WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's leading composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki is celebrating his 85th birthday with a week-long festival of his music in Warsaw.
A concert of Penderecki's 2nd Cello Concerto and his Songs of Reflection and Nostalgia are opening the festival on Friday, at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.
Running until Nov. 23, also at other venues, the festival features various musical forms including symphonies, choral works and compositions for voice.
Among them will be Dies Illa, Credo and violin concerto Matamorphosen that was written for and will be played by Ann-Sophie Mutter, and conducted by Penderecki.
Other performers include cellist Ivan Monighetti, violinist Agata Szymczewska and conductors Leonard Slatkin and John Axelrod.
Born Nov. 23, 1933, in Debica, southern Poland, Penderecki uses unconventional forms and sounds that evoke classical associations.
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