Leading classical music label NAXOS has several exciting new releases featuring Polish creativity. This month NAXOS highlights Polish opera and string quartets.
Janek by Żeleński
Described by period writers and fellow composers, Zygmunt Stojowski and Jarosław Zieliński, as the most influential Polish composer of the fin-de-siècle, Żeleński was the teacher of a generation of composers and author of numerous operas. His opera Janek draws on local atmosphere and traditional music but also makes use of the emotive Italian verismo style. Set in the Tatra Mountains, the tragic drama of Janek weaves an entangled tale of romantic attachments and deception.
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Polish String Quartets – Lutosławski Quartet
Featuring Kurpiński, Moniuszko, and Noskowski, this album reflects the quintessential Polish classical sound. Each composer is a pillar of the national style or variations of it, and the Lutosławski Quartet beautifully demonstrates their compositional prowess.
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[source: NAXOS press releases]