Theatre and opera director Mark Weiss stages his final production of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Czarnamaska (Black Mask) for the Baltic Opera on March 20 in Warsaw. Czarnamaska is hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces of the contemporary opera as well as the most difficult opera Weiss has directed thus far. Weiss collaborated with musical director Szymon…Continue Reading New Penderecki Productions at Baltic and Silesian Operas
On March 24, the Baltic Neopolis Orchestrapresented an evening of Polish music entitled “Mosaic – Impressions – Poland” including works by such renowned Polish composers as Grażyna Bacewicz, Krzysztof Penderecki, Andrzej Panufnik, Wojciech Kilar and Paweł Łukaszewski at Radialsystem V in Berlin. This “Long Night of Polish Concerts” was split into three parts, of which the…Continue Reading Bałdych Premiere in Berlin
On March 16, the world premiere of Missa Solemnis ad Honorem Sancti Joannis Pauli II by Marta Ptaszyńska took place in Warsaw, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Warsaw University (now called the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music). The composition, as indicated in the title, was inspired by Pope John Paul II’s book entitled Meditations. Ptaszyńska masterfully incorporated specific texts in…Continue Reading Ptaszyńska World Premiere
From Mieczysław Kominek, President of the Polish Composers Union (ZKP), and our friends at the Polish Music Information Centre in Warsaw we received a program and CD box set from the 2015 Warszawska Jesień [Warsaw Autumn] Festival. The program is an incredibly detailed source, containing information about composers, program notes and other details of the 2015 edition of this prestigious…Continue Reading Donations to PMC
On March 21, Ewa and Dariusz Kupiński of the internationally acclaimed Kupiński Guitar Duo dropped by the Polish Music Center for tea. During the visit, the pair shared their new CD (QBK 016), which features music by Rossini, Chopin, Bogdanovic, Piazzolla, Gershwin, and Granados. This is their second classical album release. The Kupiński Guitar Duo is showcasing…Continue Reading Kupiński Guitar Duo at USC
On March 10, the premiere of Paweł Mykietyn’s String Quartet No. 3 took place at the National Music Forum in Wrocław, Poland. The piece was composed for the Lutosławski Quartet (Bartosz Woroch and Marcin Markowicz, violins; Artur Rozmysłowicz, viola; Maciej Młodawski, cello), who have successfully performed and recorded Mykietyn’s previous string quartet. The ensemble presented…Continue Reading Mykietyn World Premiere
The spring concert organized by the Polish Music Center at USC’s Thornton School of Music on April 2 was devoted exclusively to works by Roman Ryterband (1914-1979). An expectant crowd filled USC’s Alfred Newman Recital Hall to hear music by this lesser-known Polish composer, who spent the last twelve years of his life in Palm Springs, California….Continue Reading Ryterband Returns