The Polish Composers' Union learned about Kazimierz Kord's death with great sadness. The distinguished conductor died on 29 April 2021 at the age of 90.
His artistic biography is a great chapter of Polish culture. In 1969-1973 he was director of the Great Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television, from 1977 to 2001 he was director of the Warsaw Philharmonic, in 2005-2006 he was music director of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw. He performed at the most prestigious concert halls and opera houses in the world. At Metropolitan in New York he conducted, among others, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.
He had great merit in promoting contemporary music. He performed on numerous occasions at the "Warsaw Autumn", and in 1994 he initiated the "Lutosławski Forum" – a series of concerts at the Warsaw Philharmonic devoted to new music. He leaves us with many recordings – a lasting testimony to his conducting skills.
Hail to his memory!
Mieczysław Kominek
Predisent of the Polish Composers' Union