Steve Reich 90th Birthday Celebration Concert

Partner: Yamaha

The concert will be accompanied by an exhibition "Phase Shift / Między dźwiękiem a obrazem"

• Adam Kośmieja - piano
• Mariusz Klimsiak - piano
• Radosław Kurek - piano
• Michał Szymanowski - piano
• Paweł Wakarecy - piano
• Bartłomiej Wezner – piano
   
• Karol Furtak - host

Programme:

• Terry Riley - Keyboard studies nr 1
• Philip Glass - 4 movements for 2 pianos
• Steve Reich - Six pianos

Six pianos on one stage, masterworks by leading minimalist composers, and the rare spectacle of a piano sextet — all this awaits audiences on 5 July at the Concert Hall of the Jordanki Culture and Congress Centre. The opening concert in the Musical Dialogues series will feature compositions by Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year. 

Reich is an American composer, pioneer of musical minimalism, and two-time Grammy Award winner. His composition Six Pianos emerged from the idea of writing a work for every instrument in a piano showroom. The composer eventually abandoned this concept, however, concluding that such a large number of instruments produced an overly dense sound and proved difficult to control. Instead, he opted for a work scored for six pianos, whose distinctive sonority allowed for the performance of fast, rhythmically intricate music while enabling the performers to hear one another with clarity and precision. 

The programme will also include music by Philip Glass, widely regarded as one of the most celebrated, prolific, and influential composers of our time. Although often associated with minimalism, Glass himself has preferred to describe his style as “music with repetitive structures”.  The Toruń audience will hear his Four Movements for Two Pianos. While originally composed for two performers, the work will be presented here in a fresh and innovative arrangement for six pianists. Rather than a single duo, three pairs of musicians will alternate and engage in a musical dialogue.

The programme will also feature Keyboard Studies, one of Terry Riley’s most frequently performed and acclaimed works. “Composed between 1964 and 1965, the two Keyboard Studies perfectly encapsulate the musical language of Terry Riley, a composer and pioneer of musical minimalism. Built from repetitive, hypnotic sound structures based on recurring musical ‘cells’, the works gradually evolve through repetition, overlap, and subtle transformation. Although their processes may appear mechanical, they generate remarkably rich and captivating sonic landscapes, creating shimmering textures that seem to ripple and resonate through space,” explains Adam Kośmieja. The composition was originally written for a single keyboard instrument. “Our performance of Terry Riley’s Keyboard Study No. 1 will be presented in an original arrangement for six pianists and six pianos,” Kośmieja adds.

The piano sextet appearing in the 5 July concert will consist of Adam Kośmieja, Michał Szymanowski, Mariusz Klimsiak, Paweł Wakarecy, Radosław Kurek, and Bartłomiej Wezner. Together, they form a unique piano collective that brings together distinguished artists representing a wide range of contemporary pianistic traditions and performance practices.

Mecenas Główny: Miasto Toruń 
Partner Główny: Samorząd Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego
Dofinansowano z Funduszy Europejskich
Patronat honorowy: Marszałek Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego Piotr Całbecki, Prezydent Miasta Torunia Paweł Gulewski
Mecenas Kultury - Główny Sponsor: PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.
Mecenas Strategiczny: Strabag Sp. z o.o.
Darczyńca: Konsul Honorowy Finlandii w Toruniu - Tadeusz Pająk 
Partnerzy: Pneuma Jarosław Pawlicki, Pirmedia Sp. z o.o., Maciej Zieliński - fotograf, KM Transport Jadwiga Łączyńska, Fisheye Production Marcin Rybicki, MZK w Toruniu Sp. z o.o., Filharmonia Pomorska im. Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego w Bydgoszczy
Partner motoryzacyjny: Toyota Bednarscy
Partner technologiczny: Vobacom Sp. z o.o.
Patronat medialny: TVP3 Bydgoszcz, TV Toruń, Nowości - Dziennik Toruński , Toruń Nasze Miasto, Polskie Radio PiK, POLMIC 
Organizator: Toruńska Orkiestra Symfoniczna Instytucja finansowana ze środków Gminy Miasta Toruń