerns. During this concert, signals, quotations, transformations and new contexts will intertwine with the spiritual dimension of music.

Krzysztof Wołek in Bellows Breath Concerto uses a broad understanding of the meaning of breath. The composer uses this symbol of life and emotions, but also a sound carrier, in the work both as a form-creating element and as a metaphor for the fight for individual rights within systemic limitations. An anxious mood also dominates Martyna Kosecka’s composition, inspired by war events in the Western Asia region. Erēmosto is a wild, abandoned place where it is impossible to live. The music shows the subsequent phases of the threat and becomes a call for help. Krzysztof Knittel will present a unique suite of quotations using the re-use method, in which old songs are combined with the contemporary sound of a string orchestra. And where does this mysterious title come from? ka makana o ke ola is Hawaiian for “gift of life.” Musical images from life will be complemented by Jacek Domagała’s Prelude and Chorale – a two-part piece leading the listener from dense texture to spiritual calm.

Program:

Krzysztof Wołek – Bellows Breath Concerto for accordion and string orchestra

Martyna Kosecka – Erēmos for trumpet and string orchestra

Krzysztof Knittel – ka makana o ke ola for string orchestra

Jacek Domagała – Prelude and chorale for string orchestra