The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival began in Warsaw on Saturday, 17 March and will continue until 29 March. Among the attendees at the inaugural concert was Darko Brlek, the general and artistic director of the Ljubljana Festival. Together with Elżbieta Penderecka, the founder of the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, and Jan Briers, president of the European Festivals Association (EFA), he listened to a performance of works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Strauss by the violinist Arabella Steinbacher and the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk. Founded 28 years ago, the Festival makes an important contribution to preserving and promoting the culture of classical music in Poland.

Elżbieta Penderecka, the widow of the Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, is herself one of the most successful and most highly respected figures in the world of classical music. She has founded, presided over and cooperated with numerous associations and festivals, including the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, the organiser of the present festival. Twice named the most influential woman in Poland by Home & Market magazine, she is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Gold Merit Badge of the Republic of Austria (2003) and a medal from the Polish Embassy in Beijing (2014). Last year she was made a Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

Krzysztof Penderecki, a regular guest at the Ljubljana Festival, made his last appearance in Slovenia at the 63rd Ljubljana Festival, conducting the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, the Maribor Opera Chorus and the Ave Chamber Choir, and soloists Iwona Hossa (soprano), Agnieszka Rehlis (mezzo-soprano), Adam Zdunikowski (tenor) and Liudas Mikalauskas (bass), in a performance of his A Polish Requiem. The music of Krzysztof Penderecki will resound from stages around the world for centuries.