Conversation with Professor Andrzej Kosendiak – Artistic Director of Wratislavia Cantans

The Lost Paradise [?]

Since its inception, Wratislavia Cantans has stood in contrast to reality. And although the world has changed dramatically over the past sixty years of its existence, today the festival has an important task to fulfill. In times of divisions, music should be a space for understanding. The artistic director, Andrzej Kosendiak, talks about the power of art, musical paradises, and the program of the jubilee 60th International Festival Wratislavia Cantans.

Jakub Kukla: You have been associated with the International Festival Wratislavia Cantans named after Andrzej Markowski for many years. However, this year you are leading the event for the first time as artistic director. Does this significantly change your perspective?

Andrzej Kosendiak: Indeed, I have been connected with the festival for a long time. Initially, I was an audience member – I remember some concerts to this day. It has always been a very important event. In 1991, I first performed at the festival, and then, in 2005, I took on the role of its director. The connection between Wratislavia Cantans and the Wrocław Philharmonic led to the creation of the National Forum of Music, and since then I have been leading the whole. And now I have become the artistic director.
So, I know the festival well from different perspectives – this latest one is somewhat of a challenge. I feel a responsibility for the shape of Wratislavia, for its present and future. I would also like to draw attention to how, earlier, when Paul McCreesh and then Giovanni Antonini were the artistic heads, I participated in programming the festival events. Especially Giovanni felt the need to discuss repertoire, guiding themes, and artists he wanted to invite. I valued these exchanges of ideas highly as an expression of trust. This year's festival is in a sense a transitional stage because its guiding theme is co-authored by Giovanni. During these discussions, we agreed that in 2025 the motto will be The Lost Paradise [?]. This is a kind of link that shows that changes are occurring in a fluid, evolutionary way.

JK: We will return to The Lost Paradise [?], this year's theme, but first I would like to ask about the overall concept of the festival in the third decade of the 21st century. When Andrzej Markowski created Wratislavia Cantans, reality looked completely different: there were no CDs, music was hard to access, and borders were tightly closed. Without exaggeration, we can say that Wratislavia became Poland's window to the world. Over the course of six decades, our country has changed dramatically. How do you envision the festival's impact today?

AK: At that time, there was no tradition of organizing musical events outside concert halls. Markowski, formulating the festival's assumptions, embedded it from the very beginning into the fabric of the city and began organizing concerts in churches. This was a phenomenon at that time. Religious music was not welcomed by the authorities in the official repertoire of artistic institutions. The fact that concerts took place in historical interiors was in contrast to reality. It is true – we did not have recordings, there were no CDs in the current form, such repertoire was not included in the program offerings at all. Wratislavia Cantans was a new, inspiring, and moving phenomenon on a national scale. Now everything has changed: essentially, you can invite any artist, and no one is surprised that concerts take place in the most diverse spaces.
So indeed, times have changed. But I think that the essence of the festival remains its form. Vocal-instrumental music, the human voice, and works based on text are the elements that distinguish Wratislavia Cantans from other cultural events and festivals in Poland and Europe. This form is very important because it is specific on one hand, while on the other, it offers enormous possibilities for building the festival program each year in a different way.

JK: Over the years, it has also changed that today you have at your disposal one of the best concert halls in this part of Europe. Does this not weaken the motivation to keep going outside? How do you resist the temptation to simply organize all events in the NFM spaces?

AK: Yes, we waited for this hall and hear the difference. Back in the 1970s or in the first decade of the 21st century, the main venue for the largest, most important festival events was the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene. It is well known how imperfect the acoustic conditions are there. Some musical works performed in that interior unfortunately lose a lot, especially music from the Classical period and later. The large reverberation meant that many important nuances were missed. Of course, there was sentiment, but concerts that do not have to take place in sacred spaces are realized in the concert halls of the NFM, where ideal acoustic conditions prevail. Of course, we do not completely give up on historical interiors.

JK: The theme of this year's festival is The Lost Paradise [?]. Besides references to Milton, is it also a reaction to current events in the world? Increasing tensions, conflicts, the war ongoing for another year at our eastern border...

AK: If we talk about the motto, I allowed myself a certain commentary on John Milton's poem. It concerns the question mark placed in parentheses. Is it really paradise? And is it lost? In Milton's work, there is a particular scene: Satan and his companions are cast into hell. At one point, Satan wakes up in a sea of fire, stating that he is still himself. The fact that he has lost paradise does not mean that he becomes someone else. He still feels great power. He also utters the significant words: the mind is something so powerful that it can turn hell into paradise and heaven into hell. I think this could also be the key to understanding this year's message: this fragment of the poem shows that man unfortunately often brings hell to earth. But it also happens that he reveals his greatness and can build paradise here.
Music, to a lesser extent than theater, responds to the emotions and reflections that arise from ongoing events. Nevertheless, I think that it also – albeit from a slightly different perspective – must somehow relate to what is happening around us. Some works directly comment on this reality. For this year's festival, we commissioned a piece from Zygmunt Krauze. His Requiem is not a mass in the strictly liturgical sense. On the contrary, the music is based on poetic texts that relate to reality. The work was dedicated to the most innocent victims of wars – children. We are halfway through the third decade of the 21st century, and still so many defenseless beings are deprived not only of childhood but often also of life in conflicts that plague our world.

JK: Commissions for composers are a long and important tradition of Wratislavia Cantans. We will return to contemporary music, as there will be more of these threads. But the festival begins with a strong classical accent – works by two of the three Viennese classics: Mozart and Beethoven. The Coronation Mass, that is, Mozart in full creative force, and Beethoven's Symphony in E-flat major “Eroica.” What dictated such a choice?

AK: One could say that these are musical paradises. The fulfilled perfection reveals itself in every measure of both works. But history also shows that the hopes that Beethoven associated with Napoleon – a man who was supposed to become a providential man for contemporary Europe – ended with the transformation of a potential hero into a tyrant. So on one hand, musical perfection, and on the other – the imperfect reality.

JK: After the compositions of Mozart and Beethoven, the music of another genius – Bach – will also be heard. The Art of Fugue is the last great work of the Leipzig cantor. An unfinished piece, for an unspecified instrumental ensemble. How do you envision the sound of Die Kunst der Fuge?

AK: This is a concert that I will personally conduct. I have orchestrated this piece using three quartets: string, viola, and wind. There are also two harpsichords. This piece was not intended for performance – Bach wrote it as a certain thought, a certain compositional idea, which also gives a lot of space for the performer to realize their vision of this work. For me, it is, alongside the B minor Mass, the peak achievement in the field of vocal-instrumental music. It is indeed musical paradises. And I don't think they are lost.

JK: The festival will also feature Théo Langlois de Swarte – a brilliant French violinist, a rising star in the performance of early music, who will be accompanied by lutenist Thomas Dunford. The artists will perform at the Museum of Mr. Tadeusz. Please tell us something about this interior. And of course about the music they will bring to Wrocław.

AK: It is a small room in one of the tenement houses in the Wrocław Market Square. We have already organized concerts there; for example, there was a harpsichord recital by Gustav Leonhardt. That was one of those events that will always be remembered. The intimacy of the place allowed us to observe the artist up close, and the sound of the harpsichord resonated in all possible colors. We want to continue this tradition by organizing concerts there. This interior can accommodate several dozen people, and you sit close to the artists. I think that such a combination, like violin and lute, will fit perfectly into this space. The story told through the works of English composers will touch on unfulfilled love. This is a theme that is very close to the festival's guiding thought.

JK: Let's stay with love, because there will also be a Song of Songs in the most recent arrangements of early composers from Silesia, Germany, England, and even Iceland. Will Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennet and her ensemble Peregrina debut at Wratislavia Cantans?

AK: Yes. And I am very pleased about that. Again, we have a vision of paradise that people can bring upon themselves. There is no more beautiful poem about love than the Canticum Canticorum. I have recently encouraged Giovanni Antonini to invite Polish artists as well. This year we will host, among others, Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennet, but also Andrzej Szadejko from the Goldberg Ensemble and the musician Pucklitz.

JK: Essentially, from the very beginning of the festival, early music has coexisted with the latest compositions. In this context, I am interested in what Agata Zubel will do in the NFM building, along with the artists accompanying her – here, the building itself will probably play a certain role?

AK: This event will consist of two parts: it will start in the NFM foyer and continue in the concert hall. It confirms what we have already discussed, that Wratislavia is very diverse music, which is an important element and strength of the festival. I would like to maintain this, as it turns out that similar themes have stirred artists before and occupy them today.

JK: Integrating architecture into musical events has already happened here. It was the case, for example, during the inauguration of the NFM, when music flowed from above, from individual balconies onto the stage. Or during the Musica Polonica Nova festival, when the entire NFM building was treated as a stage. This is, of course, a fascinating topic, but returning to the festival program. We must also mention the giants, as Charles Dutoit will visit Wrocław, and the soloist during his concert will be Martha Argerich, who has already played at the NFM some time ago. Did she leave you with a sense of longing, and did you decide to invite her again?

AK: The arrangement of the program is one thing, but it is not always possible to invite specific artists, as, for example, agreeing on dates turns out to be impossible. Various elements come into play. The story with Martha is symptomatic. We had a proposal for a concert by this artist with the orchestra from Monte Carlo precisely during the festival dates. We talked first with the agent, then with the musicians. Of course, we would have loved to invite them, but the program must somehow relate to the festival theme – and that was a problem, because the orchestra goes on tour with a specific repertoire. However, I set the condition that it must be music with the participation of a soloist or choir. Finally, discussions took place with the conductor; he began to ask about Wrocław and the choir with which the orchestra would perform. When he heard that it was about the NFM Choir, he replied that he knows and appreciates this ensemble – they had collaborated once at NOSPR – so he changed the program. And then the idea was born to perform Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, in which both the choir and Martha Argerich will perform.

JK: Speaking of giants, Sir John Eliot Gardiner will also appear in Wrocław – an artist whose name is strongly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This time he will not conduct the works of the Leipzig cantor, but, to the surprise of some listeners, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. What dictated this choice?

AK: If Gardiner has been to Poland, it has exclusively been in Wrocław. It is wonderful that he will perform here again, and we will once again be able to enjoy his mastery. It is also in a sense a return from private hell. As for the program, the second piece – The Walpurgis Night, touches on the history of paradise. Of course, this is not a Christian vision, but that makes it all the more interesting, as there is room for such stories here.

JK: In his own way, Christoph Eschenbach's arrival in Wrocław was also a return from hell. He was born in Breslau, lost his closest family here during the war, and now, as the head of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, closes the festival with Wagner's music. Whose idea was that?

AK: It is his concept. Of course, it was discussed, as we also had other options. Parsifal is a very significant piece that closes this year's Wratislavia Cantans. I am glad that Maestro Eschenbach has returned and is working with our orchestra. We have agreed that he will also find time to conduct the Wrocław Philharmonic during the festival. This year, there will be a lot of large symphonic works intended for large ensembles, which the audience loves. As a counterpoint to the large concerts, there will be small pieces – very delicate, intricate, for small ensembles. I am looking at this program now and starting to like it very much.

JK: We mentioned that times have changed dramatically. It seems to me that today, when music is available at any moment, what distinguishes festivals and live performances is the opportunity to meet and experience art with others. All the more so because community is a phenomenon that we sorely lack today. Is this a task for festivals?

AK: I would broaden this. I observe it during festivals, but also simply during the season: there is a deep hunger for a sense of community in us. We would like to feel like members of a community, but we often jump at each other's throats, which social engineering experts help with: they use every pretext to divide people, because it is easier to rule them then. And we certainly need a common bond, and I think that music has an extremely important role to play here. I would like the NFM to be a place where before and after a concert, one can meet and talk, not only about music. That is why I plan to bring philosophers together during Wratislavia Cantans – it will be a discussion around the festival's main slogan.

JK: Do you foresee any new elements?

AK: Yes – soon we will announce a competition for a program for artists, let’s say, of the younger generation. They will be able to perform during the festival, but first, they must prepare a program proposal related, of course, to the main theme of this year's Wratislavia. According to preliminary arrangements, there will be two ensembles that will play three or four concerts. On one hand, I am a supporter of single artistic leadership – the festival has never had an artistic council; at the same time, however, I would like to ensure a certain space for ideas that young generation artists will present to us.

JK: Young vocalists and instrumentalists have long been involved in festival activities. I mean a choral course...

AK: There will be that too, and this year the course will be led by Lionel Sow – the artistic director of the NFM Choir. But during the festival, there will also be a second orchestra conference, to which we invite representatives of ensembles from all over the world. I am glad that we will be discussing the future of artistic ensembles here. See you in Wrocław and in Lower Silesia.

Jakub Kukla – journalist of Program 2 of Polish Radio, collaborates with Polish Radio 24, publishes in 'Ruch Muzyczny' and 'Plus Minus'