World Music Days in close-up
The World Music Days is a festival organised to perform works by the living composers from all over the world. The event can boast of impressive history. It has been organised since 1923 by the International Society for Contemporary Music, which was established in 1922. The society, which has developed rapidly over the years, has members from 60 different countries, including Poland and the Polish Society for Contemporary Music, which in turn was established in 1923.
Each time, the World Music Days travel to a different part of the world. In 1923, the festival was organised in Salzburg, whereas last year the concerts were evenly distributed between Košice, Bratislava and Vienna. The World Music Days have visited Poland three times so far, and the event was always organised in Warsaw. Wroclaw has been applying for the organisation of the festival for more than a decade.
What's on at the World Music Days
The highlights of the festival include: Sławomir Kupczak's Symphony No. 2 for 100 motorbikes (11 October at the car park by the National Music Forum), Concerto for Two Ships and One Hundred Foghorns by Christoph Schlaeger and Marjon Smit (4 October at Bulwar Włostowica) or the highly controversial opera "Angels in America" Petera Eötvös (3 and 4 October at the Wroclaw Opera).
In order for their works to be performed at the festival, composers sent proposals in twenty-two different categories, including symphonic orchestra, string quartet, multimedia installation and rock band. Wroclaw will host leading contemporary music ensembles,including the world-famous Klangforum Wien and Court-Circuit as well as the Wroclaw-based Sound Factory Orchestra and Lutosławski Quartet.
Works that have qualified tot take part in the festival came from a variety of continents, including Europe (countries such as Austria, Belgium, Flanders, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Faroe Islands), North and South America (Chile, Canada, Mexico, and Miami, Florida), Asia (Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea) and Australia.
Music lovers will be able to attend concerts from 3 to 12 October, and the events will be held at a number of venues, including the Karol Lipiński University of Music, Wroclaw Philharmonic and Wroclaw Opera House, which are also mentioned as the co-organisers of the festival.
Highlights of the World Music Days
The Hungarian composer and conductor Peter Eötvös, whose opera "Angels in America" will be performed on 3 October at the Wroclaw Opera House, is considered to be the main attraction of the festival. However, Wroclaw will also host Krzysztof Penderecki, who is expected to attend the performance of his "Paradise Lost" on 9 October, or Ryszard Krauze, whose "Trap", an opera based on the play by Tadeusz Różewicz, will be staged on 5 October. Fans of contemporary music will also be able to see Agata Zubel and Sławomir Kupczak, a Wroclaw-based composer whose symphony for 100 motorbikes will also be performed at the festival. A live gig from Peaches may also prove to be sensational (10 October at Eter).
Tickets
The majority of events are not available free of charge (ticket prices range from 10 PLN to 60 PLN, the opera is more expensive and will cost 50–200 PLN), but admission is free to those who would like to attend the motorbike symphony and the concerto for two ships and one hundred foghorns. All you need to do is come in advance and take your seat. And open your mind and your ears to musica nova. Because it is worth it!
To access a detailed programme of the event please visit the website of the World Music Days.
Magdalena Talik
