EUYO honours Lutoslawski

The EUYO: photo courtesy of the orchestra

The award was bestowed in recognition of the composer’s commitment to developing the musical talents of future generations.

The orchestra’s marketing manager Alix de Mauny has told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that thanks to his international prestige, Lutoslawski had the unique possibilities to contribute to the development of a new generation of musicians and it was thanks to his financial support that numerous Polish musicians could study abroad under the guidance of the best teachers.

The prize was inaugurated at Wednesday night’s concert of the EUYO at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw. Its programme included Lutoslawski’s Symphonic Variations, as well as works by Ravel, Stravinsky and Francis Poulenc.

The ensemble of 119 musicians from 27 EU states was conducted by its Music Director Vladimir Ashkenazy. The concert was one of numerous events marking the Lutoslawski Year, the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

During its visit to Warsaw, the EUYO’s first in Poland since 2003, the orchestra accepted into its ‘family’ 18 talented Polish musicians.

In an interview for Polish Radio in 1990, Witold Lutoslawski said: "As fate provided me with some possibilities to do it, I try to share what I have, all the more so that there are people who are in need." (mk)