Polish Music Reference Center Newsletter Vol. 2, no. 10


News


A new CD: Marta PTASZYNSKA’s Holocaust Memorial Cantata has just been released by ACCORD (ACD 016) with Lord Yehudi MENUHIN conducting the Sinfonia Varsovia and the Warsaw Chamber Choir.

Composed in 1991-1992 to Chant for all the People on Earth by English poet Leslie Woolf Hedley, the work is sung in four languages (English, Polish, Hebrew and Yiddish). The cantata had two world premieres: on April 22, 1993 in Warsaw and at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival on August 16, 1993.

The American premiere took place in Cleveland on January 26, 1996 with Edwin LONDON conducting the Cleveland State University Orchestra & Chorale and the Robert Page Singers.

The CD contains a revised version with an added text by Lord Menuhin.


Oct 3: Happy Birthday to Maestro Skrowaczewski!


Bernadene BLAHA from the USC School of Music can be heard on a new CD (Round Top RTR 8615) performing CHOPIN’s Ballades, Nocturnes, Polonaise-fantasie, Sonata no. 3 and 19 Waltzes.


Calendar of Events


OCT 5: OPEN HOUSE & CONCERT @ the Polish Music Reference Center.

2:00 – 4:30 p.m. United University Church, USC campus.Some changes in program: Wojciech KOCYAN, (piano), will perform CHOPIN’s Sonata in B-flat minor op.35; Marek SZPAKIEWICZ, (cello) and John BLACKLOW (piano) will play Alexander TANSMAN’s Fantaisia for cello and piano , Arnold BELNICK (violin) and Sergei SILVANSKY (piano) will close the program with a Grazyna BACEWICZ Sonata no. 5 for violin and piano and Heryk WIENIAWSKI’s Polonaise brilliante.

OCT 5: TRIBUTE TO PADEREWSKI & CHOPIN. Pianists Dr. Lorenzo SANCHEZ of Los Angeles and Dr. William WELLBORN of San Francisco, at the Century Club of California, San Francisco. 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Polish Arts & Culture Foundation of San Francisco. Wanda Tomczykowska, president.

OCT 20: ON WINGS OF SONG: OLGA MAKARINA, SOPRANO. The Marilyn Horne Foundation Recital Series at the Kosciuszko Foundation, broadcast from the Kosciuszko Foundation by WQXR, New York. 3:00 p.m.

OCT 27: CONCERT OF ORGAN MUSIC. ADAM CHOROSINSKI, professor of Organ & Rector of the Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw will perform music of BACH, LISZT and SAINT-SAENS and music by Polish composers MIKOLAJ Z KRAKOWA, SURZYNSKI, PODBIELSKI and SAWA at 4:00 p.m. , First United Methodist Church in Glendale (corner of Broadway and Kenwood). Admission: $5.

OCT 29: PEABODY PIANO TRIO. Inaugural concert of the 1996-1997 Chamber Season at the Kosciuszko Foundation, New York. 3:00 p.m.

NOV 2 & 3: HALKA, an opera by Stanislaw MONIUSZKO at the Lane Technical Auditorium, Chicago. Presented by the International Music Theatre, LTD. of Chicago and Teatr Wielki of Lodz, Poland. 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 2; 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 3; tickets: $24, $35 & $50.

NOV 2-10: EDMONTON NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL. Nov 5th: Voices from Afar: An Evening of Polish Music sponsored by the Polish Culture Society of Edmonton, Canada. Victoria Trio of British Columbia. Andrzej DZIADEK: Adagio for clarinet and piano; Henryk GORECKI Lerchenmusik; Mikolaj GORECKI (son):Three Pieces for clarinet and piano; Malgorzata HUSSAR: Letter across the Ocean for clarinet and piano; Ewa SYNOWIEC: 2nd Piano Sonata.

JAN 18, 1997: Warsaw Philharmonic will perform Witold LUTOSLAWSKI’s Fourth Symphony under the direction of Kazimierz KORD. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, California.

FEB 21 & 22, 1997: Piotr GAJEWSKI, music director and conductor of the National Chamber Orchestra has scheduled GORECKI’s Piano Concerto with Brian GANZ, recent winner of two International Competitions. 8:30 p.m. in Rockville, MD.


Recent Performances


Renowned Polish jazz singer URSULA DUDZIAK performed at the Kosciuszko Foundation on September 20th in a special benefit performance in support of the Cultural Affairs Program. It was a special “Warsaw Cabaret” evening in conjunction with the Warsaw 400 Exhibit, celebrating the city’s fourth century as Poland’s capital.

Born in Poland, Dudziak came to New York in 1973, opening a new chapter in her musical career. She toured the U.S. and Canada, performing at the Newport Jazz Festival and Carnegie Hall. Jazz Forum and Down Beat magazines have devoted cover stories to her and in 1979 she was named Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year. She has been featured as a major recording artist on over 50 albums. In 1992 she ranked just behind the late Ella Fitzgerald in the Reader’s Poll of Down Beat magazine.


Shane CARPENTER presented his Master Recital at Akron State University performing all of Marta PTASZYNSKA’s percussion music.


Miscellanea


G. Henle USA, Inc. of St. Louis has announced the release of a new book: Frederic Chopin. Thematic-Bibliographic Catalog by Krystyna KOBYLANSKA. $168. FAX: (314) 991-3807.


Discography


Six new recordings of SZYMANOWSKI’s music have been added to the ever-growing list of CDs of this great composer’s works:

ACCORD ACD 201122: Anick ROUSSIN, violinist.

EMI CLASSICS CDM 65307: Harnasie ballet; Piano music, Felicja BLUMENTHAL. Polish RSO, Krakow. Jerzy SEMKOW, cond.

EMI CLASSICS CDM 65418: Concerto no. 1 & 2. Konstanty KULKA, violin. Jerzy MAKSYMIUK, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

FORLANE FRL 16589: Violin Concerto no. 1 . David OISTRAKH, violin.

Symphony no. 3. Andrzej PANUFNIK cond. BBC Symphony, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus. Together with Symphony no. 4 and Andrzej PANUFNIK’s Symphony no. 8 (Sinfonia Votiva).

OLYMPIA OLY 344: Masques & Mazurkas (20) for piano. Joanna DOMANSKA, piano.

UNITED CAL 88021: Kurpian Songs for voice & chorus. Bo HOLTON conducting the BBC Singers.


Early Polish music of the late 17th century Jewels of the Polish Baroque on DORIAN DISCOVERY label DIS 80136:

Music of SZARZYNSKI (Jesu spes mea, Sonata for 2 violins & organ and Veni Sancte Spiritus for Soprano, 2 violins & Continuo); JARZEBSKI; MILWID (Semper mi Jesu); MIELCZEWSKI (Canzona prima); SIEPRAWSKI (Justus germinavit); ROHACZEWSKI (Canzon a 4) STACHOWICZ (Veni Consolator).

Yet another recording of LUTOSLAWSKI’s Dance Preludes.Charles West (clarinet), Susan Grace (piano). KLAVIER KCD 11073.


Miscellaneous Recordings

Several new CHOPIN renditions by pianists: Valerie TRYON, Clara HASKIL, Leif Ove ANDSNES, Maurice GENDRON, the late Andrzej WASOWSKI, ArturoBENEDETTI, Alexei KUZNETSOF, Marc-Andre HAMELIN and an orchestral Music of Chopin with Dmitri MITROPOULOS conducting the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.


Anniversaries


Born This Month

  • Oct 3, 1923: Stanislaw SKROWACZEWSKI
  • Oct 3, 1882: Karol SZYMANOWSKI

 

Died This Month

  • Sir Andrzej PANUFNIK died five years ago on Oct 27, 1991 in England.