Calgary

In the winter of 1986, Witold Lutosławski travelled to the Banff Centre, near Calgary, ‘where I was in charge of contemporary music and of woodwind teaching for nine years, and at that time director of the winter program. (…) Always the gentleman, Lutoslawski coached and conducted from morning to night. Like John Cage, he was always prompt. If there was a rehearsal at 9am and I said he could come late, he always said “No. I’ll be there.” The library at the Banff Centre was excellent at that time and he spent a lot of time there. The New Grove Dictionary had just been issued and was being collected one volume at a time. Witold was particularly interested in it and was pleased to point out to me the fictitious personality Dag Henrik Esrum-Hellerup who had been invented and was listed in the edition’.

The following year, the Calgary Symphony Orchestra wanted to commission a work from him, but Lutosławski had to turn it down due to a lack of time.