Poland, Warszawa

Lutosławski Polish Radio Studio

‍

Artists

/Marcin Świątkiewicz - harpsichord, conductor
Arte dei Suonatori Orchestra

‍

About the Program

What fuels the musical imagination of composers and how the work of one influences the compositions of others is often very difficult to determine. And although tracing the sources of these mutual relationships is a source for scholarly debate, there is no doubt that the music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a musical stimulus and source of inspiration for subsequent generations of composers. In orchestral music, he left a lasting, innovative mark of his compositional style. From his symphonic output, 18 works have survived, which were created over 35 years. Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart certainly knew and appreciated his works, and the latter reportedly called him the "father" of the music of his time. C.P.E.'s style, which eluded the convention of the time, although based on a solid monument of knowledge he received from his father, represented a break with the past that occurred in very few moments of musical history. In the pages of his compositions, music moves directly towards the emotionality of Romanticism, which his contemporaries aptly described as "sentimentalism" (Empfindsamkeit). The presented symphonies come from the period of his 30-year service to Frederick II of Prussia. The composer, although constrained by the taste prevailing at the imperial court, developed an "innovative" style of musical expression, whose most characteristic features are affects, feelings, and deep expression, while also showcasing virtuoso brilliance.

The Early Music Festival – Persona Grata is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund under the "Music" program implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.