Two sides of the olympic medal – the controversy surrounding II Sinfonia Olimpica (1948) by Zbigniew Turski. Contribution to the analysis
Two sides of the olympic medal – the controversy surrounding II Sinfonia Olimpica (1948) by Zbigniew Turski. Contribution to the analysis

Summary/Abstract: The main topic of the article is II Sinfonia Olimpica by Zbigniew Turski, a composer who is barely known in Poland nowadays. The reason of this is the socio-political situation of the country after World War II. The composer was one of first victims of Stalinist cultural policy. At a conference in Łagów Lubuski in 1949, his II Sinfonia Olimpicawas named formalistic, pessimistic and incompatible with the socialist realism standards. However, the composition had won a gold medal at the XIV Olympic Games in London in 1948 and this success had had a great resonance in Polish music press before the conference. The article has several objectives. The first of them is to present socio-political situation in musical environment. Moreover, it shows the reception of the symphony after its premiere at the conference in Łagów Lubuski. Finally, an attempt to analyze the II Sinfonia Olimpica is made. It is noticed that the symphony stands out against other compositions created in the mid-twentieth century particularly by dint of its deeply emotional and dramatic character. The achieved mood results from traumatic war experience of the composer. Although the neoclassical tradition is visible, Turski used the innovative musical language and his attempt to create his own music style is noticeable. According to the author’s opinion, if it had not been socialist realism in the mid-twentieth century, II Sinfonia Olimpica could be now perceived as one of the most important symphonies created within the last century in Poland.

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