This year’s Solidarity of Arts Festival will be held in Gdańsk from August 8-30, 2014. Although comprised of several events celebrating various artistic mediums, the main musical event of the Festival is always the “+” concert, which features one major international jazz superstar plus a lineup of their favorite musical colleagues. Considered Poland’s biggest jazz…Continue Reading Solidarity Of Arts
The 10th edition of the Warszawa Singera [Singers’ Warsaw] Festival of Jewish Culture is just around the corner. This annual celebration of music, theatre, film, literature and visual arts will be held from August 24 – September 1. The Yiddish culture will be back in cantors’ songs, klezmer sounds, outdoor concerts, Jewish paper-cutting workshops and…Continue Reading Warszawa Singera
By Cindy Bylander [Article originally published in Musical Opinion Quarterly, April-June 2014. Used by permission of the author] In May 2013, the Grand Theatre/National Opera in Warsaw presented the first installment of Projekt P [Project P], which brings together “the hottest young Polish creators” in order to develop genre-shattering new operas. In the case of…Continue Reading Opera Review: Transcryptum
Pianist Kuba Stankiewicz presented a recital of music by Wojciech Kilar on July 31 at the Świętokrzyska Philharmonic Chamber Auditorium Hall in Kielce. This great jazz pianist presented the audience with twelve of Kilar’s best-known tunes from his many film scores as well as some additional improvisations. Kilar’s film music CD, as interpreted by Kuba…Continue Reading Kilar Jazz In Kielce
Kuba Płużek – First Album Ciążownik; User Friendy / Tune; Cyra; Lunzyferion, part 1; Lunzyferion, part 2; Lunzyferion, part 3; Pewelka Kuba Płużek – piano, Dawid Fortuna – drums, Marek Pospieszalski – saxophone, Max Mucha – bass V Records / Universal 5903111377021 In April, the “First Album” of phenomenal young jazz pianist Kuba Płużek was…Continue Reading New Jazz From Płużek
CD 1: Antoni Szałowski – Overture, Witold Lutosławski – Symphonic Variations, Aleksander Tansman – Polish Rhapsody, Karol Rathaus – Music for Strings, Andrzej Panufnik – Tragic Overture. CD 2: Grażyna Bacewicz – Overture for Symphonic Orchestra, Tadeusz Zygrfyd Kassern – Concerto for String Orchestra, Stefan Kisielewski – Concerto for Chamber Orchestra, Ludomir Różycki – Pietà….Continue Reading Sinfonia Varsovia Anniversary Recording
Ju-Young Baek Plays Penderecki and Szymanowski Krzysztof Penderecki: Violin Concerto No.2, ‘Metamorphosen’ ; Karol Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No.1, Op.35 (1916) Ju-Young Baek – violin; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Grzegorz Nowak – cond. RPO Recorded at London’s Cadogan Hall, this new release is violinist Ju-Young Baek’s first recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. [source:…Continue Reading New Polish Music From RPO
Born This Month August 4, 1879 – Józef REISS, musicologist, Polish music expert (d. 1956) August 7, 1935 – Monika (Izabela) GORCZYCKA, musicologist (d. 1962) August 8, 1946 – Mieczyslaw MAZUREK, composer, teacher, choral conductor August 8, 1897 – Stefan SLEDZINSKI, conductor, musicologist August 10, 1914 – Witold MALCUZYNSKI, pianist, student of Lefeld August 11,…Continue Reading August 2014 Anniversaries
The Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles continues to grow from strength to strength. Each year there are more events presenting various facets of Polish culture and celebrating Ignacy Jan Paderewski, an extraordinary pianist, composer, politician, and humanitarian. The highlight of this year’s Festival will be South Korean pianist Zheeyoung Moon, the featured performer at this…Continue Reading 2014 Paderewski Festival Preview
Dąbrowski Paderewski Program Gift To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the recovery of Polish national freedom, on June 4 2014 the Grand Theatre National Opera in Warsaw held a gala concert whose hero was the spirit and work of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Under the baton of Maestro Jerzy Maksymiuk, the National Philharmonic presented the monumental…Continue Reading Recent Donations to the PMC