One of the highlights of the anniversary 20th edition of the Silesian Guitar Autumn will be the world premiere of a new work commissioned especially for the Festival. Its composer is José Sánchez-Verdú, one of the most distinguished contemporary Spanish composers, whose music has held an important place on the international contemporary music scene for many years.
Born in Algeciras, the composer, conductor, and scholar of Mediterranean culture is among the most renowned Spanish creators of his generation. He studied composition, musicology, and law, and his works have been performed by leading European orchestras and ensembles specializing in contemporary music. Institutions that have commissioned his music include Teatro Real in Madrid, Berliner Festspiele, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Ensemble Modern, WDR, SWR, and the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España. His works have been presented at some of Europe’s most prestigious music festivals, while his distinctive compositional language—drawing inspiration from history, architecture, literature, and the cultures of the Mediterranean basin—has established him as one of the most original voices in contemporary European music.
Commissioning new compositions has long been one of the pillars of the Silesian Guitar Autumn’s artistic programme. Each edition of the festival is enriched by a new work created especially for the occasion. In this anniversary year, marking both the 75th anniversary of Tychy receiving municipal rights and the 40th anniversary of the Festival, the organizers invited José Sánchez-Verdú to compose a work for three guitars and string orchestra.
“The new composition is entitled La Nave de Teseo (The Ship of Theseus). The work is inspired by one of the most famous philosophical paradoxes, according to which a ship retains its identity even though, over time, all of its parts are gradually replaced as a result of wear and erosion. The form remains the same, but the material changes. Is it still the same ship? Philosophers such as Heraclitus and Plato reflected on this paradox,” explains Sánchez-Verdú.
This reflection on permanence and transformation is directly mirrored in the musical fabric of the work. The composition explores processes of repetition, transformation, ageing, and sonic erosion. The musical material undergoes constant modification, making time itself the true protagonist of the piece. At the same time, an underlying formal idea remains perceptible throughout these continuous changes, reflecting the paradoxical nature of the Ship of Theseus—the persistence of identity despite the transformation of its constituent elements.
Although the composer has revealed few details about the score itself, the concept clearly resonates with themes that have long occupied a central place in his artistic output. Questions of memory, transience, traces of history, and processes unfolding over time have appeared repeatedly in his works. Once again, reflection on change becomes the core of the composition, guiding the listener through a process of gradual transformation of the musical material.
The world premiere will take place during the first part of the opening concert of the 20th Silesian Guitar Autumn on 17 October at 6:30 p.m. at the Mediateka in Tychy. The work will be performed by the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy under the direction of Marek Moś, with solo parts performed by distinguished Polish guitarists Marcin Dylla, Ewa Jabłczyńska, and Dariusz Kupiński.
The premiere of La Nave de Teseo will be one of the most anticipated events of the anniversary edition of the Festival and another chapter in the history of composition commissions realized by the Silesian Guitar Autumn over the past four decades.
The commission received financial support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage under the „Composers Commissions 2026 Programme”.