1980
The composer writes three pieces for orchestra: Monophony (1979-80), Lontano (1979-80) and Ostinato (1979-80). None of them will ever be premiered or published.
4 September
Sikorski is fined 3000 zlotys by a magistrates’ court, with the fine being made public, because, as we can read in a letter sent to the Polish Composers’ Union,
On 11 August 1980, at about 0:20 am in ul. Piękna, Warsaw, in front of the ‘Habana’ restaurant, being under the influence of alcohol, he used vulgar words in public, committing an offence against public order.
23 September
Strings in the Earth is premiered at the Warsaw Autumn Festival by the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk, to whom the composer dedicated his work.
1981
10 March
Stephen Montague premieres Autograph during a concert in St. Petersburg, Florida.
20 July
The composer applies for an extension of his scholarship to write Two Portraits for orchestra.
19 September
Tomasz Sikorski performs in public for the last time during the premiere of Hymnos at the Warsaw Autumn Festival.
Tomasz Sikorski’s works are performed at the ISCM Festival in Brussels.
14 December
The day following the introduction of martial law Szábolcs Esztényi meets Tomasz Sikorski shouting at passers-by and policemen by the Sigismund Column in Warsaw.
1982
Sikorski arranges Modus for cello solo.
In Szczecin the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk premieres Winter Landscape for strings (Teodor Szczepański in memoriam) .
16 July
Probably because of the composer’s precarious financial situation, Józef Patkowski, President of the Polish Composers’ Union, writes a letter to Ministry of Culture and Art, asking it to buy three works by Tomasz Sikorski: Modus for trombone, Autograph for piano and Winter Landscape for string orchestra.
10 September
Strings in the Earth is performed in West Berlin by the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk.
1983
19 September
Modus in the solo cello version is performed for the first time at the Warsaw Autumn by Ivan Monighetti.
1984
17 October
Tomasz Sikorski tries to persuade the Polish Composers’ Union to send him to Hungary. It proves impossible owing to the fact that there are no more places on the exchange programme with the Hungarian Composers’ Union.
1985
20 September
Tomasz Sikorski again tries to obtain a place on the exchange programme and go to Budapest. His request is denied.
21 September
The Polish audience has the first opportunity to hear La notte. The piece is performed during the Warsaw Autumn Festival by the Polish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk.
1986
14 January
The Polish Composers’ Union intervenes in connection with Tomasz Sikorski’s poor living conditions:
The cold and humidity in his flat make his work impossible; they are also damaging to his piano, which is the composer’s main instrument.
10 March
During a recital in Alicante (Spain) Ewa Osińska premieres Euphony for piano.
22 April
Tomasz Sikorski again asks the Polish Composers’ Union to be allowed to go an exchange to Hungary.
22 July
Death of the composer’s father – Kazimierz Sikorski. The distinguished teacher is buried in the Avenue of the Meritorious in the Powązki Cemetery.
23 September
Sikorski’s Euphony is performed in Poland for the first time. The piece is interpreted by Szábolcs Esztényi during a concert at the Warsaw Autumn.
1987
22 September
Premiere of The Silence of the Sirens for cello solo. Ivan Monighetti presents it during a Warsaw Autumn concert.
December
Tomasz Sikorski works with Barbara Okoń-Makowska at the Polish Radio on Diario 87 for tape and reciter to words by Jorge Luis Borges. After the piece is completed, in a moment of the sound engineer’s inattention he erases the musical layer from the tape, making it impossible to present the piece with an actor reading the text live.
1988
15 January
Wanda Warska and Andrzej Kurylewicz’s cellar in Warsaw is the venue of a concert of Rafał Augustyn’ and Tomasz Sikorski’ music. It is an event in the ‘Composers’ portraits’ series organised by the Board of the Polish Composers’ Union. The programme features several works by Sikorski: Modus (Danuta Stradomska – cello), Autograph, Sonant, Absent-Minded Window-Gazing (Szábolcs Esztényi – piano), Monodia e Sequenza (Hanna Turonek – flute, Krystian Grzenkowicz – piano), Solitude of Sounds (Barbara Okoń-Makowska – sound engineer).
16-20 February
The 16th Contemporary Polish Music Festival takes place in Wrocław (it is renamed Musica Polonica Nova as of that year). Its most important events include a ‘Potrait of Tomasz Sikorski’ concert held in the local National Museum. Its programme features Prologues, Solitude of Sounds in a version with Samuel Beckett’s ‘Afar a bird’, The Silence of the Sirens, Modus, Autograph and Absent-Minded Window-Gazing.
16 September
The last premiere of a work by Tomasz Sikorski at the Warsaw Autumn. Omaggio per Quattro Pianoforti ed Orchestra in Memoriam Jorge Luis Borges is performed by Andrzej Dutkiewicz, Szábolcs Esztényi, Eugeniusz Knapik and Krzysztof Meyer – pianos, and the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance is conducted by Karol Stryja.
13 November
The composer’s ex-wife, Natalia Sikorska, finds Tomasz Sikorski dead in his flat in Pl. Konstytucji. At the moment of the tragic discovery the composer has been dead for several days.
22 November
Tomasz Sikorski is buried in his mother’s grave in the Stare Powązki cemetery.
The composer’s flat is cleared by the building manager and most of Sikorski’s personal belongings are lost in unexplained circumstances.
1989
18 September
A concert at the Warsaw Autumn Festival is dedicated to Tomasz Sikorski. Its programme features the following works: Absent-Minded Window-Gazing, Homophony, Diaphony, Other Voices, Listening Music, Hymnos and Concerto Breve, performed by the pianists Szábolcs Esztényi and Eugeniusz Knapik as well as the Warsaw Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marek Nowakowski.