Lifetime achievement award goes to composer

ISTANBUL

The 41st Istanbul Music Festival, which is running until June 29 centered around the theme “Time and Transformation” will be giving a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” to Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, at a ceremony to be held on June 17 at 8 p.m. at the Hagia Irini. After the award ceremony, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, considered one of the foremost exhibitors of German polyphonic music, will perform one of Penderecki’s works, as well as Haydn’s Symphony No.45 “Farewell,” which ties in with the festival’s theme.

Penderecki is one of the musicians among his own generation to have received the most awards over the course of his career. In 1966 he received the Grand Art Prize from the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia, in 1967 the Prix Italia and the Sibelius Gold Medal, and in 1970 the prize from the Polish Composers’ Association.

Every year through Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Istanbul Music Festival shows its gratitude and respect to masters who have contributed greatly to the development of classical music. Penderecki is known for composing several of his works in remembrance of catastrophes of the 20th and 21st century, including the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. He is considered one of today’s greatest composers, with a unique style that blends contemporary sounds and traditional forms.

About the festival

The festival has been organized under the sponsorship of Borusan Holding. A total of 22 performances, including orchestral concerts, chamber music, recitals, and original programs, are taking place at different venues as part of the festival this year. In a festival first, performances are being staged at the Surp Vortvots Vorodman Church, while concerts are also returning to the Hagia Irene Museum, the Süreyya Opera House, the Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center, the Galata Mevlevi House Museum, the Galata Rum Elementary School.