Krzysztof Baculewski "Subjective Annals 60 Editions of the Festival"

This Festival was dominated by concerts in memory of Witold Lutosławski, who had died on 7th February of that year. During the first concert, apart from Preludes and Fugue and Funeral Music performed by Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Jan Krenz, we heard Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the solo parts in Partita and Chain II. The second 'Hommage à Lutosławski' included ten compositions for various instruments, dedicated to the memory of Lutosławski, by various composers including Per Nørgård, Elliott Carter, Iannis Xenakis, Toru Takemisu; the programme opened and ended with Lutosławski's works: Epitaph and Grave. ere was also another commemorative concert, in memory of Roman Haubenstock-Ramati (who had died in the spring of that year) performed by Klangforum Wien. Oriental avour was provided by two large-scale spectacles presented by Jean-Claude Eloy, with music inspired by the cultures of Japan (Erkos and Butsumyôe), India (Anâhata and Yo-In), but also Greece (Sappho Hikètis). Bogusław Schaeffer made an appearance - this time as a pianist in his own composition (Congruences). The 'Warsaw Autumn' also organised a 'trip' to Łódź, where the Łódź Grand Theatre staged Krzysztof Penderecki's opera Ubu Rex, under the baton of Antoni Wicherek. The German ensemble musikFabrik NRW made its debut; there were performances by the Norwegian Cikada Ensemble and the Sicilian Zephir Ensemble.