Running from November 17 to 25 in Warsaw, the festival seeks to promote the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern European countries, a melting pot of rich culture and complex history.
The festival, which debuted in 2018, celebrates the musical traditions of countries from the Balkans through to the Baltics. It aims to enhance recognition of the cultural significance of the region's deep musical heritage.
This year's theme showcases the beauty of folk music, and its role in building national musical identities.
The Chairman of the Eufonie Programme Board, Mieczysław Kominek, has stressed the influence of folk traditions in Polish music, particularly in the 19th century.
The Eufonie Festival also looks to remember and celebrate the work of past significant composers and musicians from the region.
The 2023 lineup features a diverse repertoire linked to folk traditions, including pieces rarely performed in Poland, and world premieres, reflecting the festival's characteristic multi-nationality and stylistic variety.
Notable attendees this year include composers Mikołaj Górecki and Eric Sessler from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
The opening concert promises to be a spectacular performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, featuring Edward Elgar's Polonia symphonic prelude, composed in 1915 at the request of Emil Młynarski, co-founder of the Warsaw National Philharmonic, and dedicated to Poland's early 20th-century pianist and statesman Ignacy Paderewski.
On Saturday, the National Philharmonic will see a performance, by Łukasz L.U.C. Rostowski, of the music for the critically acclaimed Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman film The Peasants.
The Hover State Chamber Choir, founded by Armenian conductor Sona Hovhannisyan, will sing significant choral works by Armenian composers such as Komitas and Vache Sharafyan, while one of Poland's leading jazz bassists, Michał Barański, will present his recently released Masovian Mantra, which combines jazz, Polish folk elements and Indian music, and won the Album of the Year in 2023.
The festival will pay special tribute to Krzysztof Penderecki, one of Poland's most revered composers, by presenting the complete two-part version of his Utrenja on November 25, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of his birth, involving around 230 musicians.
Over its nine days and 14 events, the festival will showcase an array of some 700 musicians from 12 countries, including seven orchestras, three choirs, nine conductors, and 12 soloists.
Rafał Wiśniewski, Director of the National Centre for Culture and the festival, claimed the Eufonie Festival to be unique and the largest of its kind in the world, in terms of its repertoire and genre diversity.
The full program is available on the festival's website.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP