International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra 2022 in Berlin

The final concert of the 10th edition of the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra. ILYO is a unique educational project and Poland's first fully international youth orchestra. Every year, the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin invites young, talented musicians from all over the world to participate in orchestral workshops under the watchful eye of respected instrumentalists and teachers. It all started in 2013 when we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Witold Lutosławski – undoubtedly one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. We then decided to open the doors of our Philharmonic to young musicians and give them a chance to gain invaluable experience in playing in a real symphony orchestra. From the very beginning, we wanted it to be an international orchestra because we believe that music knows no boundaries and that its repertoire includes works of contemporary music. This year, young instrumentalists have met for the tenth time. On the occasion of the jubilee edition of the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra, not one symphonic concert will be played, but two! The first will take place in the main hall of the Berlin Konzerthaus and the second one in our golden hall. What about the program?

Bianca da Molena, Op. 6 Symphonic Prologue to the drama The White Dove by Józef Nowiński by Mieczysław Karłowicz – the patron of our Philharmonic in Szczecin. Karłowicz studied in Berlin from 1895 to 1901, and one of the works that is the result of these studies is Bianca de Molena. The piece was inspired by a drama written by Karłowicz's friend – Józefat Nowiński. We chose it not only because of its sonic qualities, which the composer himself described as far from the old-fashioned school of orchestration, but also because it is a youthful piece by Karłowicz, who was only 24 years old at the time of its creation. Thus, youth is the link between the composer, his work and the participants of this year's edition of the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra.

We could not do without the work of the patron of our youth orchestra – Witold Lutosławski. This year, young instrumentalists will play the Cello Concerto, composed thanks to the inspiration of Mścisław Rostropowicz. It is the composer's first solo concert. As in the case of Symphony No. 2 (1966-67), the form of the work is entirely independent of classical patterns, but at the same time, it is a typical instrumental concerto, in which neither the orchestra nor the solo instrument dominates one another, but compete with each other, according to the meaning of the word concertare.

During the performance of this piece, the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra will be accompanied by an excellent young soloist Marcin Zdunik ... read more.

And finally – a real symphonic hit of the 20th century, namely, the Concerto for Orchestra in F minor, Sz. 116, BB by Béla Bartók. The piece was written in the outstanding Hungarian composer's late period of work. Performed for the first time on December 1, 1944, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, it almost immediately won the audience's hearts. Unfortunately, however, the great success of the work did not change the life of the composer himself, who, forgotten, died in poverty just a year after the piece's premiere. Musically, this work is a bridge between two eras: rooted in the tradition of the first half of the 20th century and the avant-garde of the post-war times.

The Concerto for Orchestra does not lack the composer's traditional Hungarian, Romanian and Czech melodies. Bartók also draws from the musical heritage of America as well as from impressionist works by Debussy and expressionist compositions by Schoenberg. As befits a concert, the instruments are treated as a soloist. In fact, the piece is a five-movement symphony.

Interestingly, in the fourth movement, Bartók made a parody of Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" by Dmitri Shostakovich. He had a bad opinion of it, just like Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Ironically, this Shostakovich joke became the most recognisable theme of the work. Bartók's concert for the orchestra itself became one of the greatest philharmonic hits of the twentieth century.

This ambitious repertoire of the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra will be performed under the baton of the outstanding Azerbaijani conductor and director of the Baku National Opera – Ayyub Guliyev ... read more.

We cordially invite you to this extraordinary concert.