The University of Silesia commissioned me to contribute to the interdisciplinary event “Silesia New Eden.” The aim was to artistically express the destruction of the region by heavy industry and the current attempt to revitalize it. It is the story of a region that has undergone a dynamic metamorphosis — from an industrial past to a modern space of culture, science, and ecology.

The dramatic fate of the Rawa River has become a symbol of this change and forms the basis for my musical parable about nature, its destruction by human activity, and its recovery. The river was of crucial importance in the early stages of the city's founding. Industrial development polluted it to such an extent that it was forced to disappear into concrete channels and underground pipes. Today, people are beginning to rediscover the river's importance to the city, its recreational, health, and aesthetic aspects. 

I conceived the composition as a kind of role play: 

in general, the orchestra and vibraphone represent nature, while the piano and percussion represent humans. The balanced sound of a string orchestra, with its instruments played physically from the heart and forming a resonance system with many individual voices are very appropriate for symbolizing nature. In contrast, I find that the more mechanical instruments, such as the piano and percussion, are more suitable for representing humans. At the beginning of the piece, with its harmonious, jubilant part, both are still in accordance. The alienation begins with the entry of the drums. The piano increasingly tries to dominate the orchestra, which slowly suffocates and falls into agony: the dead river. At this point, the piano finds itself alone in the middle of nowhere and realizes that it cannot survive on its own without a healthy and balanced nature. This is the turning point towards the utopia of the project theme „Silesia New Eden.”  

“The title ‘Hortus Urbis’ was chosen because my daughter, who is an architect, is currently working on a greening system designed to create sustainable green spaces and transform the urban landscape. She has given her project the name Hortus Urbis.