A quartet of young Polish musicians—Michał Niedbała (piano), Mikołaj Sikora (bass), Piotr Przewoźniak (drums) and Ola Przewoźniak (vocals)—launched a weekly series of original online concerts on June 1. Their project, jazzbaja, is a jazz reinterpretation of some well-known Polish songs traditionally sung for children at bedtime. Each new segment in the program will be released…Continue Reading Jazz Therapy with Niedbała
SZYMANOWSKI, K.: Piano Works Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937): 9 Preludes, Op. 1 (excerpts); 4 Studies, Op. 4; 12 Studies, Op. 33; Maski [Masks], Op. 34 Andrea Vivanet, piano Naxos 8.551401 (August 2019) From the CD liner notes written by Norbert Florian Schuck: The relevance of the piano in Karol Szymanowski’s work may hardly be underestimated. During…Continue Reading Vivanet Plays Szymanowski on Naxos
The iconic Sunday afternoon open-air summertime concerts at Łazienki Park in Warsaw, featuring music by Fryderyk Chopin, have been moved online due to the pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings. As of May 17, this longstanding tradition—a great favorite with tourists and locals alike—became a virtual experience. The first in the planned series of video…Continue Reading Chopin by Radziwonowicz
Vincerò! Arias from Tosca, Adriana Lecouvreur, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, Andrea Chenier, Turandot, Edgar, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, La fanciulla del West, Gianni Schicchi, and Fedora Piotr Beczała, tenor; Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana; Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana; Marco Boemi, cond. Pentatone PTC 5186733 SACD (15 May 2020) For those who miss the opera house…Continue Reading New Beczala Release on Pentatone
In the year of its 75th anniversary, PWM Edition announces the 17th Tadeusz Ochlewski Composition Competition for string quartet. The deadline for submitting entries is 23 October 2020. The competition is for young composers with Polish citizenship who are under 30 years of age by 23 October 2020. The works will be evaluated by the…Continue Reading 17th Tadeusz Ochlewski Composition Competition for string quartet
The Youth Circle of the Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) invites young artists to participate in the 11th Zygmunt Mycielski Composition Competition. Participants must be under 30 years of age and compose a work for the Kompopolex Ensemble composed of viola, accordion, drums, and synthesizers. The duration of the work should be between 8 and 12…Continue Reading 11th Zygmunt Mycielski Composition Competition
The latest work by Aleksandra Garbal, entitled Ostatnie słowa Aniołów i Ludzkich Serc przed Końcem Czasów [The Last Words of Angels and Human Hearts before the End of Time], was premiered on the website of the Church of Saint Catherine in Toszek as well as YouTube on May 3. The work was written on the occasion of…Continue Reading Aleksandra Garbal’s “Last words of Angels and Human Hearts before the End of Time”
Composer Mikołaj Laskowski, specializing in chamber instrumental and electronic music, has created the online premiere of his composition Sound isolation, which is available on www.youtube.com. Mikołaj Laskowski studied at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague and the Wrocław Academy of Music. He won the 3rd prize in the International Generace Competition (Ostrava) and received an award…Continue Reading “Sound Isolation”: New Composition by Mikołaj Laskowski
The Institute of Music and Dance’s latest “Stage for Polish Music” competition took place on 7 April. Via videoconference, the committee selected projects to be implemented in the 2020/2021 season. The awarded projects were submitted by Jacek Kortus, Agata Schmidt and Bartłomiej Wezner, Książek Piano Duo, Polish Violin Duo, Bastarda Trio, Meccore String Quartet, Kraków…Continue Reading “Stage for Polish Music” 2020/2021 results
Run by the Institute of Music and Dance (IMiT) and funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MkiDN), the “Composing Commissions” program annually endorses new works by Polish and foreign composers. The pieces represent a wide array of genres, from contemporary classical music and music theatre performances through pieces combining different musical genres…Continue Reading “Composing Commissions” 2020-2021 results