official patronage

A concert from the series "The Youth's Wednesday" will take place on March 7, 2018 at 7.30 p.m. at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall in Katowice (1 Wojciech Kilar Square).

PolMon Duo was founded in 2015 in Katowice by Polish violinist Alicja Miruk-Mirska and Mongolian pianist Ichin Nyamaa . The duo is a leading expert in the interpretation of works by such composers as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Szymanowski, Lutosławski and Messiaen.

The programme of the concert will include: Béla Bartók – Rhapsody No. 1 for violin and piano Sz. 87, Karol Szymanowski – Myths op. 30: No. 1 Fountain of Arethusa, Lullaby op. 52, Olivier Messiaen – Theme and variations for violin and piano; Witold Lutosławski – Recitativo e Arioso, Subito.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: www.nospr.org.pl

The Chopin University Press publishing house invites you to a meeting devoted to the unique album: "Pergolesi: Stabat Mater / Łukaszewski: Luctus Mariae", which will take place on March 7, 2018 at 5.30 p.m. at the headquarters of the e-Fryderyk Bookshop at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (2 Okólnik St.).

The 13th-century sequence Stabat Mater, portraying the suffering of Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion, has for centuries been an unflagging inspiration for poets, painters and composers. One of them was Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. His work, written for the local community, quickly became the most-published piece in the 18th century and the most popular Stabat Mater of the last three centuries.

In 2010, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Pergolesi's birth, Paweł Łukaszewski composed Luctus Mariae (The Sorrow of Mary) – a work directly referring to the famous cantata of the Baroque master. The piece is based on a contemporary Latin poem with a similar structure and a similar message, written by prof. Jerzy Wojtczak-Szyszkowski. Łukaszewski, while maintaining similarities in terms of construction (13 parts, division into arias and duets), cast and affective side, uses the contemporary style of expression, wider tonality and demanding vocal textures appropriate to his style. Presented recording is the phonographic premiere of the work.

The album was released in a hardback edition, with a large, nearly 60-page booklet, which contains a description of the programme, biographies of performers and texts in Latin, Polish (translation of Stabat Mater by Seweryna Duchińska) and English. The recording was made in the Great Refectory of the castle of Warmian bishops in Lidzbark Warmiński and was co-financed from the grant of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Gioachino Rossini's opera seria Semiramide will be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York on March 10, 2018 at the Praha Cinema in Warsaw.

This masterpiece of dazzling vocal fireworks makes a rare Met appearance – its first in nearly 25 years – with Maurizio Benini on the podium. The all-star bel canto cast features Angela Meade in the title role of the murderous Queen of Babylon, who squares off in breathtaking duets with Arsace, a trouser role sung by Elizabeth DeShong. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Ryan Speedo Green complete the stellar cast.

Semiramide is the culmination of the Italian phase of Rossini’s monumental yet unusual career. He had already produced such immortal comedies as Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L’Italiana in Algeri, but in the early 19th century he was celebrated above all else for his tragedies – none more so than Semiramide. For decades after its premiere, the opera swept through the music capitals of Europe and beyond, enthralling audiences with its urgent, transcendentally beautiful use of melody; undeniably exhilarating drama; and, most importantly, astonishing vocal displays. Rossini’s epic is set in ancient Babylon, now modern-day Iraq, a kingdom which flourished between the 18th and sixth centuries BCE. While the opera does include a handful of local details for color, including the legendary Hanging Gardens, Rossini and Rossi were more concerned with establishing a feeling of legend and wonder than presenting any true historical accuracy.

The music of Semiramide combines the cherished assets of Rossini’s style—magnificent vocalism, irresistible melody, buoyant energy—with achievements unique to this score. The extremely difficult vocal style necessary for the solos is evident from the title character’s ravishing aria, “Bel raggio lusinghier.” Rossini’s famous mastery of rhythm forms the core of this opera. In the justly famous duets, subtle rhythmic changes and pulsing melodic figures illustrate the characters’ emerging realizations. And the towering ensembles, such as the extended Act I finale, are proof of the vast musical conception Rossini realized in this opera, far beyond opportunities limited to superficial vocal display.

The performance will be in the original language (Italian) with Polish subtitles. List of cinemas, dates of shows and cast – here.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Additional information at: http://www.kinopraha.pl

The Sfogato Music and Art Society in Krakow invites you on 8 March 2018 at 12.00 p.m. for the inauguration of the 1st "Piano e Forte" Festival and Competition at the "Florianka"  Auditorium of the Cracow Music Academy.

The "Piano e Forte" Festival and Competition, whose founder and artistic director is pianist Marta Polańska, is an innovative project that works in a holistic way. The aim of the "Piano e Forte" Festival and Competition is to show the history of the piano's evolution in the context of the development of the piano repertoire, the study of mutual relations, and the impact of new achievements in the piano mechanism on the repertoire as well as innovative composing techniques for instrument development. The "Piano e Forte" competition is also aimed at inspiring young pianists to deepen their knowledge of the history of the instrument, raising awareness of the performing practices of a diverse repertoire on contemporary and historical pianos, as well as learning interpretational trends and piano literature of different epochs.

The first edition will take place on the 320th anniversary of the first mention of the invention of the Italian builder Bartolomeo Cristofori, showing the historical route of piano "From Italian soil to Poland". Through the repertoire of works by Polish composers performed during concerts and the "Piano e Forte" Competition, it also constitutes a part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Poland's regaining of Independence.

During the inauguration, we will hear works by Fryderyk Chopin in transcription for violin and piano and compositions by Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar on the 10th anniversary of her death: Konstelacje and APigram dedicated to prof. dr hab. Andrzej Pikul, who will perform this work.

Admission free.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Detailed information at: www.pianoeforte.pl 

On March 21, 2018 at 7.00 p.a. at the Concert Hall of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, a symphony concert will take place. On Wednesday evening we will hear the prepremiere of Symphony of Professor Marian Borkowski, who celebrates 50 years of pedagogical work at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music.

"This one-part symphonic work consists of many clearly outlined phases and links that are organisationally connected and strongly contrasted in terms of material, texture, sound, form and expression. (...) The whole composition is intended by the composer as a closed process with clearly formulated gradations and culminations as well as high emotional temperature and continuity of the tension of the musical action. Symphony marks the 65th anniversary of my creative work and the 50th anniversary of my pedagogical activity – and I dedicate it to my son Piotr, a loyal and excellent interpreter of my work." – the composer himself speaks about the Symphony.

A composer, musicologist, pianist, educator and animator of musical life, in his music balances the perfect technique and the ability to build a form with huge expression. His work, as a representative of the most experienced generation of Polish composers, is a record of the changes taking place in Polish music over the years. It presents both sonorist techniques as well as references to the so-called new romanticism.

The comission of Marian Borkowski's Symphony was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the "Composition Commissions" programme implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance.

During the concert we will also hear Clarinet Concert by A. Copland and Adagio for string orchestra by S. Barber. The works will be presented by the UMFC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Piotr Borkowski. The clarinettist Adrian Janda will perform as a soloist.

Free entry cards are available from March 8 at Chopin University Press.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

A concert dedicated to the memory of Professor Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz will take place in the Concert Hall of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw on March 19, 2018 at 7 p.m.

The composer, teacher and organist for many years was associated with the Warsaw Music University. In 1954 he also began teaching at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw – from 1968 as a professor. In the years 1963-69 he was the dean of the Faculty of Composition, Theory and Conducting, and in 1969-71 – the rector of the Warsaw University of Music. Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz received many awards and distinctions, including Awards of the Minister of National Defense (1968 and 1974), Awards of the Minister of Culture and Art (1969 and 1978), Third Degree State Award (1969), Badge of the Distinguished Culture Activist (1972), Prime Minister's Award for works for children and youth (1979) and the Award of the Polish Composers' Union (1985). He was also awarded the Knight's and Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Medal of the National Education Commission, the Medal of Merits for the Warsaw Music Society and the Honorary Golden Badge of Merits for Warsaw.

Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz never tried to be a part of the avant-garde. He always walked his own way, which ran on the peripheries of tradition. At the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival only two of his pieces were performed, which indicates the conservative character of Paciorkiewicz's music. In the program of the concert, we will hear the organ and chamber pieces of the composer: Sonata in F sharp minor, Diptychos and Gothic Fantasy for organ, Aria for viola and organ, and Duo Concertante for organ and piano. The compositions will be performed by organists Sebastian Kuczyński, Paweł Opala, Krzysztof Ostrowski, Szymon Sobutkowski, Małgorzata Trzaskalik-Wyrwa, viola player Joanna Ławcewicz-Musialik and pianist Maciej Wota. Artistic coordinators: dr hab. Jarosław Wróblewski, prof. UMFC.

Free admission cards are available from March 5, 2018 at the Chopin University Press.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The next concert from the cycle "Polish music too little known" will take place on December 20, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. the NOSPR chamber hall in Katowice. The programme will include compositions by Józef Świder and Grażyna Bacewicz.

Józef Świder (born in 1930) belonged to the generation of Penderecki, Górecki and Kilar, but in the years of the avant-garde sonorism he remained faithful to neoclassicism. He also never gave up on postromantic expression. He is usually associated with choir music, as he wrote about 300 compositions for vocal ensembles, but his output in other genres is also impressive – three operas, numerous oratorio and cantata works, and over 80 instrumental pieces, including many valuable pieces for wind instruments.

The programme of the Thursday concert will feature a seven-part Mini-Quintetto, composed – as if in defiance of avant-garde trends – tonally, with the classical rules of counterpoint and reference to various traditions and idioms. We will also hear the composer's Scherzo for flute and guitar, coming from the last period of his life, Andante for oboe and piano, an early work found after the composer's death, as well as Improvisation for clarinet and piano.

The repertoire will be complemented by Grażyna Bacewicz's Quintet for Wind Instruments, which was written during the postgraduate compositional studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris under the direction of prof. Nadia Boulanger. Bacewicz received for her work the first prize at the competition for composers of the Paris Society Aide aux femmes de professions libres. The concert will be performed by: Maria Grochowska (flute), Piotr Pyc (oboe), Roman Widaszek (clarinet), Marek Barański (bassoon), Mariusz Ziętek (French horn), Wanda Palacz (guitar), Eugeniusz Knapik (piano).

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: http://www.nospr.org.pl/

On the 7th of April 2018 at The Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio of Polish Radio, the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, conducted by Juozas Domarkas, with the participation of well-known pianist Eugen Indjic, will have the honour to perform thenext symphonic concert.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major was dubbed “Emperor” while the composer was still alive, although – as is the case of most such monikers – it did not come from him. Perhaps the name was due to the dedication of the piece to Archduke Rudolf Hapsburg, or – what is more likely – the heroic, monumental, and even military character of the work, already foreshadowed by the tone of "Eroica". The part of the orchestra is even more independent here than in Concerto No. 4, and this treatment is a preview of the “symphonic” concerts of the era of Romanticism and Neo-Romanticism. The concerto will be performed by Eugen Indjic – an American Pianist of Russian-Serbian descent, winner of the 4th prize at the 8th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The artist, who is among the most prominent pianists of his generation, is a particularly acclaimed performer of the Romantic repertoire, especially the music of Chopin, as well as the Neo- and Post-Romantics: Liszt, Rachmaninov, and others.

In August 1873, Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter, draughtsman, book illustrator and architect, died suddenly at the age of 39. He had a close friendship with Modest Mussorgsky, who was significantly affected by the painter’s death. Hartmann was soon commemorated by an exhibition of paintings, drawings, watercolours, sketches, and architectural projects. Mussorgsky recalled that he perceived the works very “musically” – while touring the exhibition, themes and motifs sprang to his mind, which he quickly wrote down and so in June 1874, the Pictures at an Exhibition suite was created, called an “album” by the composer himself. He immortalised ten visions of Hartmann in the sounds, such as the sketches from a visit to Sandomierz in Poland (the composer captured the portraits of two local Jews in “Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle”, a miniature that suggestively contrasts both figures).Mussorgsky’s brilliant suite was not appreciated until the 20th century, especially thanks to a dazzling orchestration by Ravel (1922), who was enchanted by the complex piano texture of Mussorgsky’s miniatures. Taking his place at the conductor’s pulpit will be Juozas Domarkas, an extremely distinguished Lithuanian conductor, a long-time head of the National Symphony Orchestra in Vilnius and a respected lecturer at the Warsaw Academy of Music.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: www.sinfoniaiuventus.pl 

A concert of the Elbląg Chamber Orchestra and Łukasz Dyczko will take place on 15 April 2018 at 6:00 pm in the State Music School Complex concert hall in Elbląg.

The Elbląg Chamber Orchestra focuses on young and talented Polish musicians. One of the hottest names is a 20-year-old saxophonist Łukasz Dyczko. The soloist believes that "the instrument helps express the personality of each artist". He expresses himself by playing the saxophone with an excellent effect: two years ago, as the third Pole in history, he became the winner of the 18th Eurovision Song Contest for Young Musicians. With his performance of Rhapsody for saxophone and orchestra by André Waignein, he delighted Julian Rachlin, one of the greatest violinists. This success resulted in the nomination for Polityka's Passports for 2016 in the category of "Classical Music" and the Coryphaeus of Polish Music award(2016) in the "Debut of the Year" category.

During the April concert, the musician will perform, among others, Concerto-Notturno for violin and string orchestra by Mikołaj Górecki, arranged for saxophone. In the concert hall of the State Music School Complex, we will also hear Mozart's Symphony in A major, KV 201, as well as compositions by Joseph Haydn and Astor Piazzolla. The concert includes works that, despite the passage of time, did not lose their freshness and originality. The conductor will be Michał Dworzyński, who cooperated, among others, with Seijim Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Concert organised within the program "Filharmonia/ostrożnie, wciąga!!!", coordinated by the Institute of Music and Dance.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Detailed information at: www.eok.elblag.eu