On May 26, ChamberMusicNY presented the American Modern Ensemble in a season finale evening of vocal works by composers who are (or were) percussionists. The concert was held in Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center. Entitled “Voice of Thunder,” the program included Liquid Light for mezzo-soprano by Marta Ptaszyńska, a Polish composer and percussionist who, since 1998, has served on the music…Continue Reading Ptaszyńska’s Music in NY
The Goethe Institute in Los Angeles is an elegant and modern venue located in the Mid-Wilshire/Museum-Mile district. With a well-stocked library of books, magazines, sound recordings and many rare DVDs, it is a very attractive place to visit and become familiar with German culture today. On Saturday, June 4, the Institute hosted a special event celebrating 25 years of Polish-German…Continue Reading Polish Accents at the Goethe Institute – a Review by Marek Zebrowski
Following the release of his Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Chopin’s 24 Preludes (DG 028948119103, Sept. 2015)and Chopin’s Ballades 1-4, Berceuse and 4 Mazurkas (DG 028948124435, Feb. 2016), Chinese pianist and youngest-ever winner of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw Yundi Li took his Chopin repertoire on a multi-city Asian tour in November 2015 – January 2016. Starting with venues in…Continue Reading Yundi Li Takes Chopin Recordings on Tour
The Neo Temporis Group traveled on a Ukrainian tour entitled “New Music. DIALOGUE WITHOUT BORDERS” from April 20 – 24, 2016. Conducted by Łukasz Wodecki, concerts took place in four cities of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Odessa, where the ensemble presented works by eight different Polish and Ukrainian composers: Sławomir Kupczak, Karol Nepelski, Dariusz Przybylski, Jerzy Kornowicz, Oleksij Shmurak,…Continue Reading Neo Temporis Group Ukranian Tour
Karol Szymanowski’s elusive yet ever-successful opera, Król Roger [King Roger], took the stage once again at the Kraków Opera on April 28 and 30. Directed by Michal Znaniecki, the opera saw new staging changes as compared to other European productions. The resulting performances were deemed to be masculine and with a softened homosexual plot, though still a deep and moving…Continue Reading Król Roger at Kraków Opera
On April 29, British pianist Jonathan Plowright performed Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17 alongside the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Plowright’s interest in rarely performed piano works as an ambassador for Polish Romanticism led to the collaboration concert, in which Panufnik’s Heroic Overture and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op….Continue Reading Plowright Plays Paderewski
Saturday, April 2, 2016 | 8:00 p.m. Alfred Newman Recital Hall, USC (see AHF on campus map) 3616 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA Reception following the concert Admission is FREE and open to the public Campus Parking: $12 – enter Gate 3 at Figueroa St. & McCarthy Way (Parking Structure X) From PMC Newsletter March 2016…Continue Reading 2016: A Tribute to Roman Ryterband
The music of 20th century Polish composer Roman Maciejewski was showcased at the Warsaw Rising Museum on March 30. Organized by the Warsaw Rising Museum, PWM Edition and Polish Radio Program 2, the concert included various piano, orchestral and chamber works performed by the Chopin Piano Duo. The program emphasized the composer’s modern style, as influenced by his teacher…Continue Reading Maciejewski at the Warsaw Rising Museum
Twenty-three years after its world premiere, Witold Lutoslawski’s “Symphony No. 3” was once again performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, to whom the work was dedicated along with then Artistic Director Sir Georg Solti. The performance was conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, who himself knew the composer well and has conducted much of his music (pictured at…Continue Reading Lutosławski at CSO
The chic Ace Gallery on Wilshire Blvd. just east of Beverly Dr. played host to the Szymanowski Quartet on Saturday evening, February 20—the Polish ensemble’s only Los Angeles appearance in their 8-concert California tour this February. The gallery offers infrequent but fantastic concerts of chamber music, regular guests in recent seasons being the Takács and Emerson String Quartets. Founded…Continue Reading Szymanowski Quartet in Beverly Hills – A Review by Lars Hoefs