12. „POLISH 20th AND 21st CENTURY MUSIC”

The 20th century and the early 21st century in Polish music is an incredibly diverse period, full of musical experiments, which, in spite of the difficult political situation contributing to a slowdown in the development of many disciplines, including music, haveled to the creation of new techniques and styles. For the composers of that era, the inspiration came from many sources. On the one hand, they drew from the romanticist tradition, impressionist paintings and folklore, on the other – from expressionism, with the attempt to create modern means of expression with classical balance, formulating the neoclassical style along the way, or moving towards atonality, which wrote off the prior order of sounds completely. The music of the 21st century goes against traditional aesthetic conventions in many dimensions, including melody, rhythm or chord progressions. This is precisely the reason why this concert’s programme is unique, because it connects all of these elements in an unusual instrumental line-up, and the composers whose works have been included are a symbol of Polish culture in the contemporary musical world.