A new work by prominent Polish composer Paweł Szymański is the highlight of tonight’s gala at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall to mark the 10th anniversary of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Entitled a piú corde, the work is scored for a highly original combination of piano and 8 harps.

The inspiration for the unusual combination came from Paweł Potoroczyn, the director of the Institute, to whom the work is also dedicated.

It will be also performed during the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music, which begins tomorrow.

Potoroczyn said in a press interview that Szymański’s a piú corde, written as a commission from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute – a body which promotes Polish culture abroad - is a perfect illustration of the Institute’s evolution during the first decade of its activity. 

“We are no longer an importer of culture but also its creator.  This is also a good way of promoting Poland,” he said.

The latest project sponsored by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute was Polska! Year in the United Kingdom, a festival comprising over 250 events across the U.K. (mk)