Details of the entire project of the World Music Days festival are still under discussion, but one thing is for sure. On October 11th, the car park between the Opera and the National Music Forum (Narodowe Forum Muzyki) will host the very first performance of the 2nd Symphony by the Wroclaw composer Sławomir Kupczak. The work has been composed for electric guitar, drums, electronic instruments and 100 motorbikes (a solo for one of the motorcyclists with acrobatic features is also planned). Enthusiasts will be recruited for rehearsals and the concert from several clubs, mainly Apanonar Motorcycle Academic Club (Akademicki Klub Motorowy Apanonar) that coordinates the initiative. On Tuesday, Sławomir Kupczak met the motorcyclists for the first time, mostly to listen to the sound of his new "instruments": choppers as well as race and historic motorbikes. "They sound fantastic and, say, fertilise my mind," the composer laughs.
Starting the engine equals original sound
In the following sessions Sławomir Kupczak will record i.a. the work of the engine and the sound of it starting. "These sounds will form the electro-acoustic part, the basis for the entire composition," he explains. What may be the greatest challenge? "I wonder how to manage a hundred motorcyclists in space to avoid chaos and make at least a part of them follow my instructions," he admits. As for now, the motorcyclists are delighted with the collaboration and declare their full assistance. "It is an exotic experience for them, I don't think anyone has ever asked them before to simply get the sound out of their machines," Sławomir Kupczak argues.
Apart from motorcycles, the work will feature electric guitar (played by Andrzej Nowak, guitarist and founder of the TSA rock band), drums and electronic music. It is a completely different set than the orchestra for which Sławomir Kupczak composed his first symphony. "Now the challenge is even greater," the artist is in no doubt. His 2nd Symphony for the original instrument set will be 15 minutes long. He wants to finish it by the end of the summer holidays, so that there is enough time for rehearsals, including those at the car park by the National Music Forum.
World Music Days come to Wroclaw
The performance of the work ordered by the Wroclaw city authorities will be one of the main attractions of the World Music Days festival, the most important contemporary music festival in the world, starting on October 3rd. The festival was initiated by the International Society for Contemporary Music (Międzynarodowe Towarzystwo Muzyki Współczesnej), which has delegations in most countries all over the world, including Poland (its first president in Poland was the famous composer Karol Szymanowski).
This year, the festival is held in Wroclaw. Last year, World Music Days were split between three cities: Košice, Bratislava and Vienna. "The festival is meant to reflect new trends, considered most original in the respective countries," explains Izabela Duchnowska from the Cultural Department of the Wroclaw City Office (Wydział Kultury Urzędu Miejskiego we Wrocławiu), who works on the project since the very beginning. Special attention is paid to works by young composers, with an already established position in their countries, but not on the international arena yet. For 10 days, audiences will listen to concerts and watch performances (such as the premiere of "Angels in America" by the Hungarian guru of contemporary music Peter Eötvös).
Works are underway on the graphic design for the Wroclaw World Music Days, and the organisers are very active on Facebook. This is where a couple of days ago the first official mention of this extraordinary concert featuring 100 motorcycles was published.
Magdalena Talik
