The Silence of the Sirens for cello solo (1986/87)

The Silence of the Sirens is one of Tomasz Sikorski’s last compositions, full of profound, lyrical expression. The piece was dedicated to Ivan Monighetti, who premiered it during the 1987 Warsaw Autumn. It was the second work by Sikorski performed by this eminent cellist at the Warsaw festival. Four years earlier he took part in the first Polish performance of Modus, another work for cello solo. Monighetti’s artistry was appreciated by Polish critics – his performance of The Silence of the Sirens and Krzysztof Meyer’s Sonata for cello and piano won him the ‘Orpheus’ prize awarded by the Association of Polish Musicians for the best performance of a work by a Polish composer.   

The score of The Silence of the Sirens takes up two pages. Despite its brevity, the piece is divided into two parts. Part I, Agitato, was composed in September 1986. It is a chain of single-voice phrases of varying length separated by rests or pauses and usually ending with a long sustained note. The quasi-polyphonic Part II – Grave – is noted down in two systems, with bar notation and metre indications (oscillating between 4/8 and 6/8). At the end we find the date of the work’s completion: May 1987.

This is how Ewa Grosman describes the piece:

The Silence of the Sirens, a short piece created, as is usual with Tomasz Sikorski, with modest means, is full of expression and ardour, a quality emphasised by Ivan Monighetti’s excellent performance. We may wonder about the composition’s title, especially when we realise that it is one of Tomasz Sikorski’s last works. Perhaps the composer felt that he would soon ‘fall silent’ as an artist and wanted to share this feeling with his listeners. He may also have wanted to express his belief in the power of silence, of piano found in abundance in his music.