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SUMMARY:The Study of Violence – London premiere of a new composition by Michał Kawecki for philosopher, cello and electronics
UID:https://instytutpolski.pl/london/2026/11/06/the-study-of-violence-london-premiere-of-a-new-composition-by-michal-kawecki-for-philosopher-cello-and-electronics/
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DTSTAMP:20261115T170000
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DESCRIPTION:Violence often speaks in the name of love, goodness and truth. The Study of
Violence listens closely to that language and turns it into musical
material. Moving between philosophical lecture, music and performance, the
piece brings together the philosopher’s voice, the cello and electronics
into a single dramaturgy. The spoken word is treated as sound: it is shaped
rhythmically, broken into fragments and transformed. The starting point is
Augustine’s maxim “Love, and do what you will”, and the question of
whether love really guarantees goodness. From there, the work looks at
systemic violence, mechanisms of exclusion, and the ways ideas of love,
goodness and absolute truth can be turned into tools of oppression.
The composition was commissioned under the “Composing Commissions”
programme of the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage. It marks
the next stage of a long-standing collaboration between Torzewski and
Majewski, who have been combining concerts with philosophical talks in the
lecture-concert format developed by the Koherencje Foundation. For Kawecki,
who teaches composition at the Guildhall School, it continues his work on
composition as a documentary form.
The programme also includes Kawecki’s Shreds (2020) for cello and
electronics. It was the first piece he wrote entirely during lockdown,
built from samples and sounds recorded at home, and it won the
Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble Prize at the
“Synchronised” International Composition Competition.
15 November 2026 (Sunday), 5 pmSilk Street Music Hall, Guildhall School of
Music & Drama, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DTFree admission
PERFORMERSAntoni Torzewski – philosopherAntoni Majewski – celloMichał
Kawecki – electronics
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Michał Kawecki is a Polish composer and pianist based in London. He
lectures in composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His
work develops the field of documentary composition, exploring mental
health, trauma, memory and cultural identity, often in the context of
emigration. He has collaborated with Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Centre,
Kings Place and the London Contemporary Music Festival, among others.
Antoni Torzewski is a philosopher of religion, an assistant professor at
Kazimierz Wielki University and a lecturer at the Feliks Nowowiejski
Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. He is principal investigator of a National
Science Centre grant on the philosophy of Gianni Vattimo, and one strand of
his research is the violence inherent in religion and metaphysical
thinking. He is president of the Koherencje Foundation, which combines
music and philosophy in lecture-concerts.
Antoni Majewski is a cellist, chamber musician and curator. His work
focuses on performance as a direct dialogue with the audience, which led
him to create spoken concerts that change how listeners relate to the music
and the performer. Since 2026 he has been a member of NeoQuartet, one of
Poland’s leading string quartets specialising in contemporary music.
Organiser: Koherencje Foundation
Find out more: https://koherencje.pl/projekty/the-study-of-violence/
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