In The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives, the trumpet persistently returns with its question and the answer is (not) given by the flutes. In John Adams’ minimalist, trance-like Shaker Loops, the oscillating buzz of instruments conveys the image of circles spreading on water. Aaron Copland’s Quiet City, on the other hand, draws a portrait of a big city dweller alone in the crowd. If we were to bode the future from the works of these 20th-century American composers, we would have to predict an uneasy year. Fortunately, the New Year’s concert by Sinfonietta Cracovia will also feature the soothing sounds of Danse sacrée et danse profane and suites from Claude Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande. The good fortune will also be carried by distinguished guests: trumpeter Jakub Waszczeniuk, harpist Adrian Nowak and conductor Lee Reynolds, who will once again head the Kraków orchestra.
Charles Ives The Unanswered Question
John Adams Shaker Loops
Aaron Copland Quiet City
Claude Debussy Danse sacrée et danse profane
Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande – Suite (arr. Lee Reynolds)
Jakub Waszczeniuk – trumpet
Adrian Nowak – harp
Sinfonietta Cracovia
Lee Reynolds – conductor
