Wings of Hope (2024)
(Warsaw-Manila Peace Tribute)

Wings of Hope

Warsaw-Manila Peace Tribute

I was so excited to be approached by conductor Grzegorz Nowak and filmmaker Adam Ustynowicz with a request for short orchestral work to mark a joint invocation for peace with Poland and the Philippines.

Like Warsaw, which was decimated by the Nazis in WWII, Manila was pulverised by the Imperial Japanese army, making it the “second most devastated city in WWII after Warsaw, Poland”, hence it’s moniker “Warsaw of the East”.

In Wings of Hope, Poland represented by Bogurodzica which was sung by medieval knights going into battle. The percussion sets the scene with Filipino rhythm Sinulog a Bagu (usually performed in a sad or nostalgic context) keeping the pace. Over this, the brass instruments play Bogurodzica in noble hymn-like harmonies, whilst the rest of the orchestra battles noisily around it. The noises of war never manage to overwhelm the hymn and a more triumphant rendition of its opening phrase marches triumphantly into the next contrasting section.

Beautiful Filipino lullaby Ili Ili Tulog Anay emerges ethereally in echoing whisps of phrases, over beating wings of harmony in the strings. This section represents children as the hope of the future accomp by harmonic 'wings', a delicate and chromatic glockenspiel and angelic harp.

In the last section, Bogurodzica and Ili Ili Tulog Anay unite together in harmony, bringing the piece to an ending of joint optimism and sincere hope for peace in the future, Poland and Philippines standing together.

This piece is dedicated to the incredibly brave resistance fighters in World War II Warsaw and Manila, especially my Uncle Mirosław Panufnik.

I am hugely grateful to the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for commissioning it, to Grzegorz Nowak and Adam Ustynowicz for their constant support and inspiration during the creative process, Jeffrey Ching for sending me Ili Ili Tulog Anay, principal percussionist Elizalde Tolentino for Sinulog a Bagu and Lester Delgado for further general Filipino inspiration.

RP, 2nd December, 2024