The Holiday Season brought us a few nice surprises as soon as we returned to campus after the New Year and collected the PMC mail. Music for the Accordion Accordionist Wiesław Ochwat sent us a fascinating CD, Maciej Zimka—Out of the Circle, a series of chamber works for accordion and violin and accordion and guitar….Continue Reading PMC Gifts: January 2022
The newest album by Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, entitled ‘Anima Æterna’ and recorded on the Erato label, was recently awarded the 2022 International Classical Music Award [ICMA] in the “Baroque Vocal” category. Jakub Józef Orliński has quickly emerged as one of the most vibrant performers on the international classical music scene. Orliński will make…Continue Reading Orliński Wins ICMA & Performance in L.A.
SONORA Music continues to actively promote artists on its roster, despite the pandemic-induced slowdown in live performances during the past year. They have instead used that time to organize a number of concert premieres as well as recordings and album releases. Celebrations of Krauze, plus Zubel Premiere Conductor Wilson Hermanto led the National Polish Radio…Continue Reading SONORA Artists News: Krauze, Sikora & Koziak
On August 20, the violin and piano duo of Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel released an exciting new CD (OC 491). Recorded at the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin-Dahlem—a space with superb acoustics—the repertoire on this Oehms Classic CD features sonatas for violin and piano by Karol Rathaus (1895-1954), Heinz Tiessen (1887-1971), and Paul Arma (1905-1987). These…Continue Reading Rathaus Sonata and More!
Moniuszko’s Halka Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872): Halka [Opera] Dominik Sutowicz, Magdalena Molendowska, Łukasz Goliński, Poznań State Moniuszko Opera House Chorus and Orchestra, Gabriel Chmura – cond. NAXOS 8.660485-86 From the website Naxos.com: Polish composer, conductor and teacher Stanisław Moniuszko is widely known as ‘the father of Polish national opera’. Halka tells the tragic story of its…Continue Reading New at Naxos
A volume of works by Roman Maciejewski is the third CD in a series dedicated to a type of repertoire that is rare in contemporary music; namely, transcriptions for two pianos. Performers set out to discover, first and foremost, the extraordinary space of Maciejewski’s imagination and musical fascinations. This latest volume (CD Accord) was recorded…Continue Reading ‘Roman Maciejewski: Transcriptions for Two Pianos’ CD
Polish Conductor Grzegorz Nowak’s interpretations on a variety of CDs over the past decade have elicited much praise from critics worldwide. Regardless of whether he records symphonies, operas or concertos, or whether these compositions are well known or just being discovered, Maestro Nowak’s magic baton gives them much vigor and luster, with a variety of…Continue Reading Lofty Praise for Maestro Nowak
Almost 300 people involved, over 9 years of work, dozens of instruments made of rubbish…this is just the beginning of a long list that enabled the implementation of one idea: demonstrating human impact on the environment. On 22 April 2021, International Earth Day, the album Elements—Polish composer Paweł Pudło‘s modern story about humanity and different elements of nature—was…Continue Reading Symphony for the planet – Paweł Pudło’s “Elements”
America has had its Grammy Awards since 1959, when the first gala ceremony was held and, in 1995, Poland followed this fine example by instituting its own the Fryderyk Awards. Just like in America—where the Recording Academy recognizes the best achievements in the music industry— for the past twenty-six years Poland’s Recording Academy (known as…Continue Reading 2021 Fryderyk Award Nominations
Although Szymon Laks (1901-1983) wrote five string quartets, the first two, composed before World War II, are now lost. Laks survived the Holocaust and his internment at Auschwitz only thanks to music, since he served as the concertmaster and music director of the concentration camp orchestra. In recent years, Laks’s String Quartets no. 3, 4…Continue Reading Agnieszka Duczmal and Anna Duczmal-Mróz Lead Laks Recording