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Kraków | Stars with Sinfonietta: Patrick Gallois

On February 23, 2019, French flutist and conductor Patrick Gallois will perform with Sinfonietta Cracovia at the Gallery of 19th-century Polish Art in the Cloth Hall at 7:00 p.m..

Patrick Gallois, a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal, has been playing a double role for years, presenting audiences around the world with the full spectrum of his artistic talent.

The concert in Kraków will feature the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, with the famous Badinerie in the rendition of Gallois. Under his baton we will also listen to the first symphonic works of two unparalleled Viennese classics: Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, written by only eight-year-old Mozart, and Symphony No. 1 in D major by Joseph Haydn. The programme will also include Krzysztof Penderecki's Chaconne in memoria del Giovanni Paolo II and the impressionist Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Claude Debussy in the Gallois' arrangement for flute, harp and string orchestra.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

Information on tickets at: www.sinfonietta.pl

475th Poznań Concert "C’est la Vie!”

On February 23, 2019 at 6.00 p.m. Poznań Philharmonic invites you to the Adam Mickiewicz University Auditorium for the 475th Poznań Concert "C'est la vie!", featuring Mieczysław Weinberg's music.

The first part of the concert will be filled with the Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 67 by Weinberg, whose 100th birth anniversary is celebrated in 2019. German violinist Linus Roth, a propagator of Weinerg's music, will perform as a soloist. After the break, we will listen to Hector Berlioz's Lelio, or the return to life (Lélio ou le retour à la vie), Op. 14 b, performed by Wojciech Pszoniak (narrator), Andrzej Lampert (tenor), Szymona Komasa (baritone), Poznań Chamber Choir and Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Łukasz Borowicz. The same hero who, in the famous Symphony fantastique, plunges into despair and madness, in Lelio wakes up from the nightmarish dreams, finds peace, and decides to tame the desire for love and the feeling of loneliness with delightful music.

The Saturday concert will also promote a new translation of Hector Berlioz's Diaries, published by the PoznańPublishing House. The partner of this publication is the Poznań Philharmonic, and the preface to the book was written by Łukasz Borowicz.

Information on tickets at: https://www.filharmoniapoznanska.pl/

Warsaw | Sinfonia Iuventus Carnival Concert

The original programme of the Sinfonia Iuventus Carnival Concert on 22 February 2019, 7 p.m. at the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw, will delight every enthusiast of ambitious masterly symphonic music coming into interactions with the “lighter Muses”.

Leonard Bernstein was a master of such synthesis: he referred to his Candide as an operetta but this large work drawing from motifs of the Voltairian ironic and bitter tale combines traditions of many genres. They are announced by the grand overture, potpourri, played also as a standalone symphonic composition. West Side Story by the same author became a milestone in the history of musical. Admired on the Broadway stage, it earned the author his great popularity, particularly in the film version (1961). The daring dance scenes lived to see the author’s take in the form of the colourful orchestral suite.

John Williams is a true legend of film music. His soundtrack for Catch me if you can, the mischievous Steven Spielberg’s comedy from 2002, may be a slightly less known achievements of the author but it matches those most famous in terms of quality and beauty of musical ideals. Orchestral miniatures: Escapades with the saxophone solo (Paweł Gusnar in this part, one of the most valued Polish saxophonists of his generation) based on the film score is a charming and funny stylization of the film music of the 1960s, the time settings of the film. The vibraphone that used to be very popular at that time, with a pronounced part played by Dominik Bukowski, was its specific “hallmark”. The bravura saxophone is also the concertising hero of Darius Milhaud's Scaramouche suite (the character is a fanfaron soldier from the commedia dell’arte) composed in 1937 as part of music for The Flying Doctor comedy by Molière. Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez is a symphonic gem of Mexican music (imitating the Cuban dancing style), popularized as encore , played gladly by the famous Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Wojciech Rodek, active on many stages in Poland and abroad, will stand behind the conductor’s console.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: https://sinfoniaiuventus.pl/

Szczecin | The Prelude of Talents

On February 22, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. the orchestra of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin under the direction of Andrzej Boreyko will perform works of Górecki, Ravel and Stravinsky.

The concert will start with Mikołaj Górecki's Zan Tontemiquico, which title in the language of Náhuatl, spoken in the area of present Mexico, in free translation means "We only come to dream." The words are taken from a poem by Tochihuitzin, a prince and a poet who lived at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. Next, we will listen to Maurice Ravel's Dafnis i Chloe Suite No. 2. The culmination of the concert will be the performance of Igor Stravinsky's ballet suite The Firebird. The premiere of the ballet in Paris in 1910 turned out to be a huge success, and Stravinsky gained the recognition of such celebrities as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Manuel de Falla, and Jean Cocteau.

More information at: https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/wydarzenia/1000-Boreyko__Strawinski__

Wrocław | Premiere of Paweł Mykietyn's "Violin Concerto"

The premiere of Concerto for violin and symphony orchestra by Paweł Mykietyn will take place at the National Forum of Music in Wrocław on February 22, 2019. The work was written for and dedicated to Marcin Markowicz. The soloist will be accompanied by the orchestra of the National Forum of Music conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk.

"Today, writing a piece for symphony orchestra can be considered a sign of eccentricity." – said Paweł Mykietyn during a conversation about his latest work. Mykietyn is certainly one of the most characteristic composers of Polish music, as indicated by successive premieres of his works as well as a number of awards and prestigious distinctions he received: first place at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris (1995), "Polityka's" Passport (2000), and the Order of Polonia Restituta Fifth Class, "Knight's Cross" (2011). From the very beginning, the composer was keenly interested in creating music, and the first composing tips he received, among others, from Andrzej Kosendiak. Mykietyn developed his composer's workshop at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw (today the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music) in the class of Włodzimierz Kotoński. Already at that time he made his debut during the "Warsaw Autumn" festival with La Strada.

In addition to the latest Mykietyn's composition, the cfoncert will also feature famous works from the last century: Quattro versioni originali della Ritirata Notturna di Madrid di L. Boccherini by Luciano Berio, Divertimento by Leonard Bernstein, and La valse by Maurice Ravel.

More information at: http://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/6544

Wrocław | Kaleidoscope

On 21 February 2019, NFM Ensemble invites you to a meeting with Polish chamber music. An unusual kaleidoscope of sounds and musical styles awaits the listeners. The programme of the evening consists of works by five native composers representing different generations. Performed by the chamber musicians of the National Forum of Music, both compositions by famous composers of the 20th and 21st centuries will be performed, as well as a work by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński – the master of Polish chamber music of the Romantic period.

Full of extraordinary energy, the Kaleidoscope for M.C.E. by Paweł Szymański was created in 1989 when the composer was 35. The work, according to its title, is based on the continuous processing of the motive that begins it and presents various possibilities of the cello technique. Witold Lutosławski also wrote a solo composition for this instrument. He composed his Sacher Variation in 1975 at the request of Mstislav Rostropovich. Another solo work, this time intended for double bass, is Titane by Elżbieta Sikora – belonging in the realm of compositions for students of music commissioned by the director of the Conservatoire in Angouleme, Jacques Pési.

The fullness of the sound of the string quintet will be revealed in two contrasting compositions by Krzysztof Penderecki and Felix Ignacy Dobrzyński. The first of these composers in his String Quintet "Leaves of an unwritten diary" returns to various stages of his own artistic language development. From the chamber music tradition also grows the work of Dobrzyński, Chopin’s school friend. His Piano Quintet in F major is an artistic reaction to the defeat of the November Uprising and a manifestation of the composer's courage – despite the risk resulting from the political moods, in the third movement Dobrzyński quoted the melody of Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, a military song that was to become Poland’s national anthem in 1918.

More information at: http://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/6720

Bydgoszcz | Harpsichord music

Wieczór kameralny w Filharmonii Pomorskiej im. Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego 20 lutego 2019 roku o godz. 19:00 będzie prawdziwą ucztą pełną muzycznych rarytasów, zwłaszcza dla wielbicieli muzyki klawesynowej.

An intimate evening at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic on February 20, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.will be a real feast full of musical delicacies, especially for fans of harpsichord music.

Marek Toporowski – harpsichordist, organist, chamber musician and conductor – is especially valued as a harpsichord virtuoso and conductor specializing in the performance of baroque oratorio music. After graduating from the Academy of Music in Warsaw (organ – Józef Serafin, harpsichord – Leszek Kędracki), he improved his skills under the supervision of masters in France, Germany and the Netherlands. At the Academy of Music in Katowice he runs the harpsichord class. His CDs of early Polish music were awarded the "Fryderyk" award four times, and other records received nominations for this award.

Marek Toporowski and the Capella Bydgostiensis Chamber Orchestra will begin the evening with Concert No. 4 in B flat Major by Rameau, considered one of the most important composers of the 18th century and the founder of the French opera. Next, we will listen to the Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in E major, BWV 1053 and the soloist's rendition of Hommage à J.S. Bach by Ryszard Borowski. The finale will include Harpsichord Concerto in B flat Major and Symphony in G Major by Josef Mysliveček, known as "divine Bohemian" (il divine boemo), who was a close friend and mentor of the young Mozart.

More information at: http://www.filharmonia.bydgoszcz.pl/blog/wydarzenia/kregu-muzyki-klawesynowej/

Warsaw | Concert on the 100th anniversary of the Legislative Sejm

A concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first sitting of the Sejm after Poland regained its independence will be held at the Grand Theater – National Opera on February 19, 2019. The event with the participation of the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland will be broadcast by the Polish Radio Programme 2 at 7.00 p.m.

The programme of the concert commemorating the centenary of the Legislative Sejm in the Grand Theatre – National Opera is a kind of symbolic journey through the history of Polish music. Completed in 1969, the Old Polish Music by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki includes symbolic quotations from two old Polish works: fanfare of brass instruments is based on the medieval Benedicamus Domino, and string parts derive from a Renaissance song by Wacław z Szamotuł Już się zmierzcha. Polonaise brillante in A major by Henryk Wieniawski symbolizes the times of the nineteenth-century virtuosity (adored by the then public), but it is also a reference to the great, Sarmatian tradition of dancing. Concert overture by Karol Szymanowski is a piece symbolizing the aspirations of Polish music almost on the eve of regaining independence.

There are also three works of foreign composers included in the programme. Interlude from the unfinished Oratorio Saint Stanislaus by Ferenc Liszt and a symphonic prelude Polonia by Edward Elgar directly refer to the Polish traditions and history. Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell was written for the British film Dangerous Moonlight (1941), describing the tragedy of September 1939.

The works will be performed by the Orchestra of the Grand Theatre –Polish National Opera under the direction of José Maria Florêncio and soloists: Jakub Jakowicz (violin), Michał Szymanowski (piano).

Wrocław | 15th International Conference "Traditions of Silesian Musical Culture"

The 15th International Conference "Traditions of Silesian Musical Culture" will take place on March 20-21, 2019 at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław

The academic year 2018/2019 is special for the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław as it marks the 70th anniversary of the Wrocław-based music school of higher education which was established in 1948. On this occasion the Chair of Music Theory and History of Silesian Musical Culture has prepared the 15th edition of the longest-standing conference held at the Academy of Music in Wrocław that was initiated by Professor Maria Zduniak in 1980. The aim of the project entitled Traditions of Silesian Musical Culture is to cultivate the rich musical culture of Silesia, which is an important part of Europe. We wish to demonstrate distinctive features of this culture that arose from the overlapping of various national, religious and artistic traditions.

This year’s edition of the conference will feature 24 papers presented by eminent scholars from Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland. The subject matter will concern such issues as the identity of Silesian culture, the presence of music at church and secular institutions and at courts, the connections between important music figures and Silesia, and folk and artistic music by Silesian composers.

The conference will be accompanied by a concert of vocal-and-instrumental lyrical music by Wroclaw-based composers and by an exhibition devoted to music theory conferences.

DOWNLOAD: Conference Programme

Anna Granat-Janki