Czyż and Penderecki – the end of the affair, part 1 (of 2)

I feebly try to resist: “I’m not sure if I know how to describe this objectively, truthfully, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings…” …

“Well, thanks to The Passion I entered the great stages of the world. I had a fantastic first appearance in London (first Royal Festival Hall, then Albert Hall) and at Zirkus Karajani with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Hedwigschor. I had already ‘ticked off’ Paris, Rome and Madrid by myself earlier in my career.”

“And what about him?”

“He had performances of his Passion always presented as great events – later, no one would guarantee him that. Curiously, Karajan only once tried conducting one of his pieces, a small one. And that was it. If he hadn’t started conducting himself later on, I’m not sure his career would have ever…”

“But in the beginning he couldn’t conduct.”

“They wouldn’t have let him. They let him do it only once he had become a big name in composing… And they forgave him the abysmal quality of his first steps. He was left handed to boot! But later his conducting improved…” …

“And how did you two meet?”

“I was fascinated by his Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. He heard on the radio my performance of it with the Budapest Philharmonic and said he liked it very much. I thanked him. But sonoristic experiments aren’t enough. Only when I recorded his film music to Kaplica Zygmuntowska and Pamiętnik znaleziony w Saragossie did I realize that he was a composer who could do practically anything. So I was sincerely happy when after one of my concerts he came over and said:

‘Henryk! You are the greatest Polish conductor, and you are going to conduct the first performance of my Passion.’

‘Why thank you.’ I replied, ‘Coming from the greatest Polish composer, that’s quite a compliment!’

‘Teehee!’ I heard Lutoslawski’s characteristic, delicate, subtle laughter. He was standing beside me. He had come especially to Cracow then, because it was a PWM anniversary and I was conducting (now I remember!) his Postludes…’” …

“After that came the Passion’s run of luck: it was performed practically all over the world, from Berlin and Rotterdam to San Giorgio in Venice, from London’s Albert and Royal Festival Halls to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. It was sensational, lots of successful performances, films, recordings, awards – a lot has already been written about it. Afterwards, the composer proposed that I should conduct at the Devils of Loudun world premiere in Hamburg. Without thinking, I agreed. I only realized what I had got into when I read the libretto. I was dumbfounded, I didn’t like it. I don’t mind dirty but I detest it when it gets mixed with anything sacred. My contract with the Hamburg opera stated that I would be presented the full score and reduction by February 1st (the world premiere was scheduled for June) – I decided to take advantage of this. The work had not been completed on time, so I informed both the composer and Hamburg that I was backing out. After that I received an insistent invitation from Rolf Liebermann (director of the Hamburg opera) who was asking me to come over immediately. A plane ticket and apartment reservations at the exclusive Park-Hotel were attached. I decided to go.

‘Please, reconsider the whole matter.’ said Libermann, ’You can back out without any consequences, it would be all according to contract. But this is the inauguration of the SIMC Festival. Everything has already been advertised. You are a specialist in this music, I won’t find a replacement now. I would have to call everything off. Here, take a look at the composer’s contract. If he does not present the work on schedule, he has to pay 50 thousand marks in retribution. I hear you two are friends. Please think this over.’”

(Henryk Czyż Pamiętam jak dziś, Warszawa: Tryton 1991, p. 134-136)

Second episode of this two part series coming up soon. Perhaps today evening, or tomorrow – but definitely within the coming two weeks…