A prominent Polish musicologist from Krakow, professor Jerzy Stankiewicz (Jerzy Stankiewicz) will hold a lecture in Podgorica, today in the Multimedia Hall of the Cultural and Information Center (KIC) "Budo Tomović", at 19 pm.
The topic of the lecture is "New Aspects of the Creation of the End of Time Quartet" Olivier Messiaen - compositions created during his imprisonment in the Stalag VIII A camp in Gorlic, and are being realized as part of the KIC music program.
"With this exclusive lecture, we return to Olivier Messiaen's masterpiece, through the research work of musicologist Jerzy Stankiewicz, following the notable concert performance of "Quartet for the End of Time" held at the KIC at the end of January," the organizers point out.
After the lecture, a screening of the 2006 French documentary film “Le charme des impossibilities” (The Charm of the Impossible, 2006) by director Nicholas Buonaventure Vidal, produced by “Les Films du Rat”, “Gloria Films” and the National Audiovisual Institute, France. The original version is in French, German and Polish, with a translation in English.
“This documentary music film illustrates the hypotheses about the creation of Olivier Messiaen's 'Quartet for the End of Time', in late 1940 and early 1941, in the Stalag VIII A prison camp in Gorlice (today in Poland, in Zgorzelec in Lower Silesia). It presents the testimonies of people who participated in the events: composer Olivier Messiaen, non-commissioned officer Zdislav Nardeli (post-war director of the Krakow radio station of Polish Radio and a prominent creator of Polish radio theater), three musician-interpreters and French prisoners of war. The shocking facts and thoughts about imprisonment in the camp, events from everyday life, their cultural activities and attempts at the impossible are presented,” the description emphasizes.
The musicians explore the possibilities that existed in the winter conditions in the camp for the first performance of the work, which took place on January 15, 1941 in Gerlitz.
“The film features prominent French soloists during a concerted reconstruction of Messiaen’s work at the famous Cistercian monastery of Clairvaux in Champagne: violinist Directed by Paskie (whose uncle was a cellist Etjen Paskije, participant in events), clarinetist Paul Meyer, cellist Rolan Pidu and a pianist François-Rene Dichabl. "Messian's composition, written in a Nazi prisoner of war camp, is today widely recognized as a masterpiece of 20th-century music and is performed on the stages of the world's greatest concert halls," announced the KIC.
The poignant film invites thought, carrying a message of hope and faith in the sustainability of fundamental humanistic values. It has been shown throughout Europe and the United States.
Stankiewicz is a musicologist and historian, professor emeritus and president of the Polish Composers' Union, Krakow branch, and since 2022 he has been appointed a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. He specialized in musicology and compositional analysis at the Paris Conservatory in Olivier Messiaen's class in 1977.
He remained in close contact with his mentor and created a series of programs dedicated to him on Polish Radio and initiated the performance of his works in Poland. He researched the creation of the “Quartet for the End of Time” during the composer’s captivity in Gorlice, the connection with the activities of Polish prisoners of war in this camp and the reception of his music in the modern world. He also wrote a text about the film. At the end of the colloquium “Olivier Messiaen in Tula, 1940” he received the Gold Medal of the City of Tula and the title of Honorary Citizen.
He studied at the universities of Warsaw and Kraków, as well as in Italy (Palermo and Bologna), and then in Paris at the National Conservatory, where he studied in the class of Olivier Messiaen as a scholarship holder of the French government. From 1994 to 2014, Stankiewicz was the president of the Union of Composers, Kraków section, and the artistic director of the International Kraków Composers' Festival, and the initiator of the premiere performances of Messiaen's works at Polish festivals. Thanks to him, 30 works by Messiaen were premiered in Poland.
His knowledge of contemporary Polish music and Messiaen's work has earned him the title of Honorary Professor in Ukraine, awarded by the Higher Conservatories in Lviv and Kiev. He has published articles on this topic in several languages, as well as the book "Olivier Messiaen. Man and Artist in Stalag VIII A in Gorlice", and has presented his recent research at lectures around the world.
Bonus video:
