On Tuesday, we listened to his saxophone piece of music four times. On Wednesday – compositions for flute – 17 times, as so many were the participants playing the flute at the 3rd Michał Spisak International Music Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza.
Of course, we are talking about composer, Zdzisław Szostak, who since the 1st edition has been writing obligatory pieces performed by the participants at the Competition in Dąbrowa Górnicza.
This year these were “Scherzo e Tarantella for solo flute and piano” and „Melodia w spokojnych tanecznych rytmach” for saxophone and piano. The composer attended all the auditions.
“Listening to my own compositions means first of all stress. All my life I have been both a performer and composer. I know the situation from both sides,” he confesses. “I would like to add that 17 performances mean 17 times of stress. This feeling has not decreased with time. The level was excellent and I am very content. As for the interpretation of the piece, there were no greater differences. Sometimes in tempos. There is one place in which I wrote poco meno and I really indented only minimum slowing-down. The performers, however, slowed down quite a lot in this place. However, I didn’t mind it, it sounded quite good. I think that it resulted from the fact that it is an exceptionally difficult part. Thus it is better to play more slowly and more precisely rather than quickly and carelessly,” he adds.
He created two pieces, totally different in nature. He claims, however, that is how he perceives these instruments.
”I have had little contact with saxophone so far in my life. In my imagination it appears as an instrument which has a very romantic and melodious sound. As far as the flutists are concerned I opted for a virtuoso piece with a slight respite in the middle,” he explains.
Who is Zdzisław Szostak?
It must be remembered that watching more than two hundred Polish films, we are listening to orchestras conducted by him. He is a highly regarded conductor of film and symphony music. He himself also composes film music. The most famous is the one from the film „Królowa Bona”. Let us remind that one of Zdzisław Szostak’s compositions, „Small overture for orchestra”, was performed at the inauguration of the 3rd Michał Spisak International Music Competition
He was born in Sosnowiec, near Dąbrowa Górnicza. He studied conducting under the direction of Artur Malawski and composition with Bogusław Szabelski at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice. For many years he was connected with Poznań, where, among others, he was artistic manager of the Poznań Philharmonic. He led concerts at the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition or at subsequent editions of the Festival “Music Spring of Poznań”. Next he took the position of deputy artistic director and conductor at the Łódź Philharmonic and he gave lectures at the State Higher School of Music in Łódź. He was also connected with film studios. As a conductor he cooperated with Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish Radio Great Symphony Orchestra, with numerous foreign orchestras and with almost all the philharmonic orchestras in Poland.
Regina Gowarzewska
