The tree planting was completed on 1 April 2023 and was held on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the famous Polish conductor and composer
The idea of planting the tree in the garden of the Athens Concert Hall in memory of the Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki stems from the composer’s love for parks and gardens. He created on the grounds of his estate in Lusławice, 100 kilometres outside Kraków, one of the largest and most diverse arboretums in Europe, a medieval-inspired labyrinth as well as Japanese and Italian-style gardens, often using seeds collected during his many travels around the world.
Penderecki’s Garden, a digital work celebrating the life and legacy of the Polish composer, is the brainchild of the Polish Adam Mickiewicz Institute. Polish embassies around the world have participated in the dissemination of “Penderecki’s Garden” by planting trees in memory of the composer in various gardens. The sign placed next to the tree has a QR code that takes visitors to the Garden on a digital journey through “Penderecki’s Garden”. (More information: https://pendereckisgarden.pl/en)
Polish Ambassador Mr. Artur Lompart referred to the important work of the Polish composer, and symbolically completed the tree planting in the presence of children in traditional Polish costumes.
“The symbolic planting of the Acacia Saligna (blue-leaved acacia), confirms once again the close relationship between the two peoples, the Greek and the Polish, through an innovative Polish composer, a leading composer who has marked the music of the 20th and 21st centuries on a global level”, said the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Megaron the Athens Concert Hall, Mr. Nikos Pimplis.
The simple event coincided with the concert of the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra under Aleksandar Marković, where the Penderecki Symphony No. 2 was performed, a landmark work by the orchestra that, more than any other, is inextricably linked to him and his work.
