 |
Polish Music Newsletter |  |
|---|
May 2011, Vol. 17, No. 5. ISSN 1098-9188. Published monthly. Anniversaries |
Awards | Discography | Festivals | |
 |
PMC NEWS |
 |
PADEREWSKI EXHIBIT FINALE
Organized around topics including Paderewski’s life in music, political career, links to California, and private life, the exhibit also features a short display on Poland’s history and Paderewski’s impact on popular culture. Many extraordinarily rare and never-before seen items—including personal possessions, correspondence, photographs, and Paderewski’s concert programs that are on exhibit—have been culled from the Paso Robles Collection held by the Polish Music Center at USC. Read the latest review of the exhibit, written by public diplomacy scholar Paul Rockower, at levantine18.blogspot.com.
USC’s “Paderewski – The Modern Immortal” exhibit is scheduled to travel next to Paso Robles, where it will be on display at the Pioneer Museum during the 2011 Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles. This year’s Festival will be held November 10-13 in various venues around this charming Central Coast town that served as Paderewski’s American pied-à-terre for twenty-five years. Further plans for the exhibit, including showing it in Poland, are currently being considered. “Paderewski – The Modern Immortal” is free and open to the public during library hours through May 2011 (for summer library hours, see www.usc.edu/libraries). [MZ]
RECENT DONATIONS TO PMC New Voices Collection
Scores:
Recordings and Video: DVD: Sekwens [Sequence] a film by Robert Sowa with music by Ewa Trębacz Dux CD 0746: Chamber Music by Stanisław Brombosz, including:
CD Accord ACD 123: Agata Zubel – Cascando, including:
Musica Pro Bono FMPB CD 003: Andrzej Krzanowski In Memoriam featuring Agata Zubel and Kwartet Śląski [The Silesian String Quartet], including:
Scores:
Recordings: PRCD 1169-1170 (2 CDs): Works by Composers Nominated for the OPUS Media Prize 2008, including:
Ewa Trębacz: unpublished CD of solo and chamber works with electronics:
Ewa Trębacz: unpublished CD of works for large ensembles:
Scores:
* * * * * Other Donations Donated by Hanna Kielich-Rainka, one of the organizers of the 2011 International Paderewski Conference in Warsaw, Poland:
Donated by Jarosław Janowski-Smoliński and Sebastian Smoliński:
* * * * * As always, many thanks to all of our donors for their generous contributions to the Polish Music Center collection of scores, recordings and printed materials about Polish music and culture! [MZ]
SUMMER 2011 CLOSURES If you are planning a visit to the Polish Music Center this summer, please be aware that the PMC will be closed on the following days:
As always, please let us know that you will be visiting by calling us at (213) 821-1356 or emailing us at polmusic@thornton.usc.edu for an appointment. We appreciate your interest and look forward to meeting you! |
|
NEWS |
|
FIRST CONFERENCE ON POLISH MUSIC The Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) and the Institute for Music and Dance invite all interested parties to participate in the First Conference on Polish Music, held at the National Library in Warsaw on May 9-11. The meeting seeks to attract representatives of the many Polish musical circles—including composers, performers, musicologists, music journalists and critics, leaders of music institutions, cultural organizations, as well as students and music lovers. The entry is free and open to the public.
Registration information and other details of the Conference can be found at www.konwencjamuzyki.pl. The Polish Music Information Centre in Warsaw is the media patron of this Conference. [Source: polmic.pl]
STAŃCZYK ET AL. PREMIERES
On May 2, Divertimento Ensemble premiered a chamber opera by Marcin Stańczyk at the Festival Rondò 2011 in Milan, Italy. Entitled Le teste scambiate [The Switched Heads], the opera was commissioned by the Divertimento Ensemble and will be performed by the ensemble led by conductor Sandro Gorli. Vocal soloists are Lorna Windsor – soprano, Leonardo de Lisi – tenor, and Maurizio Leoni – baritone. Premieres of two other Divertimento-commissioned works took place during the program: Nicolas Tzortzis – IENT and Carlo Ciceri – La discesa. The concert was held in the Auditorium San Fedele and preceded by a discussion with the composers. Marcin Stańczyk (b. Nov. 16, 1977) is a law graduate from the University of Łódź and completed studies in music theory and composition with Zygmunt Krauze at the Music Academy of Łódź. After graduating, he moved to Rome for 3-years postgraduate studies at the Accdemia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Ivan Fedele. He has participated in the Young Composers Meeting in Apeldoorn (Netherland); masterclasses with Klangforum Wien and Trilok Gurtu during La Biennale di Venezia (2007-2008); composition courses at Voix Nouvelles 2009; Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt (2010); and Jerwood Opera Writing Programme (2010-2011). As a composer he has won 10 international composers competitions in Poland, Italy, Netherland, Romania, Germany, Japan, China and the US, and has been recipient of numerous scholarships, from such institutions as: Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Young Poland 2007), Italian Government, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Aldeburgh Centre of Music, Witold Lutosławski Society (2011 scholarship). He also participates in the Young Composers Program established by the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre of Music (2007-2010). He works both at the Regional Administrative Court in Łódź as well as the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź and at the Academy Music in Łódź as a lecturer on contemporary compositional techniques and electronic music.
[Source: marcinstanczyk.com, paulinazalubska.com, cidim.it, eucemusic.org]
GRUCKA PREMIERE/POLISH NAT’L COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION
The Second Prize and 6,000 PLN was given to Adrian Robak for his 23-minute, three-movement work, Silesia 1921. The Third Prize and 3,000 PLN was given to Nikolet Burzyńska, another Katowice-based composer, for her work Silesian Pyromagma. The jurors included Maestro Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, director of the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra, Prof. Eugeniusz Knapik, and Jerzy Kornowicz. The Silesian Philharmonic and the Marshall of the Silesian Voivodship announced the three winning composers and their work.
[Source: polmic.pl, xn--filharmonialska-f0b47l.pl Photo: facebook.com]
LEGAWIEC PREMIERE On Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 PM, the Polish Cultural Foundation in Clark, NJ will present the premier of Walter Legawiec’s Serenade for string orchestra, thanks to the initiative of Stephen Wolosonovich and artist friends of the Honoree. Foundation VP for Cultural Affairs, Josephine Cukier, will host the program, which is free and open to the public. The program will take place at the Foundation’s Skulski Gallery, a beautiful setting for concert honoring PCF’s “Artist in Residence,” Walter Legawiec, an honorary member of this organization for the last 25 years. Both Walter Legawiec and Stephen Wolosonovitch, a violinist-teacher in Westfield, are graduates of the Juilliard School of Music. Legawiec in 1986, composing his violin concerto The May 15 program will also include 8 Rustic Dances, 5 early pieces for violin and piano, and Mazurkas for piano, all composed by W. Legawiec. Paul Kueter will be at the piano for Legawiec’s 1st Sonata for violin and piano and his Lonely Shepherd Girl. Paul Kueter’s Andante will also be played. This concert will be in a way a celebration of Walter Legawiec’s talents as a composer and the 40 year relationship between Legawiec, Kueter and Wolosonovitch. Also performing will be the well known pianist Carol Ann Mochernuk, who participated in the recording of Legawiec’s selected works made by the Cracow Opera Foundation in 1993.
[Source: Press release]
NY PREMIERE OF MACIEJEWSKI’S REQUIEM The Binghamton University Music Department marks the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe (VE Day) Roman Maciejewski at the piano in Los Angeles,CA in 1971 Although this month’s concert may be the first live performance of the work in New York, it is not the first public hearing in New York. On the invitation of the founder of the Kosciuszko Foundation, Stefan Mierzwa, composer Roman Maciejewski appeared at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York on May 5, 1961, and lectured on his Requiem, playing the piece as recorded on a reel-to-reel tape by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra at the 1960 contemporary music festival Warsaw Autumn. [Czas, May 25, 1961, p. 3] Maestro Timothy Perry, who completes his twenty-fifth season as director of the Binghamton University Orchestra this year, recently wrote to the PMC about the preparation for the concert:
The year 2010 marked the centennial of Maciejewski’s birth—read more about the composers' anniversary in the February 2010 Newsletter. Following World War II, the composer relocated to Los Angeles where he lived for 25 years, during which time much of the Requiem was composed. Dedicated to the memory of all victims of war, the work is seldom performed because of the great number of performers that the piece demands. The May 8th concert presents a rare opportunity to hear this great Polish/American 20th century masterpiece.
[Source: press release]
NEW RULES FOR BROADCASTING POLISH MUSIC In a follow up to developments reported in the PMC’s July 2010 Newsletter (original source: Polish Radio), Polish President Bronisław Komorowski has signed an amendment to the Law on Radio and Television regarding the protection of Polish language radio programs. One of its articles stipulates that the percentage of Polish-language music played on Polish radio stations be raised from the current obligatory 33% to 60%, to be played in the period from 5am to midnight. The amendment has been supported by artists, producers, associations and record labels, with a letter of support for changes in the law signed, among others, by Mary Mary, Catherine Nosowska, Alfonso Staszczyk, Janusz Panasewicz, Monica, DJ Adamus, Smolik and Gregory Skawiński, plus many senior figures in the music industry, including the presidents of [Source: cogo-news.eu]
SEROCKI COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION
Regulations for the competition are available here: www.ptmw.art.pl The total value of prizes for the 2011 edition is 30,000 PLN (approximately 7,500 Euro). The awarded compositions will be performed in November 2011 in the Polish Radio Lutosławski Concert Studio, at a special concert organized by the ISCM Polish Section, European Penderecki Centre for Music and Polish Radio Channel 2. The concert will be broadcast and offered to all members of the European Broadcasting Union. This year’s competition is held under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the President of the City of Warsaw. [Sources: submission, ptmw.art.pl]
BOOK REVIEW: SZYMANOWSKI
In a new review for the English version of the bi-weekly cultural magazine, Dwutygodnik, poet, novelist, translator, literary and music critic Adam Wiedemann discusses a recent biography of Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), who is considered the father of Polish modern music. Below is an excerpt of the review, entitled “Homotonality” and published on 17 April 201:
Continue to read the review at www.biweekly.pl. Bartosz Dąbrowski book Szymanowski. Muzyka jako autobiografia is available for purchase at merlin.pl. [Source: biweekly.pl]
NEW WEBSITE FOR PTASZYŃSKA
Born in Warsaw, Ptaszyńska is the author of such well-known works as the Concerto for Marimba, Concerto for Saxophone, Winter’s Tale, Sonnets to Orpheus, and Moon Flowers, as well as numerous compositions for percussion (Siderals, Graffito, Spider Walk, Space Model, Letter to the Sun), which have been performed many times around the world. Ptaszyńska has received commissions from orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Polish Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, and the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra and from artists such as contralto Ewa Podleś, marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, and harpist Alice Chalifoux. She has also received commissions from the National Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Kościuszko Foundation in New York, the Südwestfunk in Baden-Baden, Germany, the Caramoor International Music Festival, the International Harp Festival, and the Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago. She was commissioned by the Warsaw National Opera to write two operas for children (Mister Marimba and Magic Doremik) and by the Grand Opera Theatre in Łódź to write the opera The Lovers of the Valldemosa Cloister for Chopin’s Bicentennial in 2010—a film of this opera was recently screened at the University of Chicago, where Ptaszyńska serves as the Helen B.& Frank L. Sulzberger Professor of Music and the Humanities. Her television opera Oscar of Alva, produced by the Cracow Television, received both audience and critical acclaim at the International Festival of Television Operas in Salzburg in 1989. Her opera for children, Mister Marimba, which was in the repertory of the National Opera in Warsaw from 1998 until 2006, has enjoyed phenomenal success and popularity for eight consecutive seasons with 114 performances. Her Holocaust Memorial Cantata gained international recognition when performed several times in 1993 under the baton of Lord Yehudi Menuhin. Continue reading Ptaszyńska’s bio here. [Source: press release]
NEW MUSIC & VIDEOS FOR LACHERT
Earning Master Degrees in piano and chamber music, Piotr Lachert was a prize winner at the First Paderewski piano competition in 1961. He also won awards at the 1969 Łódź Poetry contest, was the International Biography Center’s “Man of the Year” in England in 1992, and received the Brussels “Trophée Royal” for theatre music (1992), the Italian Cultural prize “Ghironda” (1995) and the Belgian Sabam “Médaille et Diplôme d’Honneur” (1999). Mr. Lachert’s compositions include: several musical theatre pieces; over 700 pedagogical piano music studies (his Méthode Créative boasts six printings); instrumental solo pieces including 20 sonatas; chamber music including a piano trio, string quartets, and Kauffolie for 36 pianos; orchestral music including concerti for violin, piano and for amplified clavichord; a ballet entitled Cie- and an opera entitled Aroke Tre. For a full biography and list of works, visit www.lachertfoundation.eu or www.cebedem.be. New online videos available:
Most recent compositions:
Upcoming performance:
[Source : press release, lachertfoundation.eu, cebedem.be]
SKROWACZEWSKI IN MAY
On Friday, May 13, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Poland (NOSPR) will perform with one of today’s most outstanding Polish conductors and composers, Stanisław Skrowaczewski. Audiences will hear Skrowaczewski’s Passacaglia immaginaria, written in 1996, and Symphony no. 8 by Anton Bruckner. The initial version of Bruckner’s monumental work was created in the years 1884-87. Following friends’ advice the composer shortened and amended his Symphony in C minor and this criticism and the necessity to revise the work led the composer to nervous breakdown. As a result the work remained a huge work, requiring a monumental cast of performers, and on that touches on the problems of human existence, human struggle with hardships and the composer’s own weaknesses. As with all Bruckner symphonies, influences of Bach, Beethoven and above all Wagner can be detected. Skrowaczewski has been awarded for his interpretations of the Symphonies of Bruckner with the Bruckner Society of America’s Medal of Honor (more on this in the Awards Section below), the Gold Medal of Mahler-Bruckner Gesellschaft as well as with the Award in Cannes in the category of ‘the best recording of symphonic music of 18th and 19th century.’
According to his representation’s website, Intermusica, Skrowaczewski made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969, when Herbert von Karajan was Principal Conductor there. According to Michel Glotz (Karajan’s recording producer), Karajan “respected Skrowaczewski with great collegial affection and admiration”. Maestro Skrowaczewski regularly appeared with the orchestra over 17 seasons during Karajan’s tenure, during which time he introduced the orchestra to works by Lutosławski and George Crumb, as well as his own works. In his debut with the orchestra five decades ago, Skrowaczewski conducted the European premiere Elliot Carter’s Piano Concerto. He has also conducted the standard repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to Bartók and Stravinsky with the orchestra. His last performances with the orchestra were in 1986. Forty years ago, in June 1971, Skrowaczewski received the following review from the Berlin Telegraf:
For more information about Skrowaczewski, visit the website of the 2004 Paderewski Lecture or the website of his upcoming biography, Seeking The Infinite by Frederick Harris, Jr. [Sources: nospr.org.pl, intermusica.co.uk]
MAKSIMIUK’S 75TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
[Source: polmic.pl]
SUDDEN RAIN | BETWEEN On May 21-22, 25 and 28, the Polish National Opera will present two short chamber operas by rising Polish composers Aleksander Nowak and Agata Zubel. According to the website of the Polish National Opera | Grand Theater:
Nowak and Sudden Rain are also the winners of TVP Kultura’s “Cultural Guarantee” Award for 2010 (see below). [Source: teatrwielki.pl; Poster design: Adam Żebrowski]
KULENTY & BLAAUW AT WARSAW PHIL Blaauw will be accompanied by Warsaw’s National Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Niklas Willen, one of Sweden's most respected conductors. Under his baton to hear works by two composers born in 1865 in the north of our continent - the most famous symphonic poem of Jean Sibelius, entitled Finland, and Carl Nielsen’s Third Symphony. The concert will be preceded by an introductory lecture by prof. Agnieszka Chwiłek, a doctor of musicology from Warsaw University. Marco Blaauw specializes in new music, and invents new sounds and performance techniques. He is a member of Cologne's famous musikFabrik. His playing has inspired many contemporary composers, including Karlheinz Stockhausen. He gave the premiere of Kulenty’s Concerto in Katowice with the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) in Katowice on March 3, 2003.
SZYMANOWSKI & PANUFNIK AT WIGMORE
On May 9, the “Monday Platform at Wigmore” series will present a special evening of two works by Polish master composers—Karol Szymanowski and Andrzej Panufnik—along with classical works of Haydn, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Works on the program are: Haydn - String Quartet in C Op. 50 No. 2, Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Op. 82, Szymanowski - Nos. 1–8 from 12 Studies, Panufnik - Nos. 7–12 from 12 Miniature Studies, and Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 3 in F Op. 73. The program will be performed by the Idomeneo String Quartet (Mark Derudder and Eugene Lee, violin, Reinoud Ford, cello, and Adam Newman, viola) and pianist Clare Hammond. The Monday Platform, which is celebrating its 12th Anniversary Season at Wigmore Hall, is a joint initiative from five organizations that have the similar aim of supporting young professional musicians, and gives Wigmore Hall audiences an opportunity to hear the very best emerging young artists in a regular monthly series throughout the autumn, winter and spring seasons.
[Source: polishculture.org.uk]
CONCERTS FOR JOHN PAUL II
In the wake of the announcement that John Paul II is to be beatified on May 1, 2011, many concerts were planned in honor of the late Pope, who was beloved by so many especially in his native Poland. As music was an important part of the life of John Paul II, music has also been used to celebrate his beatification. A listing of some of the worldwide concerts is below. For more information on the beatification process, see the informational interview conducted by the BBC. Various concerts Kraków has and will host many events related to the beatification. Some of the highlights include a concert on 17 April at St Catherine’s Church featuring soloist Małgorzata Pańko (mezzosoprano) accompanied by Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra under the baton of Gabriel Chmura. The Kraków Philharmonic also offered an oratorio concert on 29 April, at which Górecki’s Beatus Vir and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms was performed by soloist Adam Kruszewski. Górecki’s work for solo baritone, choir and orchestra was commissioned by then Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) to mark the 900th anniversary of the martyr’s death of the Krakovian bishop Stanislaus. Also contributing to the beatification celebration are the Organum Choir, Pro Musica Choir and the Ricercar instrumental ensemble, who appeared together on 30 April at St Mary’s Basilica, as well as a concert on 1 May by Camerata Janáček Ostrava Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Elżbieta Woleńska (flute) and Michał Markuszewski (organ) as part of the Musical Meetings on Wzgórza Krzesławickie series. For a full listing of events in Kraków, please visit cracow.travel. AMORE Infinito – Infinite LOVE The Paderewski Symphony Orchestra presented three concerts of “Songs He sang, Music He listened too, The most beautiful compositions dedicated to our John Paul II” at various venues in Chicago. The concert programs included Wojciech Kilar – Angelus as well as popular and classical music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Frank, and songs like “Barka”, “Black Madonna” and many more. Performers were: Paderewski Symphony Orchestra conducted by Wojciech Niewrzol; PaSO Choir & Children’s Choir; Olga Bojovic, soprano; Anna Siwiec-Sitkowska, soprano; Miroslawa Sojka -Topor, soprano; Jay Morrissey, tenor; Agnieszka Iwanska, jazz vocalist; and Jan Krol, vocalist Concert to Honor the Beatification of Pope John Paul II The Knights of St. Francis in San Francisco presented a free public concert at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi honoring the beauty of springtime, the unity and sanctity of life and the beatification of John Paul II. The Chorus of Sufism Reoriented and the Meher School's Children's Chorus offered songs celebrating themes of St. Francis' life and John Paul II's deep devotion to serving humanity. Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and St. Patrick's Cathedral celebrate the historic beatification of John Paul II with a special tribute concert and poetry reading, “Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice,” featuring Anna Dymna and Andrew Nagorski, who will recall the Pope's living words, Ulrik Spang-Hanssen in an organ concert and the joint choirs of the Polish Singers Alliance in America (District 7) “Totus Tuus" Gala Concert On May 8, the Catholic Youth Studio present Canada's the "Totus Tuus" Gala Concert in honour of Blessed John Paul II and Saint Eugene de Mazenod – the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Over 100 Canadian and international artists will take part in the gala. The first half of the concert will showcase light classical and popular hits performed by Jan Lisiecki, Kinga Mitrowska, Christopher Dallo, Kornel Wolak and the Quartetto Gelato. The second half of the concert will reflect on deep themes of the Divine Mercy Oratorio, performed by Zbigniew Malkowicz, Marek Balata, and other soloists from Poland. The Toronto Silver Symphony Orchestra and choir under the direction of Michael Newnham will accompany the artists. The concert takes place at Roy Thomson Hall. Love explained all... [Milosc mi wszystko wyjasnila...] The Kosciuszko Foundation in Washington D.C. and the Ambassador Theater present an evening of music and the poetry of Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla). Performers include: pianist Ivo Kaltchev, guitarist Tomasz Smok, and vocalists Lukasz Pinkowski, Katarzyna Drucker, and Barbara Papendorp, as well as Adam Adkins, Hanna Bondarewska, Danielle Davy, Stephen Shetler, and Lilia Slavova. Poets include Galczynski, Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Poswiatowska, Mickiewicz and others. For more information, email ambassadortheater@aticc.org or call (202)785-2320 [Sources: press releases, events.sfgate.com, torontonews24.com, telegraph.co.uk]
* * * * * This year the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Polish Theatre Institute are jointly celebrating the 220th Anniversary of the Polish Constitution of May 3rd, 1791 with a presentation of Za wasza wolnosc i nasza... (in Polish) at 3:00pm and In Pursuit of Liberty... (in English) at 7:00pm on May 7. Featuring: Nina Polan (Director of the Polish Theatre Institute), Małgorzata Staniszewska, and Dariusz Kazmierczuk, with music director and accompanist, Pablo Zinger. The program is partially funded by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Conceived of and directed by Nina Polan, the show is performed in either English or Polish by 3 actor/singers, and consists of readings from both Constitutions, with poetry, music and popular songs from the 18th century to the 1980s, performed by 3actor/singers to piano accompaniment. It evokes a 19th century "salon"—with actors, singers and a pianist, in period costumes—and includes excerpts from the Forefathers, Pan Tadeusz, miscellaneus poems, and ballads as well as songs by Chopin, Paderewski, Niewiadomski and Moniuszko.
* * * * *
* * * * *
[Source: press release, thekf.org, themetrochamberorchestra.org]
TRZASKA TOUR At the end of May, Polish jazz reed player Mikołaj Trzaska and his Trio 'Ha-Tichona' or Inner Ear will perform in Poland and the UK: Kraków (5/24), Łódź (5/25), Dublin (5/26) Birmingham (5/27), London (5/28) and Newcastle (5/29). In addition to Trzaska on saxophone and bass clarinet, the trio includes Olie Brice - double bass (Israel, Great Britain) and Mark Sanders - drums (Great Britain).
Trzaska was a co-founder of the most important yass groups – the legendary ensemble Miłość, as well as the equally creative group Łoskot. Although the impetus of yass faded away many years ago, Trzaska became the leader of the national improvisation movement. After the yass period he recorded a few concentrated and quiet albums and also collaborated with several poets. Today Trzaska is involved in many musical projects. He is the leader of the international Volumen Trio and a member of Resonance with Ken Vandermark, Magic with Joe McPhee and Shofar Trio with Raphael Rogiński and Macio Moretti, among others. But above all he expresses himself through the medium of radical contemporary free jazz, especially through collaborations with personalities of the world improvisation scene. He has recorded upwards of thirty albums.
[Sources: polishculture.org.uk, trzaska.art.pl]
CHOPIN AT LONDON’S SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Alexander Ardakov has a deep affinity for the music of Chopin thanks in part to his Polish mother. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatoire and a prizewinner at the Viotti International Competition in Italy, Ardakov has been living in England since 1991 where, in addition to his performing career throughout the world, he is a Professor of Piano at Trinity College of Music in London. He has performed for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM and has made several CD recordings, including Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson. An international recitalist of exceptional versatility and musical integrity, he feels at home not only with the Russian classics but also with the composers of the Romantic period such as Liszt, Schumann and, of course, Chopin. Other Chopin events at the Southbank Centre in May include pianist Maurizio Pollini performing various works by Chopin as a part of his “Pollini Project” on Wednesday, May 25, and pianist Lang Lang performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 on Saturday, May 21.
[Source: polishculture.org.uk]
PIOTROWICZ OPENS NETAUDIO FESTIVAL Penultimate Press presents the opening concert of the Netaudio Festival in London, featuring Robert Piotrowicz - modular synthesizer and computer, and Valerio Tricoli – revox tape recorder and electronics. Part of the duo’s “Amore Summer Tour,” the London concert will take place at the new music venue Cafe OTO on Friday, May 13.
Valerio Tricoli works as a concrete music composer, improviser, sound installation artist, producer, sound engineer and curator. His compositions bridge musique concrète and conceptual forms of sound and are rooted in radical interest in how reality, virtuality, memory relate to each other during the acoustic event. In his insight, music, as a recorded or as a synthetically-modeled sound, is always hovering between the “here and now” of the event and the shady domain of memory - distant but at the same time present, like a déjà-vu experience.
[Sources: polishculture.org.uk, cafeoto.co.uk]
SZYMON GRAB - DMA RECITAL
Since coming to USC from Legnica, Poland with the assistance of the PMC and Ars Musica Polonica, Grab has become an active member of Thornton as well as the wider Los Angeles music community. Continuing his development as an organ virtuoso under the tutelage of USC professors Cherry Rhodes and Ladd Thomas, he has served as organist and music director for several area churches. He has also performed for many Polish events, including concerts and masses. To learn more, read an interview conducted with Grab in the July 2006 Newsletter.
[Source: press release]
NAZIEMIEC & DERKEVORKIAN PERFORM WITH CHILDS
On May 14th, multi award-winning composer/pianist Billy Childs will perform a concert combining his Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble with a string quartet featuring two former Thornton students and PMC performers: Polish violist Karolina Naziemiec and Armenian violinist Armen Derkevorkian. Other performers in the evening's ensemble include: Larry Koonse - acoustic guitar, Bob Sheppard – sax, Carol Robbins – harp, Hamilton Price – bass, Marvin “Smitty “ Smith – drums, Maksim Velichkin - cello and Radu Pieptea - violin. Around 2001, Billy had an idea for a group which would have, at its nucleus, piano, acoustic guitar, and harp. It was a sound partly influenced by Laura Nyro's collaborations with Alice Coltrane (on "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat") and partly influenced by a desire to merge the classical and jazz music genres. The Jazz-Chamber Ensemble was the result and the group consists of: piano, bass, drums, acoustic guitar, harp and woodwinds. Sometimes the core group is augmented by string quartet, woodwind quintet, or both. The idea of a jazz chamber ensemble has always been close to Childs’ creative heart. He describes it, jokingly as “a weird combination of harp, string quartet, saxophone, jazz rhythm section - a kind of music that’s rooted more in third stream and fusion, a hybrid form.” A “hybrid form” that’s been tried at various times throughout jazz history, as far back as Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, the “third stream” efforts of Gunther Schuller, George Russell and John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet in the ‘50s and ‘60s and the fusion of ‘70s and ‘80s groups such as Weather Report and Return To Forever. Like the best of those efforts, Childs has followed his own path into a creative land of his own imagining. A land in which the free-flowing spontaneity of jazz shares comfortable, common ground with the far-ranging timbres and complex structures of classical music.
[Source: press release]
AN EVENING OF DOBRZYŃSKI The Board of Directors of Chicago’s Lira Ensemble—the current artists-in-residence at Loyola University Chicago—will present an evening of beautiful music by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński, "The Polish Mozart," on May 26. The Lira String Quintet will perform Dobrzynski’s Quintet in F Major, Op. 20 as prepared by Mina Zikri, conductor of the Lira Ensemble. All proceeds benefit the Lira Ensemble
[Source: press release]
KOSINSKI PLAYS PADEREWSKI GALA
[Source: press release]
PANDOLFI @ NAT’L GALLERY OF ART
Pandolfi recently released a recording entitled Polish Masters—the album features the music of Paderewski, Łabuński, Chopin and Godowsky, and is available from www.buyclassicalmusic.net. The National Gallery of Art is also offering free guided tours in Polish. The next tours will take place on Friday, May 13 and Friday, June 10. The hour-long tours available are:
In addition, it is possible to book free one-hour tours (in Polish) for groups, three weeks to four months in advance. For appointment, call the National Gallery at (202) 842-6247. [Source: press release]
|
|
AWARDS |
|
MINISTER OF CULTURE HONORED Bogdan Zdrojewski, Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage, was among the recipients of the 2011 Lewiatan Award. Given by the Polish Confederation of Private Employers (PKPP) Lewiatan, the Lewiatan ‘Władysław Grabski’ Award recognized Minister Zdrojewski’s strong leadership which was “not only sensitive to the needs of Polish culture but also to the needs of business community and to the Minister’s ability to build a relationship between these two areas.” The other two recipients of Lewiatan Awards included actress Krystyna Janda and Aleksander Smolar, President of the Stefan Batory Foundation.
PKPP Lewiatan grants two annual awards – the Władysław Grabski Award and the Andrzej Wierzbicki Award. The Władysław Grabski Award is granted to a public figure who has made a significant contribution to the development of entrepreneurship. In honor of its namesake, this award goes to a person who takes efforts to build a sound and strong national economy. The Andrzej Wierzbicki Award is for a successful businessman who has been involved in actions for the benefit of the environment where he or she operates. The Lewiatan Statue was designed by Gustaw Zemła, one of the best known Polish sculptors, author of the Silesian Insurgents Monument in Katowice, the Monument of Władysław Broniewski in Płock, the Fallen but Unconquered Monument in Warsaw, the Statue of John Paul II in Mistrzejowice and the Monte Cassino Monument. [Source: mkidn.gov.pl, pkpplewiatan.pl]
GWARANCJE KULTURY
[Sources: tvp.pl, aleknowak.com]
IJP MEDAL FOR MOŻDŻER
[Source: facebook.com/leszekmozdzer]
POZNAŃ MUSIC ACADEMY CELEBRATES 90 YRS The laureates of the International Composition Competition celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Poznań Music Academy have been announced by the jury, which included Lidia Zielińska, president, Jacek Domagała, Aleksander Lasoń, Jerzy Kornowicz, and Charlotte Seither. The First Prize was not awarded. The two Second Prizes and 500 Euros were given to Christopher Hung Ming-kin from Hong-Kong for Ever Changing Veins of Stone and Alber Schiavo from Italy for Metamorfosi dei riflessi. A special mention was given to Li Bo from China for the composition Hesitate; Chase. In a special statement, the jury praised the students who performed the prizewinning works, noting the performers’ dedication, enthusiasm and musicianship. The competition was capped with a final concert on April 13, 2011. [Source: polmic.pl]
LEZHNEVA/SINFONIA VARSOVIA TOP FRENCH CHARTS
Hailed by Le Figaro as “the new Callas,” the 21-year-old Lezhneva has already achieved great renown among audiences around the world. The singer’s first solo album is devoted entirely to opera repertoire by Gioacchino Rossini and contains arias from La Donna del Lago, Guillaume Tell, Semiramide, Otello, La Cenerentola and L’assedio di Corinto. This is not the first time Lezhneva has worked with Minkowski. In 2008 she sang in J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor, BWV 232, recorded with Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble – an ensemble specializing in performances of baroque music that was established by Minkowski in 1982. [Sources: cogo-news.eu, polmic.pl] |
|
FESTIVALS |
|
WARSAW MUSIC ENCOUNTERS
The 25th Warsaw Music Encounters Festival [Muzyka Warszawskie Spotkania] takes place on May 7-15, 2011 under the auspices of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Bogdan Zdrojewski, and the President of the City of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz. Since 1986 this international music festival has delighted and enchanted audiences with both old and new music. The Festival is organized by the Warsaw branch of the Polish Composer's Union (ZKP) in cooperation with Polish Radio, S.A. This year’s festival will feature work by Warsaw’s most prominent contemporary composers, including commissions composed especially for the festival, as well as important works of rarely or never performed composers in exile such as Antoni Szałowskiego, Jerzy Fitelberg, Michał Spisak and Tadeusz Kassern. On May 11, 2011, a concert performance of Jerzy Fitelberg's eclectic and intriguing composition Concerto for Trombone, Piano & String Orchestra will be highlighted. Performers include: Andrezj Sienkiewicz – trombone, Grzegorz Gorczyca – piano and the National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, with Krystof Slowinski – conductor. Also on this program are Antoni Szałowski’s Muzyka na smyczki (1970), Tadeusz Kassern’s Koncert na orkiestrę smyczkową (1943), and Michał Spisak’s Concertino na orkiestrę smyczkową (1942). Festival concerts will be held at the Royal Castle, Polish Radio – Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio and the Central Agricultural Library. Many concerts will be broadcast by Polish Radio, as well as by foreign broadcasting stations in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in certain cases. For a complete program schedule, please visit www.wsm.art.pl. [Sources: polmic.pl, wsm.art.pl]
ŁAŃCUT MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the Łańcut Music Festival, presented by the Carpathian Philharmonic Orchestra in Rzeszów from May 21-29. Started in 1961 as the Days of Chamber Music, with the idea of bringing to life the stylish rooms of the beautiful Łańcut castle, this May tradition is carried on today by the State Philharmonic in Rzeszów and its director, Janusz Ambros. For a full history of the Festival in English, visit www.filharmonia.rzeszow.pl.
This year’s celebration will begin on May 21 with an opera gala, conducted by Vladimir Kiradjiev and sung by soprano Victoria Loukianets, tenor Philippe Do and baritone Zenon Kowalski. Over the following week, the Festival will continue with several concerts each day. Some of the featured performers include: Razek Francois Bitar – countertenor, Kulka Trio (Konstanty Andrzej Kulka – violin, Tomasz Strahl – cello, Krzysztof Jabłoński – piano), Kayah and the Royal String Quartet, Ingolf Wunder – piano, Peter Moor – trombone, Shlomo Mintz – violin, Barbara Kubiak – soprano, and Tadeusz Wojciechowski – conductor. Composer/conductor Krzysztof Penderecki and Sinfonia Varsovia will end the Festival on May 29, performing Penderecki’s Agnus Dei, Concerto for Viola (cello version), and Chaconne, as well as Dvořák’s Serenada, with soloist Rafał Kwiatkowski – cello. For a full program, visit: www.filharmonia.rzeszow.pl. [Sources: sinfoniavarsovia.org, filharmonia.rzeszow.pl]
FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL
The 4th Film Music Festival will be held in Kraków from May 19-22. Just like last year, all concerts will take place in the in the production hall of the ArcelorMittal Steel Mill (the former Nowa Huta Mill). In addition to concerts, the Festival will feature a number of workshops, meetings, and discussions with all the attending artists. This year’s Ceremonial Opening concert on May 19 will feature the first European appearance of Japanese composer and pianist Joe Hisaishi, who will lead the Sinfonietta Cracovia, Wioletta Chodowicz – soprano, and the Pro Musica Mundi Choir. The program will include music from several films, such as Spirited Away, Hana-bi, Kids Return, and Summer, as well as computer and alternative music from Distant Worlds, Final Fantasy, and other computer games. The Festival will conclude with a concert of works by a young Polish film composer and recipient of the Festival’s Best Film Score award, Bartosz Chojecki. The program of music from the composer’s recent score for Days of Honor will be presented on May 22. Performers include Anna Witczak – ethnic vocals, Jarosław Smietana – guitar, Dominik Wania – piano, Paweł Solecki – ethnic instruments, Wojciech Fedkowicz – solo percussion, and Michał Woźniak – electronics. According to the Festival website, this year marks the third time that the Film Music Festival was voted the Event of the Year in the “Resume 2010” poll held by the MuzykaFilmowa.pl portal. “A hat-trick! For the third time in a row, Krakow wins virtual laurels for an Event of the Year, beating, among others: London, Hollywood, Cimmeria and Hans Zimmer – whom we hope to see one day in the former capital of Poland. But we leave this up to the organisers of the next edition of the festival, which is unique, both on a Polish and European scale. For now, the fourth edition of the festival is on the horizon and it will surely provide us with a host of sensations, and will compete for laurels next year,” reads the justification. A detailed program of the Festival and other information is available at: www.fmf.fm [Source: rmfclassic.pl]
ADA SARI INT’L FESTIVAL
The 16th Ada Sari International Festival and 14th Competition of Vocal Art are being held in Nowy Sącz from April 29 – May 8, 2011. This year's Festival continues the motto of the last year edition: The Vocal Art of Central Europe. Concerts take place in various venues in Nowy Sącz. The auditions and the concert of the laureates will take place in Lucjan Lipiński Hall of the Sokół Małopolska Cultural Centre. Audiences will hear, amongother compositions, two oratorios: the Polish premiere of Saint Ludmila Op. 71, B. 144 by Antonín Dvořák (Apr 29), and Seven Gates of Jerusalem performed by NOSPR under the baton of the composer, Krzysztof Penderecki (May 5). Also on the schedule is an extraordinary vocal recital by an Austrian baritone Klemens Sander, laureate of the 2010 Ada Sari Vocal Competition, accompanied by pianist Marcin Kozieł (May 2), as well as concert entitled “Duke Ellington – Sacred Concerts” performed by the Academy of Music in Kraków Big-Band and Choir (May 8). Other performers for the Festival include: Petr Altrichter (Czech Republic) – conductor, Kateřina Kalvachová-Šmídová (Czech Republic) – soprano, Jana Wallingerová (Czech Republic) – alto, Jaroslav Březina (Czech Republic) – tenor, Josef Zedník (Czech Republic) – tenor, Jozef Benci (Slovakia) – bass, Iwona Hossa – soprano, Izabela Matuła – soprano, Agnieszka Rehlis – mezzosoprano, Adam Zdunikowski – tenor, Wojciech Gierlach – bass, Jerzy Trela – narrator, Kraków Philharmonic Choir, Polish Radio Choir in Kraków, Wojciech Groborz – conductor, Katarzyna Sobek – soprano, Ilona Szczepańska – alto, and Piotr Kwinta – baritone. For a full program and Festival/Competition details, visit www.adasari.pl.
[Sources: karnet.krakow.pl, adasari.pl, mcksokol.pl]
SPRINGTIME WITH CHOPIN
Two panel discussions are scheduled in the near future. On May 19, Professor Zofia Chechlińska, Grzegorz Michalski, and other guests will participate in a panel on the “Mysteries in Chopin’s Manuscripts.” On June 2, Chopin experts and Warsaw historians will talk about Warsaw in Chopin’s time during another panel discussion. The Concert Hall of the Chopin Museum will be the site of two meetings with authors and book signing events. The first, on May 26, features Professor Irena Poniatowska and her book, Antologia. On June 30, authors Piotr Mysłakowski and Andrzej Sikorski will introduce their book Korzenie [Roots]. On May 27, Chopin fans under the age of 17 will have a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of Chopin’s life in a nationwide competition held. International Children’s Day (June 1) will also be commemorated by events held in Chopin’s birthplace of Żelazowa Wola and the Chopin Museum . Earlier on the Festival schedule was a temporary art exhibit, Ufam, że zawsze będzie można coś dla Ciebie zrobić... [I trust that one could always make something for you…] at the Chopin Museum in Warsaw that was on display from March 25 until April 24. [Sources: polmic.pl, wiosnazchopinem.pl]
ALL THE WORLD’S MAZURKAS
Chopin wasn't the first to discover the charm of traditional Polish dances. They were quite fashionable even in the seventeenth century in Germany and Scandinavia. In fact, one of the most popular dances in Sweden, Denmark and Norway are local versions of the Polonaise. In France the Mazurka takes first place through the Polish legionnaires, who conquered the heart of his dance score Parisian salons of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From France the Mazurkas spread further - reaching Italy, Austria, reaching as far as the western ends of Europe: Spain and Portugal - on onto the colonies in the Azores, Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and even Brazil and Mexico. Many were adopted into local cultures. In Poland, the rhythms of these dances were one of the most important elements of musical imagination of all classes of musicians, music lovers and dancers. The "Music Rescued" conference on April 26 welcomed archivists and researchers and practitioners dealing with traditional music and dance presentation to a conference on Polish archival collections in the field. The goal was to create a map of the worldwide archives of music and dance, exchange information on available resources, reflect on the possibilities of digitization and plan for the creation of a nationwide network and online database of music and dance collections. For more information, visit: www.festivalmazurki.pl
MISTERIA PASCHALIA
This year’s Mainstream section featured such musicians as Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante, Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina, as well as Jordi Savall, Christina Pluhar, Emmanuelle Haim, and Christophe Rousset. [Sources: polmic.pl, polmic.pl, cracowonline.com] |
|
PERFORMANCES |
|
MILEWSKI DUO IN CALIFORNIA
Violin virtuoso Jerzy Milewski and his wife, pianist Aleida Schweitzer, brought a treasure trove of musical treats to their performances throughout California in April. The two musicians met at the Warsaw Academy of Music and, since the early 1970s, have resided in Ms. Schweitzer’s native Brazil. Performing regularly as the Milewski Duo, they have been recognized throughout the world for their concerts featuring a broad spectrum of compositions and composers. Both Jerzy Milewski and Aleida Schweitzer are Professors at the Pro-Arte Music Seminary at the University of Rio de Janeiro and at the Federal University of Espirito Santo and have conducted master classes and workshops at West Virginia universities in Huntingdon, Morgantown, and Charleston. Together they are featured in over twenty CD albums, recorded in Europe and South America.
Jerzy Milewski and Aleida Schweitzer, pictured at the PMC The performers opened all of their concerts with a set of music by Polish composers, including Chopin, Paderewski, Wieniawski, and Młynarski. The last work in the group, Country in E by Krzesimir Dębski, drove the Pear Valley audience to applaud heartily to the brilliant passagework for solo violin. George Gershwin’s Summertime and Joe Venuti’s Pretty Trix were instantly familiar and much appreciated. The Gypsy flavor of Halvorsen’s Ungarisch and Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen was delivered with assurance and panache, and were met with roaring approval from the listeners gathered for the various California concerts. The last section performed by the Milewski-Schweitzer Duo was devoted to South American music. Besides Astor Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino, other composers’ names—Jacob do Bandolim, Flausino Vale, Zequinha de Abreu, and Waldir Azevedo—may not have been known to the audience. But their compositions—especially Bandolim’s Santa Morena and Abreu’s Tico Tico (the latter made especially popular by Carmen Miranda)—proved to be the favorites of Pear Valley listeners. A standing ovation elicited encores from the performers and encouragement from audiences and organizers alike to plan the next event for these virtuosic and entertaining musicians.
Jerzy Milewski charming the audience, at the home of Alex and Jola Wilk in Anaheim Hills When the Milewski Duo was heard a week later at the La Mesa residence of Mr. and Mrs. Zdzisław Juchum—a presentation made possible by an invitation from the Polonia United Club of San Diego—Monti’s Csárdás once again worked its magic and brought the house down. The “extra” feature of the April 30 concert in the San Diego area included the addition of a phenomenal string bass player, John Leftwich, to the Milewski Duo. Mr. Leftwich joined the violin-piano duet in Dębski’s Country in E and continued to add a sophisticated layer of bass texture to the following set of South American music. Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino and Abreu’s Tico Tico provoked the chorus of chanting, “Encore—encore” from the audience and the musicians were more than happy to oblige the assembled crowd well into the night. [MZ]
BARENBOIM SURPRISES LONDON On April 8, pianist Daniel Barenboim gave a free recital in the Turbine Hall at London’s Tate Modern Museum of Art. Barenboim’s program consisted entirely of works by Chopin, undoubtedly related to his current recording project for Deutsche Grammophon (see more below in the Discography section), which was released on April 15. According to a review in The Guardian, “the standing ovation began before Daniel Barenboim had played a note”—this quote also starts an article from the DG website about the surprise concert, which is excerpted below:
As noted in the quote above, Sarah Kirkup of Gramophone Magazine relayed a glowing review of Barenboim’s performance. In her review Kirkup also offered this poignant summary of the recital’s greater purpose:
[Source: deutschegrammophon.com, gramophone.co.uk]
ANDERSZEWSKI / ZIMMERMANN EURO TOUR
Throughout the month of April, Polish-Hungarian pianist Piotr Anderszewski and German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann went on a recital tour of Europe, performing repertoire by Szymanowski, Schumann and Beethoven. The duo performed in the following venues in Italy, Poland, England and Germany:
Their program began with Beethoven's aptly titled Spring Sonata, which is among the most delightful, joyful and engagingly melodic of all the pieces the composer wrote for both piano and violin. Playful and humorous, when performed by two communicative musicians, such as these, it is not hard to see why it is also one of the most popular. The program continued with Karol Szymanowski's Myths, bringing the audience into an entirely different realm with its beguiling and mysterious impressionistic soundscape. The concert rounded off with Schumann's Second Sonata in D Minor. For a review of the first concert in Rome concert, visit seenandheard-international.com. To read a BBC Music Magazine interview with Anderszewski about this tour and about why he doesn't often play chamber music, visit www.classical-music.com. [Sources: culture.pl, anderszewski.net, polishculture.org.uk]
PENDERECKI CLOSES BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL
[Source: muzyka.onet.pl]
[Source: Press release]
|
|
DISCOGRAPHY |
|
NEW FROM DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Daniel Barenboim plays Chopin - The Warsaw Recital These discs, both released on April 15, 2011, are the product of a new partnership between internationally renowned pianist Daniel Barenboim and Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Records. They include a solo recital recorded in Warsaw and Barenboim’s first recording of the two piano concertos, with the Berlin Staatskapelle under Andris Nelsons, captured live at the Ruhr Piano Festival in July 2010. [Source: deutschegrammophon.com] * * * * *
Pianist Krystian Zimerman has returned to the recording studio after a five-year absence to celebrate the 100th birthday of the foremost female Polish composer of the 20th century, Grażyna Bacewicz. Below is an excerpt from a review by Calum MacDonald in the May 2011 issue of BBC Music Magazine:
NEW FROM DUX
MOŻDŻER’S KOMEDA
Available worldwide in June, this new solo album by Polish pianist Leszek Możdżer will have its Polish premiere at a unique concert on May 2 at Klubie Sfinks700 in Sopot, Poland. Tickets for the evening’s two sets are available for the price each audience member wants to pay (80, 100, 150, or 200 PLN), and all proceeds go towards sound equipment that has already been purchased for the recording. Visit www.mozdzer.com for more information. [Sources: mozdzer.com, rmfclassic.pl; photo: last.fm]
GÓRECKI/ROYAL QUARTET ON HYPERION
Released in April, this excellent recording boasts of not only informative liner notes written by Górecki scholar Adrian Thomas but also a very reasonable price for a 2-disc set. It also marks another impressive step in the already successful international career of Warsaw’s Royal String Quartet, and the album is already attracting critical acclaim. The following is information from the Hyperion website:
Below is an excerpt from Barry Witherden’s review for the May 2011 issue of BBC Music Magazine:
[Source: hyperion-records.co.uk]
THE VOICES OF PREISNER
In late November 2010, Sony Music published Zbigniew Preisner’s Voices, a 3 CD album that features, among other items, theatre music Danse Macabre, published for the first time in Poland. The first CD, Preisner-Towarnicka, contains music from Preisner’s best-known films, the second CD, Voices, features performances of Preisner’s vocal works by Grzegorz Turnau, Hanna Banaszak, Cliff Richard, and Sarah Brightman, among other. The third CD, Danse Macabre, has 18 tracks featuring Mathias Eick (solo trumpet), and countertenors Marcel and Nikodem Legun with the Calisia Symphony Orchestra.
Also, on 4 April 2011, Sony Poland re-released Zbigniew Preisner's album Requiem for my friend on CD and for the first time on vinyl. The album has been re-mastered by Martin Astle and repackaged by COG Design in London, with texts and annotations in Polish and English. The vinyl release is a limited edition double LP in a gatefold sleeve. Requiem for my friend is dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Kieslowski, who died in 1996. The album was first released in 1998 on Erato Disques/Warner Classics and became a worldwide best-seller. The Sony release is currently only available in Poland, but there are plans for the album to be reissued abroad later this year. Zbigniew Preisner (b. 1955) is Poland's leading film music composer and is considered to be one of the most outstanding film composers of his generation. For many years Preisner enjoyed a close collaboration with the director Krzysztof Kieslowski and his scriptwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz. His scores for Kieslowski's films – Dekalog, The Double Life Of Veronique, Three Colours Blue, Three Colours White and Three Colours Red – have brought him international acclaim. [Source: muzyka.onet.pl, preisner.com]
|
|
ANNIVERSARIES |
|
BORN THIS MONTH:
DIED THIS MONTH:
|
Back
to PMC Home Page
PMC Newsletter Archive
Copyright 2011 by the Polish Music Center
Send your comments and inquiries to: polmusic@thornton.usc.edu
Newsletter Editor: Krysta Close
Layout Assistance: Charles Bragg
Translation Assistance: Marek Żebrowski
Contributions from:
Marek Żebrowski,
Gary Fitel berg, Piotr Grella-Mozejko, Marta Ptaszyńska,
Wallace Cunningham, Chris Onzol, Joseph A. Herter & Timothy Perry
Sources of information: Polish Cultural Institute (NY & UK), Adam Mickiewicz Institute,
PWM,
Nowy Dziennik,
Polish Music Information Centre - Warsaw, Polish American Journal,
Poland.pl,
PAP,
ZKP, infochopin.pl, Ruch Muzyczny, Gazeta Wyborcza
Formatting by Krysta Close, May 9, 2011.
The Polish Music Center includes all content on a space available basis. We reserve the right to refuse any content submitted.
Violinist Jerzy Milewski and his wife, Aleida Schweitzer, were the most recent visitors to the Paderewski exhibit at USC. This Rio de Janeiro-based duet came to perform in several different venues in California during the second half of April. Like many others who saw the exhibit, the Milewski Duo were impressed by the sheer range of documents and the scope of artistic, political, and business enterprises that Paderewski handled so adroitly throughout his life. The musicians also visited the Paderewski monument that, since 2007, has graced the grounds of USC’s Thornton School of Music. 
More good news about the recently-launched 
CD Accord ACD 149
Visiting USC in March 2011 for a performance of Juicy at the “
A collaborative work for ballet that was commissioned by the 2011 
Marek Grucka, a young composer from Katowice, has received the First Prize and 10,000 PLN in the National Composers’ Competition hosted by the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice. This year’s Competition was dedicated to compositions commemorating the Silesian Uprising of 1921, one of the most significant political developments in the newly reconstituted Polish Republic after World War I. Grucka’s 16-minute composition—Z tamtych dni [Days of the Past] for orchestra and chorus—utilized sections of Tadeusz Kijonka’s poem, Elegia katowicka,and a popular song of the Silesian Uprising, Czemu ty płaczesz, powstańcze?. This work will be given its World Premiere on May 21, at a special concert commemorating the uprising on Saint Anne’s Mound with Poland’s President, Bronisław Komorowski, in attendance. It will be performed by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Silesian Philharmonic, Jan Wincenty Hawel conducting, along with Wojciech Kilar’s Victoria.
Legawiec’s compositions include many works for violin and piano or orchestra. His violin concerto, commissioned by Stephen Wolosonovitch, was presented at Kean College by the Polish Cultural Foundation with Mr. Wolosonovich as soloist and the Westchester Youth Symphony, conducted by Mr. Lionti. Legawiec has also written 3 sonatas, one of which Mr. Wolosonovitch performed at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1982 with Paul Kueter at the piano. 
with a concert featuring the first New York performance of Polish composer Roman Maciejewski’s monumental Missa pro defunctis (Requiem) on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at Osterhout Concert Theater in the Anderson Center at Binghamton University. Scored for soloists, chorus and orchestra, only the opening Book One containing the settings of the Kyrie will be heard. The program is shared with Francis Poulenc’s Gloria. Performers include the University Symphony Orchestra, directed by Timothy Perry, and the University Chorus, directed by Bruce Borton. Soloists in the Maciejewski piece include soprano Kathleen Jasinskas, mezzo-soprano Cabiria Jacobson, tenor Richard Leonberger and baritone William Roberts. 
Entry into this year’s 12th edition of the Kazimierz Serocki International Composers’ Competition, organized by the Polish section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (
Szymanowski. Muzyka jako autobiografia [Szymanowski. Music as an Autobiography]
Piotr Lachert (b. 1938) is one of today’s foremost European post-modernist composers as well as highly respected pedagogue. Born in Poland and educated in Warsaw, Paris, Hannover and Brussels, he has been living in Pescara, Italy since 1991. 
Skrowaczewski, now 87 years old, will also make his long-awaited return to the home of the 
Jerzy Maksymiuk, one of the most distinguished Polish conductors, is celebrating his 75th birthday this year. Hailed also as a composer and pianist, Maestro Maksymiuk has a special relationship with 
The two greatest composers of the young generation and one of the most talented theatre directors – Maja Kleczewska – have produced a very spectacular opera evening, perfectly directed, subtle, and unusually sensual. Sudden Rain is about a relationship and mutual lack of understanding. In Between, an opera without a libretto, some themes from Sudden Rain are processed in an abstract way, mainly through dancers’ movements. However, the themes and issues remain the same. "This is the result of a search for something between opera, dance, and theatre", as Kleczewska explains.
On May 4, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York presents a Spring Concert, entitled “
Za wasza wolnosc i nasza... or In Pursuit of Liberty... is a tribute to the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791—the first of its kind in Europe—and presents its ties to the American Constitution, which predates Poland’s by only 4 years. The Constitution of May 3rd maintained its significance to Poles during the subsequent 123 years of partition between Prussia, Austria and Russia its independence in 1918, through the German and Soviet Union' s occupation, during World War II and post war domination of Poland by the Soviet imposed Communist Regime. The Constitution inspired all movements for independence and Solidarity until 1989 when Poland regained its freedom. Read more about the May 3rd Constitution 
On May 14, the Kosciuszko Foundation will present artists from the Metro Chamber Orchestra (
On May 26, the Kosciuszko Foundation presents the 
Born in Gdańsk, 
To celebrate the unveiling of a Fryderyk Chopin statue at the 
Robert Piotrowicz is one of the most prolific artists in the Polish experimental and improvised music scene. He develops his own solo projects and collaborates with world's leading sound artists and musicians. As an instrumentalist, he works mainly with his own live performance setup, developed around his electric guitar and analogue modular synthesiser. He is both an accomplished performer of his own music and experienced improviser in different instrumental configurations with other artists. His activities include electro-acoustic studio compositions, composing for theatres, participation in interdisciplinary art projects and sound installation.
Piotrowicz has developed his trademark sound of intense dynamics seized indramatic and balanced form. 
Organist Szymon Grab will perform the first in his series of recitals ultimately leading to the completion of his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the Thornton School of Music at USC. The recital will take place on Tuesday, May 10th at Pasadena Presbyterian Church at 7:30 pm.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 | Reception: 5:30 pm, Program: 6:30 pm, Polish Supper: 7:15 pm
The 
The award is granted to a person who not only manages his or her enterprise efficiently but also feels the need to get engaged in the process of improving the business environment and to support good social and economic initiatives – a person with a vision of responsible business. 
For the sixth time, Polish national television’s cultural station—
Polish Army Veterans Association of America [
Polish soprano Ada Sari (1886-1968) had a brilliant career, performing under the baton of some of the most brilliant conductors of her time throughout the most famous halls of the world. A consummate pedagogue, she continued teaching in her declining years, still having an excellent command of her voice. Halina Mickiewiczówna, Vittoria Calma, Bogna Sokorska, Maria Fołtyn, Barbara Nieman, Janina Głodzińska “Stano”, Zdzisława Donat, Jerzy Karolus, Urszula Trawińska-Moroz and many other outstanding figures of the Polish vocal artistry were tutored by her. Ada Sari was indeed the teacher who transplanted the great Italian singing school onto the Polish ground. The festival and the competition are a form of a tribute paid to this great artist and personality.
The annual 
They were first heard in California on April 16 during the fundraising concert for the 2011 Youth Exchange Program of the 
The Milewski Duo also made two other appearances in Southern California on their tour. On April 23 they were hosted by Alex and Jola Wilk, relatives of the late 
Although 8,000 people applied for tickets to the concert that had been announced only 3 days prior, only 400 seats were available—however an additional 700 lively fans were in attendance, watching from the hall below on a live video relay screen. 
The 15th edition of the 
Heard at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, accomplished Polish-Canadian pianist Katarzyna Musial delights audiences with her virtuosity as well as her mature, insightful and energetic interpretations. Her repertoire showcases many different styles which span from baroque to modern. On April 3, she performed a program including works of Fryderyk Chopin, Witold Lutoslawski, Olivier Messiaen and Modest Mussorgsky at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.
Krystian Zimerman: Hommage à Grażyna Bacewicz, 1909–1969
Grażyna Bacewicz. Music for Chamber Orchestra vol. II
Marcin Gumiela Sacred Works
Krzysztof Baculewski. Choral Works
Komeda Możdżera [Możdżer's Komeda]
Górecki: The Three String Quartets
Requiem dla mojego przyjaciela