MARIUSZ KALDOWSKI Britten project
illustration to 'Variation on a Theme of Frank Bridge
My Britten adventure began with a painted portrait of the composer, later acquired by Ipswich School to mark the opening of their new music wing named after Benjamin Britten. The unveiling ceremony, attended by Julian Lloyd Webber, was the starting point of a continuing dialogue with Britten’s music — inspiring a series of works where sound is transformed into colour, rhythm and visual form.
In early 2016, after a conversation with Agnieszka Duczmal, conductor and director of the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra “Amadeus”, I was encouraged to create a large-scale work inspired by Benjamin Britten. She suggested an illustration to one of his major compositions. This led me back to the composer and his music with renewed energy.
By October 2016 I completed
The Illustrations to Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge — a monumental frieze measuring 1.5 x 8m, composed of eight canvases (each 1.5 x 1m). The sequence begins with a portrait of Frank Bridge, Britten’s teacher and mentor, to whom the piece was dedicated, and concludes with a portrait of Britten himself as a young man at the time he composed the Variations. Between them, I painted what I felt the music emanated: rhythm, atmosphere and emotional resonance translated into colour and form.
The frieze was first exhibited in 2018 during the 50th Anniversary Festival of the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra “Amadeus” under the direction of Agnieszka Duczmal, with special guest Misha Maisky.
Misha Maisky with Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra 'Amadeus' under direction of Agnieszka Duczmal on stage with monumental painting by Mariusz Kaldowski
Mariusz Kaldowski studio photos
