Polish Government will mow Penderecki’s lawns

Polish Government will mow Penderecki’s lawns

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norman lebrecht

May 16, 2019

An agreement was signed in Warsaw yesterday under which the Polish state will take over the management of the composer’s 30 hectares near Lusławice.

Krzystof Penderecki, 85, and hs wife Elzbieta live in an 18th century manor house with a huge arboretum of 1,800 trees and shrubs, bought from private owners in 1974. They also manage the European Center for Music on five hectares donated by the State Treasury to Penderecki.

Mow here.

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    Good for him. To have to mow that all on your own, at 85, is a hughe undertaking.

    For the Polish, music is an important symbol of national identity, since there is not much else to speak of, given its awful history of occupations. The Polish nation is an idealistic idea, much more intense than in a W-European country. The Chopin cult is an example. Penderecki appears to have made his fortune with awful, utterly indigestible state-subsidized modernist music, and when he had settled, he turned towards the tonal tradition and began composing anew. Ironically, that would have been the style as instructed by Soviet authorities, but now he was free. So, there are two Pendereckis and the second is a real one.

    • Ricardo says:

      I find those early pieces very cool 😀

    • Max says:

      Who hurt you?

      • John Borstlap says:

        The second Penderecki is a true talent, with lots of impressive music….. showing that tradition and tonality are never exhausted. It is a great achievement to first be so much involved in the 20C ‘avantgarde’ and then, to reject it all so totally and drastically.

  • “They also manage the European Center for Music on five hectares donated by the State Treasury to Penderecki.”
    FYI it is the other way around! The Center for Music was donated to the State Treasury by Penderecki already several years ago, i believe.

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