our projects

www.droba.polmic.pl - a new website devoted to Polish music theorist and critic

On the initiative of the programme board of the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music, whose members were Krzysztof Droba’s colleagues and friends a new website – www.droba.polmic.pl was created, devoted to Krzysztof Droba. It is the Polish Composers’ Union’s first website dedicated to a music theorist and critic.

The first public presentation of the new website took place during the 49th Polish Composers' Union Musicological Conference, on October 26th, on the internet platform of the Academy of Music in Cracow - the conference co-organiser - and was broadcast to Vimeo.

The Polish Composers’ Union gives its sincere thanks to all the persons and institutions whose assistance and commitment have made this project possible, and in particular:

• the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, for making photographs of state decoration ceremonies available;
• our colleagues from the Lithuanian Composers’ Union, especially to Ruta Stanevičiūtė, Onutė Narbutaitė, Vytautas Landsbergis, and Feliksas Bajoras, for their inestimable support in documenting Krzysztof Droba’s work in the field of Lithuanian music and sharing memories;
• experts: Professors Teresa Malecka and Eugeniusz Knapik, for their support;•
Eva Maria Jensen, Maria Wiktoria Hübner, and Kazimierz Płoskoń, for sharing photos;•
composers, performers and the publisher: PWM Edition, for their kind permission to make recordings of works dedicated to Krzysztof Droba available on our website;
• all those who have agreed to share their memories of Krzysztof.

We are particularly grateful to Mr Bogusław Droba, Krzysztof’s brother, for kindly sharing with us his memories and materials from the family collection.

Partners:
Academy of Music in Cracow
Academy of Music in Lodz
Lithuanian Composers Union
PWM Edition

Subsidised by the National Centre for Culture under the programme Kultura w sieci.

More: "About the project"

'Regamey & Regamey. Pasiecznik & Pasiecznik' album awarded Album of the Year 2021 by 'Hi-Fi i Muzyka'

In the January issue of the monthly ‘Hi-Fi i Muzyka’ a list of the Annual Awards awarded by the magazine was published.

The awards go to the best CD records and playback equipment of the last twelve months. The Regamey & Regamey. Pasiecznik & Pasiecznik album described by reviewers from the magazine's music division as ‘unique, crucial for the history of Polish music of the 20^th century’ became Album of the Year 2021.

Thank you very much for this prestigious honourable mention!

New Visual Identification of Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

The Polish Music Information Center POLMIC celebrates its 20th birthday this year! On this occasion, upon entering a new chapter, we decided to change our visual identification, which is a response to the changing world, as well as the need for better communication with partners. We present the new logotype of the organisation along with a brand book.

A simple form of the logo symbol carries a set of connotations related to sound and interactivity. With the help of a simple switch, button or icon, we obtain the necessary information. The symbol is also a source of sound, a visual representation of concentric waves. Therefore, it brings to mind the image and function of a loudspeaker diaphragm. The white elements of the symbol are arranged in the shape of the letter "i" ("information"). The color palette is based on shades of navy blue and blue – inspired by the colours of the previous logo. The POLMIC logo has two formats – horizontal and vertical – and two language versions: Polish and English.

The new POLMIC visual identity was designed and made by the outstanding graphic artist Marcin Władyka.

From 2022 we will only use the new logotype that emphasizes our identity and gives it a new dimension.

DOWNLOAD: Brand Book

Polish Composers' Union Archive - edition and conservatory prevention

Thanks to the support of The Head Office of State Archives of the competition for a public task ‘Wspieranie działań archiwalnych 2021’ (Supporting the archive activity 2021) in the 2^nd half of 2021 a ‘Polish Composers’ Union – edition and conservatory prevention’ programme took place.

The archive documents from 1945-1989 have been arranged in order and a new inventory has been set up and secured.The new digital inventory has also been launched online in the new OSA standard (Open Archive System) as well as a pdf file.

ZKP Online access at the following links:

Polish Composers' Union Files Archive at the Open Archive System OSA website: https://osa.archiwa.org/archiwa/PL_1084,

Polish Composers' Union Files Archive Inventory Inwentarz Archiwum Akt Związku Kompozytorów Polskich: plik pdf,

Table of old and new signatures: plik pdf.

19th Volume (2021) of the 'Polish Musicological Yearbook' available online

The nineteenth volume of Polish Musicological Yearbook of 2021 is now available on the yearbook’s website under the bookmark WYDANE NUMERY / 2021. Papers will also be published at the Sciendo platform. Printed version is being prepared by the Polish Music Edition (PWM), to be obtained at the internet bookstore of PWM.

2021 Yearbook contains representative group of papers presented at the International Musicological Conference ‘National identities – European universality: Music and Musical Life in Central-Eastern Europe (1918–2018)’ organized on the occasion of 100^th anniversary of regaining independence by Poland.

The editorial team thank all the Authors, other Individuals and Institutions for substantive input, engagement and support expressed towards the Yearbook team.

The patron of the Polish Musicological Yearbook is Society of Authors’ ZAiKS

18th volume of 'Musicology Today' came out!

As the culinary pasticcio added appeal to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century aristocratic parties, working just as strongly on the sense of taste as on that of sight, so the operatic pasticcio and the pasticcio practice in general have enlivened contemporary musicological research. The 18th volume of the English-language journal ‘Musicology Today’, published by the Institute of Musicology of the University of Warsaw and the Polish Composers' Union, is entirely devoted to pasticcio.

The presented volume is part of the Pasticcio. Ways of Arranging Attractive Operas research project, funded from the Beethoven 2 Programme, which is co-financed by the National Science Centre of Poland and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. It includes 14 articles based on presentations from the conference that summed up the project, Operatic Pasticcio in Eighteenth-Century Opera: Work Concept, Performance Practice, Digital Humanities, which was held in May 2021 at Warsaw University.

The texts analyse pasticcios with reference to the concept of the operatic work from very different perspectives: those of theatrical practice (Giovanni Polin); the audiences (Ina Knoth), culinary analogies (Berthold Over), and pleasure (Aneta Markuszewska). Anne Desler discusses singers’ dramaturgical choices and their creative contributions to pasticcio production. Raffaele Mellace traces changes in Johann Adolf Hasse’s composition strategies over the period of thirty years that separate his Siroe (Bologna 1733) from his eponymous self-pasticcio (Dresden 1763). Hasse’s Siroe is also considered by Emilia Pelliccia and Sonia Rzepka, who, using Laodice’s recitativo accompagnato sung by Elisabeth Teyber as their starting point, analyse that singer’s impact on the musical form of the work and on Hasse’s creative process, as well as presenting the functions and elements of the database that the project group has been working on.

Reinhard Strohm uses the example of Handel’s Scipione (1730) to talk about eighteenth-century stage practice as well as problems involved in contemporary editions of pasticcios. Three other articles (by Gesa zur Nieden, Jana Spáčilová, and Paologiovanni Maione) deal with the specific qualities of pasticcios staged respectively in such European hubs as Hamburg, Prague, Brno and Naples. At the foundation of every opera or pasticcio lay the literary libretti, whose migrations and forms constitute a crucial, extremely difficult aspect of the pasticcio research, taken up in her article by Anna Ryszka-Komarnicka. Interest in the pasticcio is also evident in contemporary operatic life. The dilemmas, questions, and decisions faced by musicologists and music life organisers in our own times in the process of staging pasticcios are the subject of two papers, by Bruno Forment and Clemens Birnbaum.

The journal is available online at: https://sciendo.com/issue/MUSO/18/1

Details of the project can be found at: https://www.pasticcio-project.eu/

Warsaw | Meeting with Jerzy Artysz

On the 20^th of September 2022 at 17.00 Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC invites you to a meeting with Jerzy Artysz as part of the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music, dedicated to the new book Searching. Jerzy Artysz in an interview with Sylwia Wachowska and Aleksander Laskowski, which will be held at the publisher's seat in Warsaw - Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne (Fredry 8 street).

In the book, Professor Artysz recalls the reality of the conflagration of the war, the mother who always saw musician in him, times - not always gray - of the Polish People's Republic: music education, singing competitions and first roles in the Łódź Opera. It describes a mature artist – his parts in performances of the Grand Theater and the Warsaw Chamber Opera, and performance of songs. As the experiences gained in Italy and Spain were of great importance for the artistic development and pedagogical work of Jerzy Artysz, stories from the South could not be missing. The book also includes talks about teaching the next generations of singers. The interview shows an image of an artist and educator who does not rest on his laurels, but constantly looks for new paths and devotes himself to every challenge brought by fate with true passion.

Agata Kwiecińska will lead the meeting in which Dr. Daniel Cichy, the director of the Polish Music Edition and Dr. Mieczysław Kominek, the President of the Polish Composers' Union will also take part.

Polish Music Edition is the event's partner.

Admission free!

See: wydarzenie na FB

Warsaw | 'In the maze of imagination. Zbigniew Bargielski - creator and work' - promotion of the book of Violetta Przech and meeting with the composer

On the 23^rd of September, 2022 at 17.00 the Polish Music Information Center POLMIC invites you to the promotion of Violetta Przech's book In the maze of imagination. Zbigniew Bargielski - creator and work, which will be held as part of the 65th ‘Warsaw Autumn’ at the Warsaw premises of the PWM Edition (Fredry 8 street). After the meeting, it will be possible to buy the book at a discount price, signed by the Composer and the Author!

The publication was released this year by the Musica Iagellonica publishing house. As Prof. Irena Poniatowska wrote in her review of the book: ‘This book is extremely important in musical literature, due to the topic itself and an in-depth analysis of the issues raised. It is devoted to the life, personality and works of Zbigniew Bargielski, whose creative profile has received neither many nor wider studies’.

The meeting with the author of the book and Zbigniew Bargielski will be conducted by Sławomira Żerańska-Kominek..

The event's partner is Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne.

Admission free!

SEE: wydarzenie na FB

Festival programme: https://warszawska-jesien.art.pl/2022/program/program

51st Musicology Conference of the Polish Composers' Union ‘Music and Expression, Katowice, 13-15 October 2022

On October 13-15, 2022, the 51^st Musicology Conference of the Polish Composers' Union ‘Music and Expression’ was held at the Academy of Music in Katowice. Musicologists and music theorists from all over Poland debated the problems related to expression in music - its definition, presence, perception and various types of interpretations.

The proceedings were accompanied by two symphonic concerts – of the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Karol Szymanowski conducted by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk and of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, led by Domingo Hindoyan.

The participants listened to 42 papers, one discussion panel and two plenary lectures given by the invited guests: Prof. Karol Berger from Stanford University (USA) and Prof. Krzysztof Guczalski from the Jagiellonian University. At the end of the conference the participants also visited the Museum of the History of the City of Katowice and the historic district of Nikiszowiec.

Selected materials from the conference will be published in the ‘Polish Music Yearbook’ 2023, as well as in other magazines. The organizers of the conference were the Polish Composers' Union - Section of Musicologists and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. The conference was organized by the committee composed of: Bartłomiej Barwinek, Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska, Agnieszka Nowok-Zych, Wojciech Stępień, Magdalena Stochniol and Marcin Trzęsiok. Plenary lectures of invited guests were registered by the organizers.

Registered lectures available at the YouTube Biblioteki ZKP.

The Conference is supported by the Minister of Science and Higher Education as part of the programme: ‘Doskonała nauka - wsparcie konferencji naukowych 2021’ (‘Excellent Science – Support of Academic Conferences 2021’). Tytuł projektu: 51. Konferencja Muzykologiczna ZKP (The 51st Musicological Concerence of the Polish Composers' Union). Subsidy: 62975 PLN; the whole budget of the project: 96975 PLN.

MEiN znak podstawowy kolor biale tlo

mein doskonala nauka on white

Sound Chronicle of the 2020 ‘Warsaw Autumn’ Festival now available

Still with delay - because of financing troubles with finding funds in previous years - we present to you the next, 2020 edition of the ‘Sound Chronicle of the Warsaw Autumn’.

Unfortunately we did not succeed to obtain enough fundings to produce large sets, as it was the case many years ago (when the 'Sound Chronicle' consisted of 7 to 10 CDs). Therefore, similarily to that of the last year, the 2020 ‘Sound Chronicle of the Warsaw Autumn’ consists of three audio CDs and presents recordings of some concerts, including the inauguration and final event.

Here you will find a list of compositions published on promotional CDs of the Sound Chronicle of the 2020 'Warsaw Autumn' Festival:

CD nr 1 (polmic 168)

/ 1
ElettroVoce (Agata Zubel & Cezary Duchnowski)
Whims for semantoabsorbing phonotyser (2020)
for voice, electronics and piano
and orchestra
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
ElettroVoce: Agata Zubel soprano
Cezary Duchnowski electronics, piano
Barbara Okon-Makowska, Aleksandra Koniuch, Piotr Papier sound projection
/ 2
Aleksandra Kaca
rilievo (2020)
for orchestra and electronics
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
POLISH NATIONAL RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN KATOWICE
Monika Wolinska conductor
Barbara Okon-Makowska, Aleksandra Koniuch, Piotr Papier sound projection
/ 3
ElettroVoce (Agata Zubel & Cezary Duchnowski)
Whims for desemantric verbaphone (2020)
for voice, electronics and piano
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
ElettroVoce: Agata Zubel soprano
Cezary Duchnowski electronics, piano
Barbara Okon-Makowska, Aleksandra Koniuch, Piotr Papier sound projection
/ 4
Mikołaj Laskowski
Infectious (Feel It®) (2020)
for big band and electronics
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
CHOPIN UNIVERSITY BIG BAND
Piotr Kostrzewa big band coaching
WARSAW PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Maciej Tomasiewicz conductor
Barbara Okon-Makowska, Ewa Guziołek-Tubelewicz, Aleksandra Koniuch, Michał Bereza sound projection
/ 5
Joanna Woźny
canti in/versi (2020)
for choir and electronics
First performance
Warsaw Autumn and Warsaw Philharmonic commission
WARSAW PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Bartosz Michałowski conductor
Barbara Okon-Makowska, Ewa Guziołek-Tubelewicz, Aleksandra Koniuch, Michał Bereza sound projection
/ 6
Żaneta Rydzewska
don’t look (2020)
for two violins, accordion, piano, percussion and electronics
First performance
Composed thanks to the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
Barbara Mglej violin
Paulina Wos-Gucik violin
Martyna Zakrzewska piano
Aleksandra Gołaj percussion
Alena Budzináková-Palus accordion, electronics
Stanisław Zarychta video
Przemysław Kunda sound projection
/ 7
Kuba Krzewiński
Contre no. 2 (2019)
for piano and gran cassa
Lutosławski Piano Duo:
Emilia Sitarz & Bartłomiej Wąsik

CD nr 2 (polmic 169)

/ 1
Monika Szpyrka
Zoom in/dolly out (2020)
for ensemble and electronics
First performance
Composed thanks to the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
Barbara Mglej violin
Paulina Wos-Gucik violin
Martyna Zakrzewska piano
Aleksandra Gołaj percussion
Alena Budzináková-Palus accordion, electronics
Stanisław Zarychta video
Przemysław Kunda sound projection
/ 2
Martyna Kosecka
Isorropía. In Search of Balance (2020)
for amplified quintet and electroacoustic layer
First performance
Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Society commission
Cofinanced by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s Culture Promotion Fund within the Composing Commissions programme, implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance
Barbara Mglej violin
Paulina Wos-Gucik violin
Martyna Zakrzewska piano
Aleksandra Gołaj percussion
Alena Budzináková-Palus accordion, electronics
Stanisław Zarychta video
Przemysław Kunda sound projection
/ 3
Teoniki Rożynek
Float (2020)
for instrumental ensemble
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
EUROPEAN WORKSHOP FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Rüdiger Bohn conductor
/ 4
Rafał Zapała
Futility (2020)
for five instruments, electronics and video
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission with the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
ENSEMBLE VORTEX:
Anne Gillot recorder
Benoît Morel viola
Aurélien Ferrette cello
Tomás Fernández double bass
Mauricio Carrasco guitar
Daniel Zea electronics
Arturo Corrales ensemble coordinator
Marek Straszak visual layer in the work of Rafał Zapała
Szymon Kaliski interactive system in the work of Rafał Zapała
/ 5
Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil
The Nightingale and the Stone (2020)
for two pianos and two percussion
from the cycle Reportages
First performance
Warsaw Autumn commission
Cofinanced by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s Culture Promotion Fund within the Composing Commissions programme, implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance
KWADROFONIK:
Emilia Sitarz piano
Bartłomiej Wasik piano
Magdalena Kordylasinska-Pekala percussion
Piotr Maslanka percussion
Kamil Keska sound projection

CD nr 3 (polmic 170)

/ 1
Paweł Hendrich
Prismiris (2018)
for string trio
NFM STRING TRIO LEOPOLDINUM:
Christian Danowicz violin
Michał Micker viola
Marcin Misiak cello
/ 2
Tomasz Skweres
Concertino (2018)
for string orchestra
NFM LEOPOLDINUM ORCHESTRA
Christian Danowicz conductor
/ 3
Przemysław Scheller
The Little Match Girl (2019)
for string orchestra
NFM LEOPOLDINUM ORCHESTRA
Christian Danowicz conductor
/ 4-6
Ewa Trębacz
Metanoia (2020)
concerto for violin, string orchestra and surround sound
First performance
National Forum of Music commission
Cofinanced by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s Culture Promotion Fund within the Composing Commissions programme, implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance
Adam Bałdych violin
NFM LEOPOLDINUM ORCHESTRA
Christian Danowicz conductor
Paweł Hendrich electronics (live)
Ewa Trębacz, electronics (fixed-media)
In the electronic layer: Josiah Boothby – French horn, Ewa Trębacz – violin
/ 7
Anna Sowa
Message for the Year of the Metal Rat II (2020)
for two violins, accordion, piano, percussion and electronics
First performances
Composed thanks to the support by Society of Authors ZAiKS
Barbara Mglej violin
Paulina Wos-Gucik violin
Martyna Zakrzewska piano
Aleksandra Gołaj percussion
Alena Budzináková-Palus accordion, electronics
Stanisław Zarychta video
Przemysław Kunda sound projection

hta video
Przemysław Kunda sound projection

At the same time we continue online presentation of the ‘Sound Chronicle’ with the Festival’s chosen works. You may listen to excerpts of the 2020 Warsaw Autumn under the 'LISTEN ONLINE' bookmark and on https://bibliotekazkp.org.pl/.

The project has been subsidised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Culture Promotion Fund as part of the National Institute of Music and Dance programme ‘Muzyczny ślad‘ (Musical Trace).

The album was released thanks to the support of the ZAiKS Authors' Association. The project partner was Repliq Media Sp. z o.o. We cordially thank all those institutions for their generous support.

The Polish Composers' Union own releases are intended solely for promotional, educational and research purposes. They are not intended for sale. They are provided free of charge to interested institutions and individuals, but due to the very small circulation and large interest, priority is given to music libraries, where a broad audience can benefit from each set. If you are interested, please contact the Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC (contact: Izabela Zymer, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

To listen and read more

AUDIO RECORDINGS AVAILABLE ON OUR SITES:

ElettroVoce: Agata Zubel & Cezary Duchnowski
Whims for semantoabsorbing phonotyser (Widzimisię na fonotyzator semantochlonowy)

Aleksandra Kaca
rilievo

ElettroVoce: Agata Zubel & Cezary Duchnowski
Whims for desemantric verbaphone – (Widzimisię na werbafon desemantryczny)

Mikołaj Laskowski
Infectious (Feel It®)

Joanna Woźny
canti in/versi

Żaneta Rydzewska
don’t look

Kuba Krzewiński
Contre no. 2

Monika Szpyrka
Zoom in/dolly out

Martyna Kosecka
Isorropía. In Search of Balance

Teoniki Rożynek
Float