"Escape from the Shadows" released by Orphée Classics
The album Escape from the Shadows, released in May 2025, presents works for viola by composers of Jewish origin, which remain little known in Poland. The pieces were recorded by violist Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska and pianist Wojciech Pyrć.
Among the works by Aleksandr Weprik, Mieczysław Weinberg, Karol Rathaus, Jerzy Fitelberg, and Ignacy Friedman, special attention should be paid to the exceptional Sonata for Viola and Piano by Eta Tyrmand. This Warsaw-based composer was the first woman to become a member of the Composers' Union of the Byelorussian SSR. A copy of her Sonata, well known in Belarus, was provided to the performers by Belarusian violist Kuzma Papakul, a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. The release of this piece on the album Escape from the Shadows marks the world premiere recording of Tyrmand’s Sonata.
Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska also arranged for viola and piano two additional works:
– Rapsodia Notturna Op. 66 by Karol Rathaus (originally composed for cello and piano), and
– Romanze Op. 32 by Ignacy Friedman (originally written for violin or cello with piano).
The album Escape from the Shadows was released by the Warsaw Branch of the Polish Musicians’ Association (Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Muzyków) in cooperation with Orphée Classics, with funding from ZAiKS, and is available on the most popular streaming platforms: https://ffm.to/po150kn and on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_maxSpWeSTOnlLDg-lBPnvNlpUmF2GPk1c&feature=shared
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
List
1. Eta Tyrmand – Sonata na altówkę i fortepian (1967)*
I Andante
II Andante non troppo
III Allegro ma non troppo
2. Aleksander Weprik – Kaddish op. 6 (1925)
3. Mieczysław Wajnberg – Sonata na altówkę i fortepian op. 28 (1945/2008)
I Allegro
II Allegretto
III Adagio
4. Karol Rathaus – Rapsodia Notturna op. 66 (1950) (aranżacja na altówkę: A. Demowska-Madejska)
5. Jerzy Fitelberg – Serenada (1943)
6. Ignacy Friedman – Romans op. 32 (1910) (aranżacja na altówkę: A. Demowska-Madejska)
Wyk.: Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska (altówka), Wojciech Pyrć (fortepian)
Total time: 63'
* Orphée Classics 2025
