Wratislavia Cantans invites you to an extraordinary meeting with 20th-century music. The programme for this evening features a poignant religious work of Olivier Messiaen, who was also esteemed as a charismatic teacher. One of his pupils was the author of Uru-Anna, Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil.
Messiaen's composition shows, on the one hand, shows that the composer was boldly searching innovative voices and, on the other, illustrates the mysticism resulting from the artist's philosophical fondness. What is more, among unusual interests of the composer was the study of bird singing (which he was analyzing in his notebook during walks) and the Japanese and Hindu music culture. At the age of twenty-three, Messiaen became an organist at the Trinité parish church in Paris, which is probably why religious music plays prominent part in his work. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum (“And I await the resurrection of the dead”) , created in the 1960s in the memory of the victims of two World Wars, is among the compositions inspired by Christian tradition. This extremely emotional piece is divided into five parts, each beginning with a motto from the Bible.
Messiaen influenced the music of the twentieth century like no other. Among his students were: Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen or Iannis Xenakis. Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil – a well-known artist who has been leading the composition class at the Wroclaw Academy of Music – has also attended classes conducted by the composer. Her musical fresco Uru-Anna perfectly corresponds with the religious work of the French master. As part of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, these extraordinary pieces will be performed together by the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic conducted by Marzena Diakun, one of the top Polish conductors, this year's Polityka’s Passport award winner in the category of classical music.
