• Szmytka and Zubel (+) at Huddersfield

The programme of this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (20-29 November) has just been announced and the opening day’s concerts feature music by two of Poland’s most distinctive composers, Agata Zubel (b. 1978) and Jagoda Szmytka (b. 1982), all UK premieres (*).

At 18.00 on Friday 20 November, Zubel will sing her Not I (2011)* with Klangforum Wien, under the baton of Clement Power.  The recording of their performance of this Samuel Beckett text won the top award at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in 2013 and is the title track of Zubel’s Kairos CD (2014).

At 21.30 the same evening, three of Szmytka’s pieces are included in the programme of The Riot Ensemble’s HCMF debut: GAMEBOY (2014)*, skype-me, type-me (2011)* and empty music (2014)*.  Seven of Szmytka’s works were issued on her ‘bloody cherries’ Wergo CD (2014), including skype-me, type-me.  

For the full impact, all of these works need to be seen, so hie thee to Huddersfield in eight weeks’ time!

Update (9 October)

Now that the full programme is available, I can add the following events involving Polish composers:

• Saturday, 21 November – Tomasz Sikorski (1939-88): Autograph, Zerstreutes Hinausschauen, Echoes 1-4
• Sunday, 22 November – Robert Piotrowicz (b. 1973): Grund*, Apendic*
• Monday, 23 November – Jagoda Szmytka: Pores Open Wide Shut*
• Monday, 23 November – Księżyc
• Monday, 23 November – Zbigniew Karkowski (1958-2013): Fluster*
• Tuesday, 24 November – Zbigniew Karkowski: Form & Disposition*, Studio Varèse*
• Friday, 27 November – Zbigniew Karkowski: Field*
• Saturday, 28 November – [Tomek] Mirt: Solitaire*
• Saturday, 28 November – Maja S K Ratkje: In Dialogue with Eugeniusz Rudnik*