Kyohei Sorita | Laureat XVIII Konkursu Chopinowskiego

Let us once again give the floor to Ignacy Jan Paderewski and his extraordinary "Speech on Chopin". We have always been fascinated by the figure of Paderewski – as a musician and politician – but only recently have we discovered him as a Virtuoso of the Word (thanks to the publication of this very title). There were very few people who could write and talk about music so well.


Human music is only a fragment of eternal music. Frequent transformations take place in its forms created with the thought and hand of man. Times change, people change, thoughts and feelings are putting on their clothes more and more. Sons reluctantly bow their heads to what was their fathers' object of admiration and honour.

Each new generation (...) thinks that it is only pushing humanity towards unknown heights, directing it to new tracks. Each generation wants to have its own beauty. Thus, works of art conceived in this spirit are created to serve the moment's needs (...). But there are also others that last longer, many of which, many years later, still bear the mark of a few generations, the mark of the epoch and the ideal that inspired it.

Another Laureate of the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition will stand on our stage. This time in a solo recital, we will be presented with selected works by the great composer. The performance of which was appreciated so much that it allowed the lucky winner of the award to enter the most prestigious concert halls and recording studios in the world. We hope that the concert in Szczecin will become a wonderful memory that will remain with our guests forever, still filled with indescribable emotions.

So, when you sit back in the hall and pick up the program – think about which of the categories mentioned by Paderewski match the songs you will listen to. Some actually arise as the need of the moment; others, like "longing nocturnes, secret preludes, sweeping polonaises, lively yet bizarre etudes, stormy and epic ballads, heroic sonatas", seem to persist in their message as if they have always been present. And we wish you such beautiful words, emotions and concerts not only this evening.