The composer and orchestra conductor Krzysztof Penderecki is a man with a sober character. Several experiences with music in Venezuela, or with Venezuelans in other countries, have made him change that sobriety for a near-excess emotion. And it happened to him again on June 20. One of his greatest desires came true: to bring the “Simón Bolívar” Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel to Poland, his native country. And his eyes sparkled like crystal shining when José Antonio Abreu announced the creation of the first “Krzysztof Penderecki Choral Symphony Festival”, next year.

After a concert at the Grand Theater of Warsaw in which the Venezuelans made the audience stand –in a country known for being so demanding that they have left the theater without applauding, maestro Abreu said: "We came to salute the people and the youth of Poland, and this great master (on Penderecki) of contemporary music, who has given our children the immeasurable gift of his art”.

So there are no words to thank this master. Because of this, next year we will have in our country a gathering of choral symphony like never before: the Penderecki Festival of Venezuela, with the participation of our children, youth, and professors, to pay him a much-deserved tribute. This festival will extend to all Latin-America and the Iberia, with the performance of several pieces by this master, especially his homage to Chopin, which will be a great honor to sing", added maestro Abreu.

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Gira Europa SJVSB. Gran Teatro Nacional de la Opera. Varsovia - Polonia. 20-06-2010. Fotos: Fesnojiv.

Penderecki showed his gratitude for the opportunity to go to Venezuela since the 1960’s. Besides praising the performance of the “Simón Bolívar” Orchestra and the achievements of El Sistema, he added that he wants the Venezuelans to return to Poland in 2011.

Just minutes before he was one of the 1,700 attendants giving a long ovation at the execution of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The first part of the concert included a Latin-American repertoire composed of Margariteña, by Inocente Carreño, and Dances of La Estancia Ballet, by Alberto Ginastera. These are the pieces that the orchestra has brought to their 2010 Europe Tour. Leonard Bernstein’s Mambo sounded in Poland for the first time and the audience was elated by it, after having three repeats.

On Monday, June 21, the Venezuelans will fly to Athens, Greece to play four concerts. One with the full orchestra, one with the brass ensemble, and the other two with the “Simón Bolívar” Flute Ensemble and the “Simón Bolívar” Strings Quartet.

On Thursday, June 24, they will participate in the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada, their last stop in a tour that has taken the name of Venezuela to other cities like Gothenburg and Stockholm (Sweden); Oslo (Norway); and St. Petersburg and Moscow (Russia).

Translated by Rolando Betancourt