1960

Last performances of Palester’s works in Poland (in Poznań) before a long break.

Palester is engrossed in his opera (or stage action as the author himself describes it), Death of Don Juan. In his radio programmes current affairs and musical matters take up less and less space. Literary subjects begin to come to the fore.

1961

28 February – in a Window to the West programme Palester joins the debate on the Polish avant-garde. He defends the right of the young generation to experiment, criticising at the same time his colleagues from older generations who represent decidedly conservative views.

In short, polemics and fights for ideals are beautiful things, but one should use here arguments of some substance. Given the arguments Mycielski or Szeligowski used, it is not surpring that the young do not want any discussion and exchange of views. Because it is difficult to discuss anything on such a professional level… Anyway, Mycielski is right about one thing: what matters most is not the views but the works. The works that Schäffer, Penderecki or Górecki have produced so far may have their flaws or merits but they undoubtedly herald a radical enrichment of Polish music. The conservatives’ lamentations – not supported by any serious and loyal arguments – will certainly hinder nothing here. One has to accept it, art never stands still, it is constantly developing and reveals new aspects. And this is its greatest charm and beauty…

Palester finishes working on his stage action Death of Don Juan.

1962

In April Death of Don Juan wins Palester the first prize at a competition organised by the Italian section of the ISCM. Unfortunately, the stage premiere of the work does not take place because Teatro della Novita in Bergamo has to suspend its activities. According to Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Palester’s opera was in a class of its own and that is why the second prize was not awarded.

Palester completes the work on a new version of Laments to words by Jan Kochanowski.

1963

Palester writes Three symphonic fragments from Don Juan.

Current affairs virtually disappear from Palester’s radio programmes; music-related topics appear only in connection with various anniversaries.

1964

Palester is the first Pole to receive the Alfred Jurzykowski Prize.

Ruch Muzyczny publishes Tadeusz Kaczyński’s interview with Palester, a fact which nearly costs Kaczyński his job. As Zygmunt Mycielski recalls, the communist authorities were interested in any contancts with Palester during foreign trips made by various people.

Palester composes his first aleatory work - Varianti for 2 pianos.

1965

6 March – first concert performance of Palester’s Death of Don Juan in Brussels is very well received by the critics.

2 November – in a Window to the West programme Palester analyses the situation at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw and Bohdan Wodiczko’s dismisal. After presenting various achievements of the great conductor and describing the intrigue hatched by the party bosses, Palester concludes:

We all know that were it not for censorship, all Warsaw dailies would have published numerous voices defending Wodiczko. For artists and musicians were and still are full of idignation at what has happened. The authorities know this very well, but it seems that someone on a very high level must have decided that it would be good to remind those horrible intellectuals and artists that the government and the party could do everything they wanted – and their word would be final. That is why we are talking about this matter. Simply as a memento. Because every Polish artist must remember that what happened to Wodiczko may tomorrow happen to him or her. Hence the need for solidarity of the whole artistic community, solidarity in defence of this modest margin of freedom artists in Poland can still enjoy. It would be good if the party and the government felt that there are indeed limilts to their wilfulness and arbitrariness. […] As regards Wodiczko, I think that during Teatr Wielki’s inauguration he will, indirectly, have a moment of considerable personal triumph. Despite the fact that this inauguration will take place without him and will not be conducted by him. For what he has done for the Warsaw Opera has earned him lasting gratitude of Warsaw’s entire musical community and Warsaw’s public.

Palester composes Duets for 2 violins.

1966

Palester begins working on Metamorphoses. That the title of this orchestral work brings to mind Ovid is undoubtedly no coincidence. After all, Ovid – the author of the poem Metamorphoses – is one of the first known artists who were also political exiles.

The painful topic of emigration and the current political situation is also mentioned during a Culture News programme devoted to Anna Akhmatova:

What remains is the tragedy of a life, tragedy before which we should bow our heads. It cannot be easy to live in one’s own country and watch how the terror machine sends one’s loved ones to death, one after another. History knows poets who perished on the guillotine; it also knows many exiles. From Dante through Victor Hugo until the present day stretches a long line of poets who, using their pens, fought for their ideals while in exile. As we know, poets and artists are an unruly tribe and centuries have not been enough to thwart this reprehensible propensity of theirs to think independently and nurture a personal view of the world. Would it have been better for Akhmatova to choose exile? We do not know how this would have affected her poetry, we do not know whether this would not have altered its tone. Perhaps all this combines in her to create one inseparable whole – perhaps this delicate, subtle poetry matured and bore the best fruit in an atmosphere of unhappiness and tragedy brought about by a rampant revolution?

1967

15 August – Palester receives the Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland in London.

He composes Reed Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon.

1968

22 October – in a Window to the World programme Palester defends Zygmunt Mycielski who has been fired from the post of chief editor of Ruch Muzyczny:

What else than conscience and a sense of duty made Zygmunt Mycielski write a moving letter to Czech and Slovak musicians whom you had a chance to meet on these airwaves a few days ago? I have known Mycielski for almost forty years and I know him well enough to know that the letter he wrote was not motivated by a desire to annoy the party’s top brass and to “show off”; it was written by a man who felt in his conscience he could not have acted otherwise as a writer and artist. This letter is a result of a difficult and painful internal experience, just like Mycielski’s letter read during the memorable writers’ congresss a few months ago. This first statement already led to all possible sanctions against him. The most painful of these – not for himself personally but for the Polish musical life – was his removal from the post of chief editor of Ruch Muzyczny. He was irreplaceable in this periodical; no one else was able to maintain the right balance between various conflicting artistic trends.

Palester composes Sonata for violin and cello which draws on his youthfulSonatina from 1929, now lost, and completes the work on Metamorphosesfor string orchestra.