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Polish Music Newsletter |  |
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November 2011, Vol. 17, No. 11. ISSN 1098-9188. Published monthly. Anniversaries |
Awards | Discography | |
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PMC NEWS |
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MUSICAL STARS ALIGN OVER PASO
On Friday, November 11, the Cass Winery Concert Series hosts a performance by Polish jazz piano superstar, Leszek Możdżer. This celebrated virtuoso will present a solo program dedicated to another great Polish jazzman, Krzysztof Komeda, whose music accompanied a number of Roman Polanski’s films.
The 2011 Paderewski Festival winds down on Sunday, November 13 with a performance by the New West Guitar Group and brunch, part of the Epoch Wines concert series. In addition to these events, an exhibit of Paderewski-related More information on the 2011 Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles can be found on the Festival website, www.paderewskifest.com, as well as in the November edition of the Paso Robles Magazine. [Source: Press release, Photo (Możdżer): Nikodem Krajewski]
Paweł Łukaszewski – 2011 Paderewski Lecturer The month of October is known as “Polish Heritage Month” and is celebrated throughout the U.S. Indeed, there were several interesting events during this month in Los Angeles celebrating Polish culture, with a particular emphasis on Polish music. Paweł Łukaszewski—the most important Polish composer of liturgical and vocal music of his generation (and composer-in-residence for the Warsaw Philharmonic this season)—joined the Polish Music Center for the Paderewski Lecture-Recital at USC on October 6. Mr. Łukaszewski’s presentation at the Alfred Newman Recital Hall, entitled “The Composer’s Credo,” was richly illustrated with recorded musical examples and slides, detailing his approach to composition, the use of texts, and ways of settling on the formal design for his musical works.
Dan Gibbs and Sewan Howsepian Salmasi enjoying the post-recital reception The remaining half of the program was devoted to Mr. Łukaszewski’s choral music. Led by conductor and Thornton faculty member, Professor Nick Strimple, the Vocal Ensemble of the Polish Music Center delivered a spectacular reading of O Adonai, Two Lenten Motets, and Angelus Domini. Under the experienced hand of Dr. Strimple, the sixteen-member chorus gave nuanced and sensitive renditions of O Adonai and the two Motets—Memento mei, Domine and Crucem tuam adoramus, Domine. For the final item on the program, Angelus Domini, Maestro Strimple and his singers summoned all of their energy and passion, giving a rousing finale to an evening of beautiful and deeply spiritual music. Skrowaczewski West Coast Premiere
Skrowaczewski’s Music for Winds is a work of youthful vigor, imaginative orchestral writing, colorful sound textures and very complex harmonies. The opening Misterioso-Allegro presents a kind of cantus firmus that serves as a wellspring of musical and harmonic ideas for the entire, four-movement composition. The second movement, Aria: Lento, features many elaborate solos for leaders of instrumental sections. Presto tenebroso with chiming bells and scurrying passagework kept in hushed tones by the entire ensemble is an exciting ride for the orchestra and the listener. The last movement, Molto Allegro, like its predecessors, evaporates in a soft and mysterious close and brings the entire Music for Winds to a very satisfying conclusion. The enthusiastic applause by the audience is a great harbinger of future success for this unusual and fascinating composition. See another review of this concert in our Performances section below. Polish Film Music More Polish music in October was heard and discussed courtesy of the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, held on October 11-20. Two prominent young Polish composers—Paweł Mykietyn and Bartek Gliniak—were in attendance, as their recent films were screened during the Festival. Known for his symphonic and chamber works, during the past decade Mykietyn has scored several features, including Małgorzata Szumowska’s 33 Scenes from Life (2008), Andrzej Wajda’s Sweet Rush (2009), and Jerzy Skolimowski’s Essential Killing (2010), which garnered Mykietyn the 2011 Golden Eagle Award for Best Film Score. Bartek Gliniak, known primarily for his scores to one of Poland’s most popular TV series, For Good and Ill, came to Hollywood with his latest full-length feature, Joanna. Gliniak’s scores for the 2006 psychological thriller, Palimpsest and for the 2005 drama The Collector earned him two nominations for Best Music at Polish Film Awards.
GIFTS TO PMC – OCTOBER 2011
Thank you, Professor Plowright, for yet again sharing your music with us! *** Maestro Romuald Twardowski recently donated the following scores of his compositions to the PMC:
Thank you, Maestro, for enriching our library with scores of your music! *** Paweł Łukaszewski, whose music was featured on the 2011 Paderewski Lecture-Recital, arrived in Los Angeles with a huge suitcase of gifts for the Polish Music Center. Thanks to Maestro Łukaszewski’s very generous gesture, our library was enriched by the following items: I. SCORES:
Mr. Łukaszewski met with students and faculty while on the USC campus II. BOOKS, CATALOGUES AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
III. CD RECORDINGS:
IV. OTHER:
Thank you, Professor Łukaszewski, for adding so much new and exciting material to our collection! *** PWM Music Publishers and Director Andrzej Kosowski donated the following scores of Paweł Łukaszewski to be used in our October 6 Paderewski Lecture-Recital:
This is yet another example of extraordinary support Director Kosowski and PWM Music Publishers extend to the Polish Music Center. Thank you! ***
A long-time friend of the Polish Music Center, Vladek Juszkiewicz (above right, with PMC Director Marek Zebrowski) recently delivered to us from Poland a very important package and a letter from the President of the Professor Marek Jasiński Society, Dr Iwona Charkiewicz, and Vice-President Madame Alina Jasińska. Their generous gift featured music composed by Marek Jasiński, including the following items:
We are greatly honored with this donation and will make it available to students, faculty, performing artists and researchers worldwide. Dziękujemy! *** Another long-time friend of the PMC, Dr. Ewa Muchnick, recently donated the following 45 rpm recordings of music by Henry Vars:
In addition to music by Vars we received a rare recording featuring vocalist Steve Henry. Born Henry Czarnecki to Polish parents in Cleveland, OH, Steve Henry began his singing career at the age of three. He studied voice in New York, was a protégé of Maestro Artur Rodziński, and appeared in various roles in musicals including: Plain and Fancy, Carousel, Kismet, and Oklahoma. On the recording, Henry performs two songs:
Thank you, Dr. Muchnick!
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NEWS |
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MEYER WORLD PREMIERE
Funded under the auspices of the Pro Violino Foundation, Inc., Meyer’s Imaginary Variations will receive many performances throughout the United States and abroad during Ms. Packer’s 2011-2012 concert touring season. This will include a performance in Los Angeles, CA at USC’s Alfred Newman Recital Hall during the PMC’s Festival of Premieres on March 23-24, 2012. [Source: janetpacker.com]
KING’S SINGERS PREMIERE ŁUKASZEWSKI
Although it has already been performed in Poland, the official World Premiere of Responsoria Tenebrae for 6 male voices by Pawel Łukaszewski will take place in London’s St. James Church on Thursday, November 10 at 7:30pm. Performed by the Grammy award winning ensemble, The King's Singers, this free concert will present and all-Polish program of music from the 13th to 21st centuries. Along with the premiere of music by one of the most important sacred composers of the current generation, works from outstanding Polish composers of previous generations—including Bartłomiej Pękiel, Miłosz Bembinow, Wacław of Szmotuł, Mikołaj Zieleński and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki—will also be heard. Comprised of David Hurley (countertenor), Timothy Wayne-Wright (countertenor), Paul Phoenix (tenor), Philip Lawson (baritone), Christopher Gabbitas (baritone) and Jonathan Howard (bass), The King’s Singers is one the world’s most appreciated vocal ensembles on stage today. The King’s Singers have a packed schedule of concerts, recordings, media and education work that spans the globe. Championing the work of young and established composers, they remain consummate entertainers; a class-act with a delightfully British wit. From Gesualdo and György Ligeti to Michael Bublé, The King’s Singers are instantly recognizable for their spot-on intonation, their impeccable vocal blend, the flawless articulation of the text and incisive timing. Composer and conductor Paweł Łukaszewski was born in 1968 into a family of musicians in Częstochowa, Poland. His compositions—especially his extensive catalogue of sacred choral music—have their roots in the neo-mediaeval tonality and spiritual tradition espoused by such composers as Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Wojciech Kilar, Arvo Pärt, John Taverner and Morten Lauridsen. Working within what the composer describes as a “renewed tonality,” Łukaszewski achieves surprisingly rich and subtle expressive results. The use of major and minor modes in Łukaszewski’s music serves only as a point of departure for his highly subjective musical style which, especially in the realm of vocal compositions, is inspired by texts he is setting to music.Łukaszewski’s highly individual musical language, rhythmic vitality, careful formal layout in all of his works, as well as his profound understanding of the liturgical texts in the Catholic rite combine to produce music that is strikingly traditional yet fully modern. This concert forms part of the four concerts comprising the series “Polish Sacred Music Gaude Mater 2011” taking place in London, Paris, Moscow and Kiev. The concerts are promoted by the Culture Programme of the Polish Presidency of the E.U. and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland [Sources: culture.pl, facebook.com, kingssingers.com]
BRUZDOWICZ WORLD PREMIERE
[Sources: correspondence, corsematin.com]
WORLD PREMIERES FOR M. GÓRECKI
Next, on November 15 at the Katowice Cathedral, the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra will perform his Nocturne for Orchestra on the occasion of naming his father as the Orchestra’s official patron. Finally on Nov. 20 at the Concert Hall of the Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the Amadeus Orchestra of the Polish Radio under the baton of Anna Mróz will perform Mikołaj Górecki’s Pożegnanie [Farewell] for string orchestra. [Sources: mikolajgorecki.pl, filharmoniaslaska.eu]
REMEMBERING H.M. GÓRECKI
TVP Kultura series
[Sources: pwm.com.pl, polmic.pl] In Memoriam in NYC
Although Górecki was known most especially for his immensely popular Symphony No3, “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,” this concerts showcases extraordinary chamber works from his later compositional period: Kleines Requiem für eine Polka (1993) – performed by Ensemble Signal, led by Brad Lubman; and Quasi una Fantasia: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 64 (1990-91) – performed by the JACK Quartet “Kleines Requiem” offers an enigmatic memorial mass; “polka” can refer to a Polish girl or woman, as well as the Central European dance, and the cryptic Górecki never explicitly stated his intent. The work, in four movements, does not seem to contain any dancing levity but is instead somber, manic, and starkly beautiful. The Second String Quartet, subtitled Quasi una Fantasia, invokes Beethoven, whose piano sonatas and strong quartets influenced Górecki in the compositional structure of his first two quartets. In Quasi una Fantasia, Górecki employs three major “Beethovian” triads which appear throughout the work, leading to the folk-influenced last movement, and a final return to the solemn opening statement. In both these works, Górecki’s persistent, uncompromising communion with his artistic vision is paramount. Taken together, and performed by two truly vanguard ensembles of the new music scene, this program offers a personal, finely etched portrait of a great artist. Concert details are available at www.polishculture-nyc.org [Sources: polmic.pl, pwm.com.pl, polishculture-nyc.org] Silesian Composers' Tribune 2011 - Henryk Mikołaj Górecki in Memoriam
The second of the concerts on November 3 will present two world premieres—Mikołaj Górecki - Overture for String Quartet and Piotr Radek - Henryk Mikołaj Górecki im memoriam. Largo for clarinet and string quartet—as well as Henryk M. Górecki’s String Quartet No. 2 “Quasi una fantasia…” These will be performed at Katowice’s Teatr Korez by the Silesian Quartet and clarinetist Roman Widaszek. The final concert on November 14 will be dedicated entirely to music by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, including: Recitative and Aria “Lerchenmusik” for clarinet, cello and piano; Genesis I: Elementi per archi for violin, viola and cello; and Kleines Requiem für eine Polka [Little Requiem for a Polka]. This program will be performed in the Concert Hall of the Katowice Music Academy by Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej with pianist Stanisław Bromboszcz and conductor Szymon Bywalec. [Sources: pwm.com.pl, polmic.pl ] Silesian Philharmoic to be named in his honor
The city’s three major philharmonic ensembles—the Silesian Philharmonic, the Silesian Chamber Orchestra, and the Silesian Philharmonic Choir—will perform, along with conductors Jan Wincenty Hawel, Jarosław Wolanin and Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, mezzo-soprano Joanna Iwaszkiewicz, sopranos Iwona Hossa and Elżbieta Grodzka-Łopuszyńska, and saxophone soloist Bartłomiej Duś. In addition to H.M. Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 and Three Pieces in an Old Style, audiences will hear the World Premiere of Mikołaj Górecki’s Nocturne for Orchestra, the Polish Premiere of Jarosław Mamczarski’s Psalm 119 dedicated to the memory of H.M. Górecki, andPergolesi’s Stabat Mater. [Sources: filharmoniaslaska.eu, mikolajgorecki.pl] Jacaranda honors Górecki in Los Angeles From the Jacaranda website:
[Sources: Press release, jacarandamusic.org] Górecki immortalised on a coin
[Source: pwm.com.pl]
2012 MUSICA SACRA COMPETITION
The absolute deadline for submission of scores is January 31, 2012. Results will be announced by the end of February 2012. The Musica Sacra Competition is organized by the Musica Sacra Institute in Warsaw and the Gaude Mater International Festival of Sacred Music in Częstochowa. Co-Organizers include Erzbistum Köln – Germany, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz – Köln,Germany, Trinity College Choir – Cambridge, UK, Jauna Muzika Vilnius Municipal Choir – Vilnius, Lithuania, and the Polish Chamber Choir – Gdańsk, Poland. [Source: polskichorkameralny.pl]
100 YEARS OF POLISH MUSICOLOGY
The 100th anniversary of the Institute of Musicology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków continues later this month with the Conference of Polish Musicology, which takes place November 23-25. Co-organized by the Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) and the Institute of Musicology, the conference’s title, “Sto Lat Muzykologii Polskiej: Historia—Teraźniejszość—Perspektywy” [One Hundred Years of Polish Musicology: History—The Present—The Future] will examine a number of interesting topics presented by several leading academicians. The program committee and main conference organizers include Dr. Małgorzata Woźna-Stankiewicz and Dr. Renata Suchowiejko. During the three-day conference, sessions will be led by: Maciej Gołąb, Sławomira Żerańska-Kominek, Zygmunt M. Szweykowski, Paweł Gancarczyk, Elżbieta Witkowska-Zaręba, Katarzyna Dadak-Kozicka, Ryszard Wieczorek, and Alicja Jarzębska. An evening concert at the Collegium Novum Auditorium is scheduled for November 23 and an exhibit devoted to the legendary Polish musicologist, Zdzisław Jachimecki (1882-1953) will be officially opened at noon on November 24. [Sources: Press release, muzykologia.uj.edu.pl]
HAPPY 110th, WARSAW PHIL
This month the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 110th anniversary. Founded in 1901, this venerable ensemble gave its first concert on November 5, 1901, under the baton of then artistic director Emil Młynarski. The soloist for the occasion was Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who performed his own Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17. According to a review dated November 6, 1901from the Kurjer Warszawski, Paderewski gave a number of encores well into the evening. Finally, around midnight, the soloist, conductor and about 500 invited guests went to a sumptuous banquet at the palace of the Warsaw Philharmonic’s founder, Baron Leopold Kronenberg. During the century and a decade that passed since that gala evening, a number of distinguished maestros have led the Orchestra, including Bohdan Wodiczko, Witold Rowicki, Kazimierz Kord, and (since 2002), Antoni Wit. Since its inception, the Philharmonic made well over one hundred concert tours worldwide.
During the intermission, a commemorative plaque honoring Ignacy Jan Paderewski was unveiled in the main lobby of the Philharmonic by Poland’s President, Bronisław Komorowski, under whose patronage this gala concert was held. The President also decorated Antoni Wit with the Commander’s Cross of the Polonia Restituta, recognizing maestro Wit’s meritorious service to Polish culture and education. Bogdan Zdrojewski, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, presented a number of medals to various orchestra members for their many years of dedicated work for the Warsaw Philharmonic. [Source: filharmonia.pl, Photo: Wojciech Grzędziński from filharmonia.pl]
“POLISH CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ACROSS EUROPE” International groups of contemporary musicians are presenting works by some of Poland's most illustrious composers as a part of the series “Polish Contemporary Music Across Europe with Friends.” In this series, four concerts celebrating the Polish Presidency of the E.U. will be held in four European capitals: Minsk (Oct 5), London (Oct 25), Moscow (Nov 17) and Brussels (Dec 14).
Selections from Szymanowski’s oeuvre provide the theme for each concert, with works by other contemporary Polish composers following suit. Programs also include works by local composers associated with the ensembles and musicians performing the concerts, and friends and partners of the organizing body:the Polish Music Information Centre (POLMIC) in Warsaw. The project is possible thanks to the international contacts cultivated by POLMIC for many years, and its participation in various joint endeavors. This project co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Among the works that were presented on October 5 in Minsk were: Karol Szymanowski’s Pieśni kurpiowskie and Prince Potemkin, Paweł Strzelecki’s Summer Dream, Jerzy Kornowicz’s Sceny z Bułhakowa, Witold Lutosławski’s Mała suita and Dmitry Lybin’s Classic-Avantgarde Symphonie. The evening was performed by the Belarusian group Classic-Avantgarde, and held in the Hall of the State Philharmonic of Belarus. Pieces by prominent Polish composers Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Witold Lutosławski and Karol Szymanowski formed the repertoire for Cadogan Hall concert in London on October 25. In particular, Górecki’s Three Pieces in Old Style (1963) was featured, as well as Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in London and written for Mstislav Rostropovich in 1970. The concert closed with Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No.2 (1933), a work characterized by Polish folk themes and an infinitely inventive solo violin. Also on the program was English composer Peter Maxwell Davies’s St. Francis of Assisi Overture, which premiered in 2009. Performers were Jakob Kullberg (Denmark) – cello, Giovanni Guzzo (Italy/Venezuela) – violin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK) and Christopher Austin (UK) – conductor In Moscow, works by Polish and Russian composers will be performed, some for the first time in Russia, in the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on November 17. The evening’s performers are the Studio for New Music Ensemble (SNM), under the baton of Igor Dronova. This group, which specializes in classical music of the twentieth century, is formed largely of graduates from the Moscow Conservatory. These talented musicians are known for many premiere performances of works by both Russian and foreign composers, including Louis Andriessen and Helmut Lachenmann. The program will include: Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 2, Andrzej Panufnik’s String Sextet "Trains of Thought" (Russian premiere), Alfred Schnittke’s Dialogue for cello and instrumental ensemble, Edison Denisov’s DSCH, Witold Lutosławski’s Łańcuch I for 14 performers and Przeźrocza [Slides] for 11 soloists (Russian premiere), and Aleksander Nowak’s Ciemnowłosa dziewczyna w czarnym, sportowym samochodzie [The dark-haired girl in a black sports car] (Russian premiere). The final concert in the series will be held on December 14 in Brussels at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. This event is structured around two workshops where students in chamber music classes will try their hand at Szymanowski quartets, led by the Polish ensemble Akademos, and more recent pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki and Pierre Bartholomée with the members of Ensemble ON. A concert-conference on Penderecki’s early chamber music will also be held. The day draws to a close with successive performances of the following repertoire: Karol Szymanowski – String Quartet No. 1and Paweł Szymański – 5 pieces for string quartet played by Akademos, and Krzysztof Penderecki – Quartet for clarinet and Pierre Bartholomée – Mezza voce presented by Ensemble ON. Details for all performances can be found at www.czterykoncerty.polmic.pl [Sources: culture.pl, pl2011.eu, culturepolonaise.eu, czterykoncerty.polmic.pl]
I, CULTURE EURO TOUR
The evening concert began with Voyevoda [Symphonic Ballad], Op. 78 by Tchaikovsky, Arabella Steinbacher then performed Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 by Karol Szymanowski, followed by Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op.36 of Tchaikovsky. For the encore, Sir Neville Marriner invited Paweł Kotla, the ICO's artistic director, to take the stage and conduct a fragment of Stanisław Moniuszko's opera Halka—a surprise which the Berlin audience welcomed with enthusiasm. The I, CULTURE Orchestra performed in Germany's largest city before going on to conclude their European tour with concerts at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (Nov. 4), Royal Festival Hall in London (Nov. 6), Teatro Real in Madrid (Nov. 8), and the National Philharmonic in Warsaw (Nov. 11). For more tour information, visit www.culture.pl or orchestra.iam.pl. [Source: culture.pl]
SINFONIA VARSOVIA & BLECHACZ IN PARIS
[Source: culture.pl]
IN MEMORIAM ANDRZEJ MARKOWSKI
Kraków Philharmonic is also commemorating Maestro Markowski with a November 5 program featuring the late conductor’s beloved Adagio for Strings and Organ by Albinoni and Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony in B minor. Markowski’s championship of large-scale works by leading Polish contemporary composers will be remembered in the performance of Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 3, which represented one of the late conductor’s interpretative triumphs on the concert stage. The Kraków Philharmonic on this occasion will be led by José Maria Flôrencio and a fragment of a documentary film made in 1984, presenting Andrzej Markowski’s concert with the Łódź Philharmonic, will also be shown. [Sources: polmic.pl, culture.pl, Photo: amarkowskifoundation.eu]
NATIONAL PHIL IN LONDON
The Orchestra will be led by one of the most highly regarded Polish conductors and an enthusiastic champion of Polish music, their Artistic Director Antoni Wit, and joined by Warsaw-born violinist, Kuba Jakowicz.
[Sources: cadoganhall.com, culture.pl]
LEGENDS OF CENTRAL EUROPE IN ALBERTA
The Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies (University of Alberta), the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences of Alberta, and Mazurka Musik and Art present a classical chamber music concert entitled “Legends of Central Europe,” featuring piano duos and trios. Held on November 13 at 3 p.m., the concert will be performed by renowned Polish-Canadian pianists, Mikołaj Warszyński and Zuzana Warszyński-Simurdova, Polish-Canadian violinist for the ESO, Tatiana Warszyński, and the Edmonton cellist, Joanne Yu. This concert is a tribute to the great Czech composer, Antonín Dvořák, on the occasion of the170th anniversary on his birth—it will feature pieces by Dvořák, Smetana and Brahms, as these three masters of the Romantic Era in Central Europe were strongly interconnected and influenced by folklore and each other's music.
[Sources: Press release, simurdova.com]
POLISH MUSIC AT MUSIC@MIMODA
On November 16, Mimoda studio will present an evening of live music and physical theatre that will include a performance of the latest program of Polish music prepared by PMC Director and pianist Marek Żebrowski, and cellist Lars Hoefs. Part of the Music@Mimoda series, the evening will also feature performances by the Composers' Ensemble of Los Angeles (CELA), Richard Grayson, Cheri Cole, Gera D'Or and Maksim Velichkin, as well as “Aesthetic Biomechanics” by Yasha & Mimoda Jazzo. The evening is presented by Maksim Velichkin and Yasha Michelson of Mimoda studio For more information, visit mimodastudio.com or www.facebook.com.
[Sources: mimodastudio.com, facebook.com]
BLECHARZ & WHAT’S NEXT? ENSEMBLE
On November 23, the What's Next? Ensemble will present their newest program entitled “Fighting Music” in Los Angeles at the Royal-T Café. The program will include Polish composer Established in 2008 by two students of USC’s Thornton School of Music, the What's Next? Ensemble is a vibrant new music group passionately devoted to building up the new music community in Los Angeles. Through regular performances of adventurous contemporary music and its annual festival, the LA Composers Project, What's Next? Ensemble has quickly established itself as an audacious leader in the Los Angeles new music scene. Ensemble members are: Aurelien Eulert – piano, Yuri Inoo – percussion, Eric Jacobs – clarinet, Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor and Artistic Director, Ana Kim – cello, Michael Matsuno – flute, Ben Phelps – percussion, John Stulz – viola and Executive Director, and Sakura Tsai – violin.
KOSCIUSZKO FOUNDATION EVENTS
[Source: Press release]
LUTOSŁAWSKI BOOK REVIEWS Lutosławski & his music (New Edition) Only a composer of Steven Stucky’s stature can adequately appreciate and analyze another great composer such as the eminent Polish composer Witold Lutosławski. Joining the ranks of Charles Bodman Rae and Adrian Thomas, Stucky has added his expertise to the research scholarship dedicated to this distinguished composer, whom he describes as “one of the most outstanding musical personalities of the twentieth century.” Widely recognized as one of the leading composers today, Steven Stucky was awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Second Concerto for Orchestra. He has written commissioned works for many of the major American orchestras and ensembles.
Many excerpts are generously illustrated and utilized throughout the biography to serve as examples of this master of music. An added bonus is a complete catalogue of the composer’s compositions, a exhaustive discography, and a bibliography which is quite extensive for further exploration by serious Lutosławski fans and scholars. Of personal interest, Steven Stucky documents the relationship between the famous and great Polish composer and conductor, Grzegorz Fitelberg, who helped jumpstart the music career of Lutosławski. Mentioned prominently is the fact that Fitelberg had been responsible for the first performances of the Symphonic Variations, First Symphony, Overture for Strings, Mała suita, and Trypyk sląski. Lutosławski enjoyed a performance of his Symphonic Variations that was broadcast over Polish Radio from Warsaw April 1939 and first publicly performed at the Wawel festival in Krakow by Grzegorz Fitelberg and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (PRNSO) on June 17, 1939. When Fitelberg died on June 10, 1953, Lutosławski mourned his loss in a personal eulogy published within the pages of Muzyka and the weekly Przeglad kulturalny. The interest and sympathy shown towards Lutosławski by Fitelberg was very similar to that of his close colleague and contemporary Karol Szymanowski, whose reputation Fitelberg helped establish as a famous conductor. Fitelberg, who had done so much to advance Szymanowski’s career, was likewise indispensable to Lutosławski in 1939. Himself a composer of renown, Fitelberg championed the cause of composers whose careers would not have otherwise received attention. As an influential conductor, Fitelberg exposed audiences to performances of contemporary music both in Poland and abroad worldwide. Fitelberg promoted Lutosławski with, as Zygmunt Mycieliski is quoted as stating, “as much understanding, effort and intensity as he did introducing Karlowicz or the Third Symphony of Szymanowski.” Fitelberg and Lutosławski enjoyed a mutual admiration and appreciation for each other that was unsurpassed amongst colleagues and contemporaries. Stucky’s book confirms Fitelberg’s role in historical context by stating, “Nowadays it is difficult to imagine in what an unfriendly environment everyone worked then, how little chance contemporary music had in Poland at this time. Fitelberg, however, recognized Lutosławski’s genius, and he is reported to have announced after the premiere of the Symphonic Variations, “Listen, this is a real master!. . . You have to be born a musician to write this way. His scores. . . . are a pleasure to hold in one’s hand: it’s not just notes, it’s music!” This kind of encouragement helped Lutosławski through a very difficult period. One cannot recount briefly all of the numerous contributions to classical music and culture made by the late composer Witold Lutosławski. Anyone with further interest in Lutosławski is strongly urged to examine Steven Stucky’s tremendous work of research and scholarship. The Music of Lutosławski (3rd Edition)
Charles Bodman Rae’s examination of Lutosławski’s life and work draws on wide ranging and meticulous research, including hours of recorded conversation with the composer himself. Now expanded for this third edition to include an additional chapter Derwid (the pseudonym of the composer for some of his compositions) as well as many more photographs, The Music of Lutosławski is an absorbing study of the man and his music. Rae is unquestionably a true scholar on expert on Lutosławski. The author notes in the beginning of the preface to the third edition as follows:
At the conclusion of the preface to the first edition, the author writes:
The significant research by Rae has garnered rave reviews:
On a personal note… Grzegorz Fitelberg, famous Polish conductor, first of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and later of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) propagated and promoted the career of the promising composer Witold Lutosławski early on, both pre-and post-WWII, as he did for so many young unknown composers. Three symphonic works by Lutosławski received their World Premiere with conductor Grzegorz Fitelberg.
Charles Bodman Rae (born 1955) is a composer and pianist. After private piano studies with Fanny Waterman, he pursued undergraduate and graduate music studies at Cambridge with Robert Holloway, while concurrently studying composition in Oxford with Robert Sheslaw Johnson. At the age of 23, Rae was appointed to a scholarship at the City of Leeds College of Music, where he taught composition and analysis. In 1951, he was awarded a two-year post-graduate scholarship in composition by the Polish government, which enabled him to live and work in Warsaw attached to the Chopin Academy of Music. After returning to Leeds, he was appointed Head of School of Creative Studies. Rae is currently Director of Studies at the Royal Southern College of Music. He is married to the Polish actress Danuta Kwiatkowska. They have one daughter.
Notes: ‘Nad grobem Grzegorza Fitelberg’ [At the grave of Grzegorz Fitelberg]. Przeglad kulturalny 2, no. 24 91953) ‘O Gregorzu Fitelbergu’ [About Grzegorz Fitelberg]. Muzyka 5, no. 7-8, pgs. 26-33 (1954)
Gary Fitelberg is a Polish-American author, biographer, historian, music critic and musicologist specializing in the Fitelberg family musicians, Young Poland [Młoda Polska], Polish –Jewish musicians, and exiled and forgotten musicians. |
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AWARDS |
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WIENIAWSKI COMPETITION RESULTS
Prize winners:
Special distinctions:
[Source: polmic.pl]
SEROCKI COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION RESULTS From 30th September to 2nd of October 2011 in Radziejowice Palace near Warsaw, the Jury Meeting of the Kazimierz Serocki 12th International Composers’ Competition took place. 39 scores had been submitted to the Competition’s from all over the world. Five of the originally submitted works were eliminated because they did not comply with the rules. After careful examination of the submitted scores, the Jury—comprised of Dan Yuhas - Chairman (Israel), Ramon Anthin (Sweden), Stephen Lias (USA) and Indra Riše (Latvia)—decided to award the following prizes:
PWM Edition’s Special Prize for the Youngest Winner—a set of Polish contemporary music scores—went to First Prize winner, Adriano Gaglianello. The winning compositions will be performed on 17th of November 2011 in Polish Radio Lutosławski Concert Hall, at a special concert organized by Polish Section of the ISCM - Polskie Towarzystwo Muzyki Współczesnej, the European Penderecki Centre for Music and Polish Radio Channel 2. Prizes were funded by The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the ZAiKS Authors’ Society. [Source: ptmw.art.pl] |
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PERFORMANCES |
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"MOSTLY AMERICAN" & SKROWACZEWSKI PREMIERE Bravo Maestro!!!
According to his biography from the evening’s program, Stanisław Skrowaczewski began his career as a music prodigy:
During the concert Conductor H. Robert Reynolds pointed out that the piece will be the centerpiece and foundation for the future of wind ensemble concert repertoire and that the key to understanding this subtle but strong composition lies in the quiet notes played at the very beginning by the celesta and clarinet. One could see the joy and pride he exuded as he introduced both the composer and composition with a big smile. Skrowaczewski provided the following introductory notes for this composition:
This piece is both extraordinary and exquisite and can capture your heart, mind and soul. Additionally, the concert featured the introspective Shadow of Sirius by composer Joel Puckett—a rather solemn yet optimistic piece inspired by the loss of a young child, and the healing poetry of W.S. Merwin by the same title. Also on the program were Lost Vegas by Michael Dougherty, a jazzy-classical composition filled with lively melodies, as well as William Schuman's Chester Overture. * Dr. Fred Harris is author of the biography of Stanisław Skrowaczewski, entitled Seeking the Infinite - The Musical Life of Stanisław Skrowaczewski.
LITTLE FESTIVAL OF POLISH CHAMBER MUSIC
Below is a recap of the Festival’s two concerts from the website of PWM, as prepared by festival producer Mariusz Szymański of the Kraków Industrial Society: The concert by Sinfonietta Cracovia orchestra under the baton of maestro Krzysztof Penderecki at the Piotr Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, one of the most prestigious focal points of musical performance in the Russian capital, ended with a standing ovation, enthusiastic cheers and an encore. The concert opened the Small Festival of Polish Chamber Music, held on 14-15 October. Well received Polish artists presented the Moscow audience with music that was interesting from both the point of view of performance and of the preparation of the programme. On the first day of the Festival, Sinfonietta Cracovia, led by Robert Kabara, who appeared also as a soloist for the viola concerto, perfectly performed the Chaconne and the aforementioned Concerto for Viola, Percussion and Celesta by Krzysztof Penderecki, the Concerto for String Orchestra by Grażyna Bacewicz, and Souvenir de Florence by Piotr Tchaikovsky, and encoring Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa. On the second day, the leading Polish soloists of the younger generation: Janusz Wawrowski and Anna Maria Staśkiewicz (violin), Katarzyna Budnik- Gałązka (viola), Marcin Zdunik and Magdalena Bojanowicz (cello), in collaboration with Ewa Pobłocka (piano), presented Witold Maliszewski’s String Quintet, Igor Stravinsky’s Italian Suite (arranged for string quartet by Marcin Zdunik) and Juliusz Zarębski’s Piano Quintet in chamber groups specially created for the occasion. Polish artists conquered the audience with their level of performance, commitment, energy and obvious joy of playing, showing the very best of our chamber music in a concise two-day festival. The festival in Moscow was organised under the framework of the Polish Presidency of the European Union by the Kraków Industrial Society (KTP). [Source: pwm.com.pl]
SZYMANOWSKI QTET IN BEIJING On October 15-16, Karol Szymanowski's works were performed at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music (CCoM) by the Szymanowski Quartet. The concert was combined with a symposium dedicated to Karol Szymanowski and Polish music of the twentieth century, with participation from both Chinese and Polish researchers. Taking part were experts from Poland – Dr. Marcin Gmys, a musicologist and music critic who collaborates with the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań as well as Dr. Agnieszka Chwiłek from the Musicology Institute at the University of Warsaw.
In addition to Beijing, the group’s series of concerts in Asia also included Taiwan (5-6th of October), Hong Kong (8-9th of October) and Tokyo (18th of October). Karol Szymanowski is a Flagship Project of the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency. For more information on the project, see www.karolszymanowski.pl. [Source: culture.pl]
URBANIAK ALL-STARS AT NAT’L OPERA
During the sixth BMW Jazz Club, Urbaniak performed with New York musicians Maurice Brown, Don Blackman, Otto Williams, Troy Miller, and Femi Temowo. These guest artists wer a nod to the more discerning listeners as well as all novice enthusiasts of first-rate international jazz. As is usual with projects presented by the BMW Jazz Club, next to classic jazz standards the concert featured elements of many different genres: folk, fusion, groove, funky, and R&B. Urbaniak is famous for freely blending the sounds of Polish folk music with contemporary jazz. Read a review in Polish at tvp.info. [Source: teatrwielki.pl]
INAUGURAL CONCERT OF EUROPEAN MUSIC CENTRE
The program of the special concert combines music by Krzysztof Penderecki, the Centre’s patron, as well as pieces by young Polish composers: Weronika Ratusińska and Dariusz Przybylski – both participants in the Promotional Program Young Composers in homage to Fryderyk Chopin. The four-year Program devoted to 13 young composers was operated by the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre in 2007–2010 in collaboration with the Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP), the Embassy of Poland in France, the “Villa Decius” Association and the National Audiovisual Institute. The main aim of the Program was to help the artists and their works pass through the subsequent stages of promotion, from the best possible performance of their pieces to the release of their records.
The Cello Concerto by Weronika Ratusińska included a solo performance by the eminent Polish artist, Professor Tomasz Strahl, to whom the composition is dedicated and who also premiered it. The solo part in Dariusz Przybylski’s violin concert was performed by the outstanding interpreter of contemporary music, Patrycja Piekutowska, whose recordings have won many international prizes including the Midem Classic Award in Cannes. This special concert, held on the grounds of the Centre which is under construction, provided a great opportunity for young artists to present their music under the baton of Maestro Penderecki. This important cultural event was a part of the celebrations of the Polish Presidency of the European Council and opened a new chapter in the history of the European Krzysztof Penderecki Music Centre. [Source: pl2011.eu]
URBANSKI DEBUTS AS INDIANAPOLIS MUSIC DIRECTOR
Entitled “Krzysztof Urbanski's Debut,” his first concert as Music Director Designate at the Hilbert Circle Theater featured performances of the following Russian composers:
As is evidenced by the many testimonies posted on the website of the Polish Cultural Society of Indiana, the Polish-American community in Indiana is very proud that the ISO’s new Music Director Designate is a Polish-born, 28 year-old graduate of Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, Poland. He already conducted the ISO with a great success in April and June, at the end of the 2010/11 season, having also conducted orchestras in Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Singapore, England, and Chicago and Houston during the same tour. In addition to his duties at the ISO, Urbański became the first ISO director to serve on the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music when he started as an adjunct professor in the area of orchestral conducting for the Fall 2011 term. For a full biography of the conductor, visit krzysztofurbanski.com. [Sources: polishcsi.org, indianapolissymphony.org, newsinfo.iu.edu]
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DISCOGRAPHY |
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NEW IN ZIELEŃSKI OPERA OMNIA SERIES
PENDERECKI FOR HORN & VIOLIN
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ANNIVERSARIES |
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BORN THIS MONTH:
DIED THIS MONTH:
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PMC Newsletter Archive
Copyright 2011 by the Polish Music Center
Send your comments and inquiries to: polmusic@thornton.usc.edu
Newsletter Editor: Krysta Close
Translation Assistance: Marek Żebrowski
Contributions from:
Marek Żebrowski, Gary Fitelberg,
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, Kosciuszko Fdn., Ruch Muzyczny, Gazeta Wyborcza
Formatting by Krysta Close, November 8, 2011.
The Polish Music Center includes all content on a space available basis. We reserve the right to refuse any content submitted.
Saturday, November 12 features a group of young California pianists—winners of the 2011 Youth Competition organized by the Paderewski Festival—in an afternoon recital at the Ballroom of the historic Paso Robles Inn. Later on that night, the Paderewski Festival Gala Concert will present pianist 
His lecture was followed by a concert of Mr. Łukaszewski’s music. It opened with baritone Dan Gibbs performing Two Songs to Words by Czesław Miłosz: Gdy wiatr powieje [When the Wind Blows] and W mojej ojczyźnie [In Homeland Mine]. Mr. Gibbs—currently enrolled in a Masters’ Program and studying with Rod Gilfry in the USC Thornton School of Music—gave a heartfelt and warmly-hued performance to Miłosz’s moving lines. Soprano Sewan Howsepian Salmasi—a doctoral student at Thornton in the studio of Elizabeth Hynes—delivered Łukaszewski’s finely-etched Four Haikus with innate musicianship and elegance. Both soloists acquitted themselves admirably in difficult Polish texts and were adroitly accompanied by Grace Chung, a student in Thornton Collaborative Arts program. 
The October 30 concert of the 
British pianist and specialist of Polish romantic repertoire Jonathan Plowright has sent us his latest recording, Homage to Paderewski. This disc is Plowright’s ninth recording for the prestigious 
Laudate Dominum: Works by Zoltán Kodály, Benjamin Britten, Marian Borkowski, Stanisław Kwiatkowski, Irena Pfeiffer, Stanisław Moryto, Idzi Ogierman Mański, Kazimierz Wiłkomirski, John Rutter, Paweł Łukaszewski, and Łukasz Farcinkiewicz. Performed by Musica Sacra—Warszawa-Praga Cathedral Choir, Paweł Łukaszewski, conductor. Musica Sacra Editions 027 CD
A copy of the coin commemorating Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, which has been released by the Cresovian Mint on behalf of the 
The World Premiere of the new work by Polish composer Krzysztof Meyer, entitled Imaginary Variations, will take place at the 
Polish composer Joanna Bruzdowicz will conduct the world premiere of her latest work, Lella-Oratorio Profane at the Opera House in Bastia, Corsica, on November 9. The subject of Bruzdowicz’s composition is a Corsican native by the name of Danielle Casanova (1909-1943),who was a trained doctor, feminist, leader of the French Communist League of Youth and a member of French resistance during the early years of World War II. Arrested in France in January of 1943, she was taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where she died four months later. This event is part of the 13th edition of the “Rencontres musicales de Méditerranée,” held from November 8-16, 2011 in Bastia and organized by the 
The month of November will feature several World Premieres of music by 
The 
During October and November, Silesia will become the musical capital of Poland thanks to concerts dedicated to Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. It began on October 24 with the first of three concerts under the framework of the Silesian Composers' Tribune 2011. This concert, held at the Karłowicz State Music Academy in Katowice, featured performers Anna Górecka (piano) – daughter of the composer, Aneta Pawlik (flute), Joanna Piszczelok (piano), and Anna Szabelka (violin). The program was dedicated to works by the composer’s son, Mikołaj Górecki, including the World Premiere of his Piano Sonata, and performances of Variations for flute and piano Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano.
As of Monday November 14, 2011, Henryk Mikolaj Górecki will be named the official patron of the 
On November 19 and 20, the second concert in the 2011-2012 Jacaranda Music Series season will celebrate “
The submission period for the 
An anniversary gala concert on November 5, 2011, featured a repeat of the inaugural concert in 1901. Led by conductor Antoni Wit, the evening opened with Władysław Żeleński’s Żyj pieśni [Long Live the Song], a cantata for mixed choir and orchestra. Zygmunt Stojowski’s Symphony in D minor, Op. 21 was next on the program, followed by two favorites—Stanisław Moniuszko’s concert overture Bajka [A Fairy Tale], Zygmunt Noskowski’s symphonic poem Step [The Steppe]. Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor ended the official part of the program. Following the precedent set by Paderewski in 1901, pianist 
After the success of last year's performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the 
October 30, 2011, marked the 25th anniversary of 
On November 21, the 
Wojtek Blecharz
On Sunday, November 6, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York will host “
The Annual Fundraiser of The Pro 
On Sunday, November 20, the 
The hardcover version of Stucky’s Lutosławski treatise was first published in1981—the first in English—and has since been re-issued in a paperback edition and this latest edition from 2009 explores further the legacy and life of music of Lutosławski. Stucky divides his analysis into five sections—The early years: Lutosławski to 1948; The dark years: 1949-54; The years of transition: 1955-60; The years of maturity: 1960-79, followed by an analysis of “Elements of the late style” and separate notes on the late works: Jeux venitiens, Trois poemes d’Henri Michaux, String Quartet, Paroles tisses, Second Symphony, Livre pour orchestre, Cello concerto, Preludes and Fugue, Les espaces du sommeil, and Mi-parti. 
Witold Lutosławski is widely accepted as one of the foremost composers of the post-war era and is one of the great musicians of the 20th century. Lutosławski is also perhaps the greatest Polish composer since Szymanowski. 
On October 22, the results of the 2011 International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition were announced and a gala performance of the prize winners was held at the A. Mickiewicz University Auditorium in Poznań. Organized by the Wieniawski Society of Poznań, this year marks the 14th edition of the Wieniawski Violin Competition, which has been held since 1952.
Stanisław Skrowaczewski (right) was the featured composer when his Music for Winds was superbly performed by the USC Thornton Wind Ensemble under the baton of Conductor H. Robert Reynolds. The World Premiere concert performance entitled "Mostly American" took place on Sunday, October 30, 2011 in USC’s Bovard Auditorium. 
On October 14-15, the Little Festival of Polish Chamber Music was held at the Moscow State Conservatory. Polish musicians presented master chamber compositions by Polish composers Juliusz Zarębski, Witold Maliszewski, Grażyna Bacewicz and Krzysztof Penderecki, complemented by works by Russian greats Piotr Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky.
The 
On October 16, 2011 at 
To mark the celebration of the International Day of Music, a special concert will took place on October 1, 2011 in Lusławice at the 
The special concert in Lusławice was graced with the participation of the 
The 2011/12 season marks the beginning of 
Mikołaj Zieleński Opera Omnia Vol.3 Offertoria Totius Anni 1611 
Mikołaj Zieleński Opera Omnia Series Vol. 5 Communiones Totius Anni 1611
Mikołaj Zieleński Opera Omnia Vol. 6 Communiones Totius Anni 1611
Krzysztof Penderecki: Horn Concerto, Violin Concerto No.1