March 2005

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  • Publication date March 3, 2005

Polish Music Center Newsletter Vol. 11, no. 3

PMC News

March 9th Concert

The Polish Music Center begins its 20th anniversary celebration with a year of special events and performances. The first, scheduled for March 9th, will take place at the United University Church on the USC campus, as part of the weekly series, Music at Noon. For this concert, staff members Marek Żebrowski and Krysta Close step out of the Polish Music Center and on to the stage, presenting a selection of late romantic Lieder by Mieczysław Karłowicz. Then, for the dazzling and rarely performed Piano Quintet by Juliusz Zarębski, a virtuoso pianist and student of Liszt, Mr. Żebrowski will be joined by members of the Thornton School of Music’s Armstrong Quartet, Ilana Setapen, Danielle Nesmith, Lauren Chipman and Peter McCaffrey. Come for the music and stay for the reception, provided by the hosts of Music at Noon and the Polish Music Center.

9 March 2005, Noon
United University Church (UUC) at USC
Corner of Jefferson Blvd. & S. Hoover Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90007-3502
Admission is free

Parking is available in Parking Structure D (Gate #4 on Jefferson Blvd.) or in the

Shrine Auditorium Parking lot (across from Gate #4, enter from Shrine Pl.)  See map

Donated Scores

On 11 February 2005, Eloise Quackenboss of Greenwood, Mississippi made a generous donation of music by Polish-born composer and piano teacher Jaroslaw de Zielinski. The jewel of the donation is an 18-page manuscript that was dedicated to Ms. Quackenboss’s grandmother and namesake, Ms. Eloise Williamson, a student of de Zielinski. The manuscript is entitled Small Suite and is in 5 movements: Prelude (Morning), Fugato (Over the Mountains), At the Spring, Polka (Sounds from the Ballroom), and Serenade (Gay Moonlight).

In addition to the beautiful handwritten music, de Zielinski also included snippets of poems scribbled at various angles at the top of each movement. These quotes (printed below) were, presumably, the inspiration for his music.

Prelude (Morning)

The morning-lark, the messenger of day,
Saluted in her song the morning gray;
And soon the sun arose with beams so bright,
That all the horizon laughed to see the joyous sight.

[From Palamon and Arcite by John Dryden]

Fugato (Over the Mountains)

Now there is nothing gives a man such spirits,
Leavening his blood as cayenne doth a curry,
As going at full speed—no matter where its
Direction be, so ’tis but in a hurry,
And merely for the sake of its own merits;
For the less cause there is for all this flurry,
The greater is the pleasure in arriving
At the great end of travel—which is driving.

[From Don Juan, Canto X by Lord Byron]

At the Spring

About this spring, if ancient fame say true,
The dapper elves their moonlight sports pursue.

[From Poetical Works of Pope, Vol. II by Alexander Pope]

Polka (Sounds from the Ballroom)

And beautiful maidens moved down in the dance,
With the magic of motion and sunshine of glance;
And white arms wreathed lightly, and tresses fell free
As the plumage of birds in some tropical tree.

[From The Cities of the Plain by John Greenleaf Whittier]

Serenade (Gay Moonlight)

Silence, ye wolves! while Ralph to Cynthia howls, And makes night hideous;—answer him, ye owls!

[From The Dunciad. Book iii by Alexander Pope]

Ms. Quackenboss also included in her donation two pieces of de Zielinski’s published music. The first, Three Pictures from Alabama, is the published version of three of the songs from the manuscript: At the Spring, Polka (Sounds from the Ballroom), and Serenade (Gay Moonlight). Interestingly, it appears from markings in the manuscript that de Zielinski originally intended to publish Prelude (Morning) and Fugato (Over the Mountains) as part of the Three Pictures from Alabama, rather than Polka (Sounds from the Ballroom) and Serenade (Gay Moonlight). This music was published by the Walscher Music Co. in Indianapolis in 1901. The second piece is entitled Trois Morceaux (op.11) and includes three movements as well: Feuille d’Automne, Tempo di Valse, and Fantasie Mazurka. Trois Morceaux was published by The Chicago Music Co. in 1880 and dedicated thus: “A Mademoiselle Coralie Wood, de Rodney, Mississippi”.

Jarosław Zieliński was born March 31, 1844, in Lubycza Krolewska, Poland near Lemberg, Austria-Hungary (now L’viv, Ukraine). He was a piano student of Guniewicz and Mikuli (one of Chopin’s most important pupils) at the Lemberg Conservatory. He continued his studies under Schulhoff (piano) in Vienna and Cerutti (voice) in Milan. He took an active part in the Polish uprising against czarist Russia in 1863-1964, and then in the American Civil War. When he came to the U.S. he began using the name Jaroslaw de Zielinski. After the war, he began to appear in concerts and subsequently he taught piano and voice. At first he made his home in New York, then in Michigan. In 1888 he moved to Buffalo, NY, and finally in 1910 to Los Angeles, where he remained until his death in Santa Barbara in 1922. In Los Angeles, he founded the Zielinski Trio Club and headed a school of music. De Zielinski’s library of published works on music was acquired by the Los Angeles Public Library and formed the core of its music collection. De Zielinski also published his own piano music and wrote several articles, including “Poles in Music” in the Century Library of Music, vol. 18 (see a reprint of this article in Polish Music Journal Vol. 5, No. 2, Winter 2002).

[KC]

Biographical information for this article was taken from the Zielinski Inventory at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota (http://www.ihrc.umn.edu/research/vitrage/all/z/POLzielinski.htm)

Donated Recordings

The Polish Music Information Centre, the Library arm of the Związek Kompozytorów Polskich [Polish Composers’ Union], has donated the Program book and 8-CD set of selected music from the 2003 Warszawska Jesień [Warsaw Autumn Festival]. Warszawska Jesień is the top international festival of contemporary music in Poland, and indeed one of the foremost in the world. This donation will serve as an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to research truly cutting edge music at the Polish Music Center. The CDs of the 2003 Festival (as well as past years, which are also available at the PMC) feature music that often has not been recorded anywhere else. The Festival Program books is nothing short of a contemporary music textbook, with informative biographies and program notes for all composers, works, and performers involved, both in the festival itself or at fringe events that spring up more and more each year.

News

Oscar For Jan Kaczmarek

Jan Kaczmarek receiving his Oscar for “Best Original Score”

On 27 February 2005, Polish film composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek won the Academy Award for “Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)” for his latest film, Finding Neverland. Kaczmarek’s score competed with such strong contenders as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (music by John Williams), Lemony Snicket’s-A series of Unfortunate Events(music by Thomas Newman), The Passion of the Christ (music by John Debney), and The Village(music by James Newton Howard). Kaczmarek joins two very distinguished Polish-born composers in the Academy Awards history—Bronisław Kaper (Oscar winner in 1953 for Lili and the 1962 nomination for Mutiny on the Bounty) and Alexander Tansman (a 1945 nomination for Paris—Underground). Congratulations to Jan from all Polish music fans and the Polish Music Center at USC. Bravo!

To read about the interview with Jan Kaczmarek and other Academy Award nominees Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celiński at the home of the Polish Consul General’s home, see below.

Lutosławski Ballet

The first full evening ballet using music by Witold Lutosławski has been created by British choreographer Philip Taylor. His version of Alice in Wonderland was premiered on 12 December 2004 at Munich’s Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz to great critical acclaim. Because of the rave reviews of this premiere, another performance has been scheduled for 4 March 2005. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote:

The decisive coup in this dancing Alice in Wonderland is the cleverly chosen music by Polish composer Witold Lutosławski which, under the sophisticated direction of Andreas Kowalewitz, sounds as though it had been composed especially for Alice as a multi-colored, atmospheric and trenchant commentary.

Chester Music recently prepared a CD sampler of the music of Lutosławski for the interest of choreographers, as his music has been very rarely choreographed up to this point. Due to a relaxation of terms governing the use of the music by his estate, this CD will hopefully go some way to rectifying this omission, and includes extracts from many works, including: Concerto for Orchestra, Livre pour orchestre, and the Variations on a Theme by Paganini. For a copy of the CD and further information please contact: promotion@musicsales.co.uk.

Silesian String Quartet In NY

FRIDAY, 4 MARCH 2005, at 8 PM
Carnegie Hall – Weill Recital Hall
57th Street @ Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019

The Silesian String Quartet, Poland’s foremost chamber group, now in its 27th season, will make its only New York appearance this season with a program called “Szymanowski & Friends: A Celebration of Polish Music and Musicians”. Co-presented by the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Polish Cultural Institute, this program will feature music of three master Polish composers of 20th century: Karol Szymanowski (Quartets Nos. 1 & 2), Andrzej Panufnik (Quartet No. 2 and Messages), and Henryk Górecki (Quartet No. 2, Quasi una fantasia – Commissioned by the Kosciuszko Foundation).

The Silesian Quartet was founded in 1978 by a group of students from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. It developed its skills at master courses conducted by the members of the LaSalle, Amadeus, Juilliard, Smetana and Berg Quartets. The Quartet’s repertoire includes over 250 pieces of chamber literature, of which almost 200 are by 20th century composers. The Silesian Quartet has premiered some 40 works by Polish and foreign composers, many of which have been dedicated to the Quartet. It has performed at the “Warsaw Autumn”, “Poznań Music Spring”, and music festivals throughout Europe.

The Silesian Quartet has given over one thousand concerts in Poland and Europe, as well as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Israel and Hong Kong. The group’s discography includes complete string quartets by Aleksander Tansman, Karol Szymanowski, and Igor Stravinsky as well as works by Henryk Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki and Zygmunt Krauze. Recent recordings include the String Quartet of Stefan Wolpe, the chamber version of Chopin’s Concerto in E minor, piano quintets by Johannes Brahms and Juliusz Zarębski.

Silesian String Quartet members:
Szymon Krzeszowiec, Violin
Arkadiusz Kubica, Violin
Lukasz Syrnicki, Viola
Piotr Janosik, Cello

Information for this article taken from the website of the Polish Cultural Foundation, www.polishculture-nyc.org.

Stanko Quartet US Tour

Following highly acclaimed tours in 2002 and 2004, the Tomasz Stanko Quartet returns to North America for a 12 city tour running March 9-24th. It cannot be stressed enough how unusual it is for a European jazz group to tour this side of the Atlantic—especially when you consider that the quartet is slated for a four night run at New York City’s storied jazz club, Birdland. While in NY, the Quartet will also spend an evening at the Kosciuszko Foundation House, hosted by Nate Chinen, a writer for Jazz Times and other leading publications. For a listing of their tour dates, visit www.stanko.polishjazz.com.

The Tomasz Stanko Quartet features Tomasz Stanko on trumpet, Marcin Wasilewski on piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on double-bass and Michal Miskiewicz on drums. In fact, Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz, Stanko’s “superb young compatriots,” are now ready to take off and be recognized in their own right. They make a bold step in that direction with their first international album, TRIO, released on February 15, 2005. The Poles challenge and expand upon the ‘jazz’ classification with renditions of Björk’s “Hyper-ballad” and Karol Szymanowski’s “Roxane’s Song” from the opera King Roger (1920-24). With all eyes towards the future, the group anticipates continued growth and development, both as a trio and with Stanko.

For more information about the tour please email tina.pelikan@umusic.com or call (212) 333-1405.

NYDAI Art Nights

Saturday, 5 March 2005 at 7:30 pm at the Europa Club – Performance by Marek Dykta Band
Marek Dykta aims to draw in his audience with well-known songs and then take them on a wild ride towards climactic improvisations from the jazz minded band members. With the songs sung by multi-talented vocalist Rich Micallef, and the backing of accomplished members of the Marek Dykta Band, this performance is sure to top off the last year’s hotly received band’s concert at NYDAI’s Art Nights.

Saturday, 12 March 2005 at 7:30 pm at the Europa Club – Performance by Marek’s Jazz Vision Band
An up and coming force on the trumpet and in composition, Marek Skwarczynski delights audiences with his blend of classic jazz distilled through the Polish Folk idiom. Visit the artist’s web site at trumpettime.tripod.com.

Sunday, March 27, 2005 at 7:30 pm in Europa Club – Performance by Varsovia Trio: Ewa Skardowska – piano, Adam Zarzycki – violin and Piotr Hausenplas – cello.
After performing numerous concerts in Poland and in Europe, the highly accomplished musicians of the Varsovia Trio will present music of A. Panufnik, P. Tschaikowsky and A. Kurylewicz in their only New York appearance. This concert is organized in collaboration with Polish Cultural Institute in New York.

Leszek Możdżer At The Kaufman Center

17 March, 2005 8:00 pm, NY, USA

The Kaufman Center presents jazz pianist and composer Leszek Możdżer on Thursday, March 17, at 8 PM, at Merkin Concert Hall. Presented in association with the Polish Cultural Institute, the evening of solo piano works will include Możdżer’s own passionate jazz interpretations of four Chopin mazurkas, as well as a selection of his original compositions.

Introduced to American audiences last fall at a sold-out concert with pianist Adam Makowicz at Carnegie Hall, Możdżer is widely considered to be the past decade’s greatest revelation on the Polish jazz scene. Born in 1971, Możdżer has been playing piano since the age of five. In 1991 he joined the Miłość band (“Love” in Polish). During the six years Możdżer led Miłość, it became the most popular jazz group in Poland recording six albums, two with trumpeter Lester Bowie. In 1996, Możdżer graduated from Stanislaw Moniuszko Conservatory in Gdansk.

Możdżer received many accolades, including the Krzysztof Komeda Prize 1992 from the Polish Culture Foundation, the First Prize of the International Jazz Improvisation Competition in Katowice in 1994, the Mateusz Swiecicki Prize from Polish Radio 3, the Mayor of Gdańsk’s medal for outstanding artistic achievements, and the Fryderyk Prize for Jazz Musician of 1998, as well as many citations in the magazine Jazz Forum.

Możdżer has recorded 30 CDs, including four under his own name, the best known of which is Chopin Impressions. He has also collaborated with such jazz greats as Arthur Blythe, Buster Williams, Billy Harper, Joe Lovano and Archie Shepp. Since 1992 he has been a regular collaborator with Zbigniew Preisner, Poland’s leading film music composer, taking part in the recording of many of the composer’s film scores.

Today Możdżer performs all over the world. The Frankfurter Allgemeine called Możdżer “one of the greatest piano virtuosos,” and his jazz interpretations of Chopin’s pieces received a standing ovation at the prestigious Piano Festival in Chartres, France.

For tickets, call (212)501-3330 or visit www.kaufman-center.org

8th International Forum Of Young Composers

The Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), directed by Lorraine Vaillancourt, is pleased to announce that it will hold its 8th International Forum of Young Composers in collaboration with the Muziekgebouw aan’tIJ from Amsterdam and the Music Faculty of the University of Montreal, sponsored by the International Music Council (UNESCO). All composers under the age of 30 are invited to apply by the deadline of March 25, 2005.

More detailed information is available on the website, www.nem.umontreal.ca or at:

c/o Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
200, avenue Vincent-d’Indy
C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-Ville
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3J7
tel.: (514)343-5962
fax: (514)343-2443
E-mail: lenem@nem.umontreal.ca

Chopin At Azusa Pacific

A cycle of concerts of Polish music and celebration of Polish culture will be held for the first time at the Azusa Pacific University School of Music on the occasion of the anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth on February 22, 1810. The artistic director of these events is Polish pianist Roza Kostrzewska Yoder, member of the faculty of the APU School of Music.

The university is especially pleased to present pianist Dina Joffe, Second Prize Winner of the 1975 Chopin International Piano Competition, in solo recital on 8 March at 7:30 pm, followed by a reception featuring Polish cuisine. Ms. Joffe will also be leading a master class devoted to the 24 Chopin Etudes on 6 March from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Other concerts will be performed by students (including laureates of international piano competitions) and faculty of the APU School of Music on 17 March at 8:00 pm and 10 April at 7:30 pm. These performances will be accompanied by an installation by Polish artist Anna Gajewska in the Arden II Gallery, and by a screening and discussion of Krzysztoff Kieslowski’s film Decalogue [Ten Commandments] on 1 April at 7:30pm. All concerts and master classes will be held in Munson Hall and the film screening will take place in Room 111. Admission to all events is without charge.

Chopin Competition In Florida

The 7th National Chopin Competition will be held in Miami, FL from March 5 – 13, 2005 at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. This competition is sponsored by the Chopin Foundation of the U.S. and is held every 5 years. It is designed to offer performance opportunity and financial support for young American pianists at career-level entry and to enable the four top Prize-Winners to take part in the Preliminary Round for the XV International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2005. The expenses related to the participation in the Warsaw’s Preliminary Round auditions, including airfare and hotel accommodation, will be covered by the Chopin Foundation of the United States. Open to pianists holding U.S. citizenship (native born or naturalized), born between 1977 and 1988.

Application Deadlines: Piano Competition

The application deadline for the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition of February 20, 2005 has been **EXTENDED**. Call 212-734-2130 ext. 214 for more information. The Competition is open to citizens and permanent residents of the US and to international full-time students with valid student visas. Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 22 as of April 1, 2005.

The Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition was established in 1949, in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the death of Frederic Chopin. The inauguration took place at the Kosciuszko Foundation House in New York City, with Witold Malcuzyński as guest artist, and Abram Chasins, composer and music director of the New York Times Radio Stations, presiding. Over the years, many outstanding musicians have been associated with the competition including Van Cliburn, Ian Hobson, and Murray Perahia. Today the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition continues to encourage gifted young pianists to further their studies, and to perform the works of Polish composers.

More information is available on the Kosciuszko Foundation website, http://www.kosciuszkofoundation.org/MUChopin.html or at:

Chopin Piano Competition
Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10021
tel: (212) 734-2130 fax: (212) 628-4552

The application deadline for the 15th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw is 1 March 2005. The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities born between 1977 – 1988. The Competition shall be held in Warsaw from 2 – 24 October 2005.

The Frederick Chopin Piano Competition is the founder-member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions based in Geneva. It is one of the oldest events of its type in the world, and enjoys great prestige and universal renown. Winning one of the prizes awarded at the Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition marks the beginning of a great artistic career and opens a path to the most famous concert halls.

Since 1975, permanent events accompanying the International Chopin Competitions have included a commemoration of the anniversary of the great composer’s death. The date of October the 17th has been included into the Competition calendar as a day of reverence to Chopin. On this occasion, the Mozart Requiem is performed in the Holy Cross church on Krakowskie Przedmiescie St. in Warsaw, where the heart of the Polish composer is buried in an urn. The same work was played at Chopin’s funeral which was held in the church of St. Madeleine in Paris in October 1849.

More information is available on the Chopin Society website, www.konkurs.chopin.pl or at:

Towarzystwo im. Fryderyka Chopina
Okólnik 1
00-368 Warszawa, Poland
tel. +48 (22) 826 81 90, +48 (22) 827 95 89, +48 (22) 827 54 71
fax:+48 (22) 827 95 99
E-mail: konkurs@chopin.pl

Awards

2005 National Chopin Competition

The 2005 National Polish F. Chopin Piano Competition, which featured 26 musicians, ended on Sunday, February 6th. This competition is sponsored by the Frederick Chopin Society. Success in this competition has opened new artistic doors for the finalists, who will now be able to perform with Polish philharmonic orchestras, at major music centres and during the summer concerts in the Royal Lazienki Park in Warsaw. Moreover, winners of the top four prizes have been invited to participate in this year’s International Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój, which will be held in August.

1st prize: Rafał Blechacz (20 years old) – student of Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz

  • 2nd prize: Piotr Banasik (23 years old) – student of K. Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice
  • 3rd prize: Piotr Szychowski (24 years old) – student of Academy of Music in Poznan
  • 4th prize: Szczepan Konczal (20 years old) – student of Academy of Music in Katowice
  • 5th prize: Lukasz Trepczynski (20 years old)- student of Academy of Music in Katowice
  • 6th prize: Krzysztof Trzaskowski (18 years old) – student of State School of Music in Białystok
  • Special award for the best performance of a mazurka: Rafał Blechacz
  • Special award for the best performance of a polonaise: Rafał Blechacz
  • Special award for the best performance of a concerto: Rafał Blechacz

NW Chopin Competition

On Saturday, February 12th the Northwest Chopin Foundation presented over 70 of Washington state’s best young pianists, assembled to celebrate the music of Frederic Chopin in the all-day 2005 Northwest Chopin Festival. The following is a list of winners of the Festival, with their respective teachers listed in parentheses.

Division A: (10 years and under)

  • Charles Lu (Soonja Kim), Christopher Lu (James Chen), Davis Zhao (Randall Jackson)
  • Honorable Mention: Toni McFall (Willard Schultz), Mina Park (Soonja Kim), Wesley Yu (Ni Liu), Lydia Zhang (Ni Liu)

Division B: (11 – 13 Years)

  • Jila Dabestani (Michi North), Nyan Gadepalli (Joan Schoepflin), Jonathan Hung (Michi North), Mary Pak (Soonja Kim)
  • Honorable Mention: David Chi (Grace Gu), Sarah Conner (Marissa Rebadulla-Ramos), Petrina Jap (Joan Schoepflin), Daeyoon Lee (Inkyung Lee), Joshua Lim (Judy Baker), Eric McElroy (Maria Sier), Conrad Sheridan (Yunbo Cassady), Nancy Xiao (Willard Schultz)

Division C: (14 – 16 Years)

  • Charlie Albright (Nancy Adsit), Alexander Bernstein (Debra Richter), Becky Davis (Michi North), Elissa Freedman (Gail Tremblay), Ari Livne (Michi North)
  • Honorable Mention: Eric Belvin (Helen Belvin), Jeong Choe (Soonja Kim), Bill Ma (Hong Liu), Matthew Palumbo (Judy Baker), Rachel Wishkoski (Jennifer Hammill)

Division D: (17 – 18 Years)

  • Christine Bronson (Donna Sams)
  • Honorable Mention: Matt Christian (Martin Kauble)

Bacewicz Award Created

The University of Ottowa in Canada announces the creation of a new award for string students. To increase students’ awareness and to encourage performance of Grażyna Bacewicz’s works, Mr. Krys Chmiel created the “Grażyna Bacewicz String Instrument Performance Award”, funded by the sale of his book, Grażyna Bacewicz—A Distinguishing Mark. The award of $500 will be given annually to one student studying strings at the University of Ottowa. The student recipient of the award will also perform selected Bacewicz pieces at during an event.

Performances

Lutosławski Reprise

On Tuesday, 15 February 2005, the Contemporary Music Ensemble of the USC Thornton School of Music presented an exciting program of new music that was book-ended by two works of Witold Lutosławski: Grave and Chain I. Both pieces were performed very well and were warmly received by the audience.

Lutosławski and Crockett. Photo: William Thomson

Professor Crockett, director of the Contemporary Music Ensemble, is no stranger to this complex and moving music. In 1985, Lutosławski visited Los Angeles, where he was an honored guest at the inauguration of the Polish Music [Reference] Center and donated some of the first manuscripts of our collection. During this visit to USC, Lutosławski coached Professor Crockett and the members of the Thornton Contemporary Music Ensemble on Grave. Lutosławski also conducted the CME in the West Coast premiere of Chain I.

The following are the program notes for these two pieces, from the concert of 15 February:

Grave
This brief, single-movement work takes the form of a composed accelerando, rising in pitch from bass to soprano register as it gathers rhythmic momentum; mostly quite subdued, occasional outbursts of a more overt intensity increase in frequency towards its eventual climax. The close musical interplay between cello and piano (much of the material could be transferred from cello to piano and vice versa without damage to the overall effect) is based on the perceptibly logical development of a number of 2 and 3-note motifs, often attached to sustained chords or repeated notes which locate the harmony of the piece in quasi tonal sense. This is very articulate music, makings its often passionate points without recourse to bombast; without melodic themes, it is always melodic in expression and always clearly related to the overall theme of its expanding motifs.

Subtitled Metamorphoses, Grave was written in 1981 and first performed in Warsaw in April of that year by Roman Jablonski and Krystyna Borucinska; it is dedicated to the memory of Stefan Jarociński, the Polish musicologist.
– Susan Bradshaw

Chain I
The principal formal process of Lutosławski’s late style was that for which he coined the term ‘chain’ technique, to signify a form in which the beginnings and ends of sections or strands of material overlap and interlock like the links in a chain; the music is divided into two strands. Particular sections do not begin at the same moment in each strand, nor do they end together. In other words, in the middle of a section of one strand a new section begins in the other. The principle of chain-form serves to construct the greater part of Chain I. Towards the end the texture becomes more complex and consists of several individual parts played ‘ad libitum‘, which form a network of melodies to be played ‘cantabile‘.

Rebel at Kosciuszko FDN

The Rebel Baroque Orchestra performed Sunday, February 20 at the Kosciuszko Foundation. Their program was titled “Fire, Form, and Fantasy: 17th Century Polish, Italian and German Music ” and included music for strings, lute, harpsichord and organ. Rarely-heard compositions by Marini, Rossi, Rosenmüller, Schmelzer, Mielciewski, Szarzynski, Jarzębski told a musical tale of three cultures featuring beguiling and beautiful music played on period instruments.

Hailed by the New York Times as “Sophisticated and Beguiling” and praised by the Los Angeles Times for their “astonishingly vital music-making,” the New York-based ensemble REBEL (pronounced “Re-bel”) has earned an impressive international reputation, enchanting diverse audiences by their unique style and their virtuosic, highly expressive and provocative approach to the Baroque and Classical repertoire. Named after the innovative French Baroque composer Jean-Féry Rebel (1666-1747), REBEL was originally formed in The Netherlands in l99l. The most aired American Baroque ensemble in the U.S., REBEL has been regularly featured on NPR and on numerous local radio stations across the country, and has recorded numerous CDs.

Lipinski In NY

Igor Lipinski, an 18 year old virtuoso pianist from Tarnów, Poland returned to Western New York on February 20th to present a concert at the Canisius College Montante Cultural Center. The program included Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata no. 27 in E-minor, op. 90, the rarely heard Piano Sonata No. 2 (1953) of Grażyna Bacewicz as well as works of Bach, Chopin and Paderewski. Mr. Robert Fronckowiak, Executive Director of the Polish Cultural Foundation, also gave a short presentation on “Lessons Learned from Reflection on the Life of Ignacy Jan Paderewski”. Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941), composer, pianist, politician, statesman, and generous philanthropist is considered one of the greatest personalities of the 20th Century. He significantly impacted life in his native Poland and in America, visiting Buffalo fourteen times. This concert was sponsored by the Polish Cultural Foundation and the Canisius College chair of Polish Culture, with corporate sponsorship provided by M&T Bank.

Igor Lipinski is a student at the Paderewski Music High School in Tarnów, Poland. He is the recipient of the Grand Prix for Young Pianists at the Paderewski Festival at Kasna Dolna, winning this prestigious award in 1999 and again in 2000. His recent appearance in the 22nd All Poland Tarnów Talent Week in November(2004) was greeted with critical acclaim. He was presented with a cash prize by the President of Tarnów and the critics called him the most promising young Polish artist talent.

Igor Lipinski makes his third visit to the Buffalo area having first appeared in the play Paderewski’s Children, by Kazimierz Braun of the University at Buffalo Department of Theatre and Dance in February of 2004. Since his last visit Igor has been very busy expanding his repertoire and preparing for his upcoming auditions for several American conservatories to continue his development as a concert pianist. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will be used to offset his expenses. His talent is worthy of continued support.

Internet News

Polish Radio On The Web

www.3zzz.com.au

Listen to Anna Zamecznik’s Polish program on Radio 3ZZZ, the largest ethnic community station in Australia. Her program specializes in Polish Classical Composers.

Julian Fontana

A new website has been developed by William J. Rodriguez, the great-grandson of Julian Fontana: www.julianfontana.com. Fontana was a pianist, composer, and author but foremost a loyal and dedicated friend of Frederick Chopin in whose shadow he lived for many years. As a close associate of the great Chopin, Fontana often critiqued, copied, edited and performed Chopin’s music. Additionally he took care of many publishing details, managed accounts, arranged concerts, and attended to many of the necessities of life that the sickly master was unable to do for himself. Fontana’s major accomplishment was, with the blessing of the Chopin family, the posthumous publication of many of Chopin’s previously unpublished manuscripts. Some of these posthumous publications, as well as Fontana’s compositions can be found on this website.

The creator of this website is interested in any additional information pertaining to Fontana or his relationship to Chopin. Please contact him at billrod1937@aol.com.

Chopin Piano

In the April 2004 Newsletter, we printed a letter from Mr. Jef Olson who was looking for information about a piano with Chopin’s signature in it. Since that time, this piano was discovered to not only have been signed but also played on by Chopin. This rare piano is now for sale. For more information, to hear the piano being played and to contact Mr. Olson, visit www.chopinpleyelpiano.com.

Calendar of Events

MAR 3: Warsaw Philharmonic “Musical Thursdays for Young Listeners” with Beata Bilińska, piano. Bach, Chopin, Mussorgsky, and Mozart. 6:00 pm. Chamber Music Hall, Warsaw, Poland. www.filharmonia.pl.

MAR 5: NYDAI’s “Art Nights” presents the Marek Dykta Band. 7:30 pm at the Europa Club, New York, US. See abovefor more information.

MAR 5: The Polish band Veselovsky plays at 10 pm at Club Szarotka, Chicago, IL. For tickets and information, call or email (708) 458-1400, teo@jkctrucking.com. You can also check out their website at www.veselovsky.com.

MAR 5: The Concertos with Orchestra Thousand Oaks series gives talented young soloists the opportunity to perform with the professional Conejo Concerto Orchestra. Program includes: Chopin – Piano Concerto No.2, Op.21 played by Gary Chan, 14 yrs old; and Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concerto No.2, Op.22 played by Joshua Hong, 15. Oceanview Performing Arts and Recreational Center, 575 E. Surfside Drive, Port Hueneme, CA. 7:30 pm. www.cwoto.org/opus11.htm.

MAR 6: The Concertos with Orchestra Thousand Oaks series gives talented young soloists the opportunity to perform with the professional Conejo Concerto Orchestra. Program includes: Chopin – Piano Concerto No.2, Op.21 played by Gary Chan, 14 yrs old; and Henryk Wieniawski – Violin Concerto No.2, Op.22 played by Joshua Hong, 15. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA. 2:30 pm. www.cwoto.org/opus11.htm.

MAR 6: USC’s Director of String Chamber Music Peter Marsh will play Wieniawski’s Scherzo and Tarantella for violin and piano, as well as works by Mozart. Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 West Malvern Avenue, Fullerton CA. 3:00 pm. Information at (714) 738-6595 or www.muckenthaler.org.

MAR 6: American Youth Symphony presents Ken Hamao playing Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No.1, Op.14. UCLA’s Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA. 8:00 pm. www.aysymphony.org.

MAR 6: Polish cellist Marek Szpakiewicz presents an evening of music by Russian composers Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich. Norris Theatre, 27570 Crossfield Drive, Rolling Hills Estates CA. 8:00 pm. www.palosverdes.com/chamberorchestra.

MAR 8: Artist Concert Series at Azusa Pacific University – Diana Joffe, piano, will present an evening of Polish Music, followed by a reception featuring Polish cuisine. Munson Chapel, APU, Azusa, CA. 7:30 pm. Call (626) 815-3846 or visit www.apu.edu/music/concerts/schedules/artist/.

MAR 9: The Polish Music Center presents selected songs by Mieczysław Karłowicz and the Piano Quintet, Op. 34 by Juliusz Zarębski. PMC staff members Marek Żebrowski and Krysta Close will be joined by the Thornton School’s Armstrong Quartet for this Music at Noon performance. United University Church, USC, Los Angeles, CA. Noon. See abovefor more information.

MAR 12: NYDAI’s “Art Nights” presents Marek Dykta Band. 7:30 pm at the Europa Club, New York, US. See above for more information.

MAR 13: Chopin: Berceuse, Barcarolle & Sonata. Helen Grimaud, piano. BBC Radio 2:00 p.m. Sunday Gala.

MAR 13: Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 2 performed by the Szymanowski Quartet. Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham, England.

MAR 14: Barcelona Symphony Orchestra concert, including Michał Spisak’s Sonatina. L’Auditori, Lepant 150, Barcelona, Spain. 8:00 pm.

MAR 15: Leeds College “Chopin: The Music & The Legacy” series, Concert 7 with Nelson Goerner, piano. Program is entitled “Chopin Voyager”: Chopin – Scherzo No 1, Op 20; Nocturnes Op 62, Nos 1&2; Mazurkas Op 59, Nos 1-3; and Scherzo No 4, Op 54. Granados – Goyescas. Debussy – Estampes. Liszt – Rhapsodie espagnole. The Venue, at Leeds College of Music, Leeds, U.K.. 7:30 pm. http://www.leedsconcertseason.com

MAR 17: The Kaufman Center presents jazz pianist and composer Leszek Możdżer. 8 PM at Merkin Concert Hall, New York. For tickets, call (212)501-3330 or visit www.kaufman-center.org. See abovefor more information about this performance.

MAR 17: Polish Concert at Azusa Pacific University – Complete Chopin Etudes, featuring APU students. Munson Chapel, APU, Azusa, CA. 8:00 pm. Call (626) 815-3846 or visit www.apu.edu/music/concerts/schedules/.

MAR 18: Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 1 performed by the Szymanowski Quartet. Royal Pump Rooms. Leamington Spa, England.

MAR 20: PODHALE Polish Folk Dance Company presents the program prepared for the 2005 Folk Dance Festival in Rzeszow, Poland: “Kaleidoscope of Polish Folklore”. Glendale College Theatre, 1500 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA. 4:00 pm. For tickets and information, please call: Czeslawa Sobanski (818) 623-8998, Izabella Bronowicki (310) 838-0836, or Teresa Dudzik (310) 245-3157. Admission is $20.

MAR 21: Tomasz Stanko (pictured at right) Quartet at the Jazz Bakeryin Los Angeles, CA. 8:00 & 9:30 pm. See above for more information about the US tour. For a listing of their other US tour dates, visit www.stanko.polishjazz.com.

MAR 27: American Youth Symphony presents Yundi Li, 1st Prize winner of the 2000 Chopin Competition. 40th Anniversary Gala Benefit Concert. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA. 6:00 pm. www.aysymphony.org.

MAR 27: NYDAI’s Art Nights presents the Varsovia Trio: Ewa Skardowska on piano, Adam Zarzycki on violin and Piotr Hausenplas on cello. Music of A. Panufnik, P. Tschaikowsky and A. Kurylewicz in their only New York appearance. 7:30 pm at the Europa Club, New York, US. See above for more information.

Poles At The Oscars

by Marek Żebrowski

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles and the Modjeska Culture Club of Los Angeles organized a special evening with the Polish nominees for the 2005 Academy Awards, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (best original musical score for Finding Neverland), and Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celiński (best documentary short subject for The Children of Leningradsky). Held in the Consul General’s residence on Friday, February 25th, the event featured a conversation with the invited guests, moderated by Marek Żebrowski. Excerpts of two films scored by Jan Kaczmarek and a fragment of The Children of Leningradsky were presented to the capacity audience before the question and answer session took place. Jan Kaczmarek spoke at length about his career in music and film, delightfully detailing his early education, his experiences in composing music for avant-garde theatre productions in Poland, his arrival in Hollywood almost twenty years ago, and his work as a film composer. Giving fascinating details of his work with several highly esteemed directors (Agnieszka Holland, Jurek Bogayewicz, Adrian Lyne, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, and others), Kaczmarek shared with his listeners the sometimes long and complicated process of scoring a film. For more details about the filmography of Jan Kaczmarek, visit his website at http://www.jan-ap-kaczmarek.com/.

Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celiński movingly spoke of their film, shot in the underground passages of Moscow’s metro and dealing with the painful subject of homeless children. This moving portrayal of children neglected by modern society stemmed out of Hanna Polak’s substantial experience in social work on behalf of people suffering from substance abuse and homelessness in Poland and Russia. Though they originally planned to create a photo album that would be sold with proceeds directed to special charities for children, Polak and Celiński eventually decided to turn it into a film, with Celiński providing a script and equipment, as well as editing and post-production. Current plans for The Children of Leningradsky include an HBO presentation later this spring as well as screenings in various festivals around the world, including the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles in April 2005.

Numerous questions from a large audience kept the evening’s lively and informative atmosphere going until almost midnight. The gracious hospitality of Consul General, Krystyna Tokarska-Biernacik and the excellent organization of Jola Zych, President of the Modjeska Club of Los Angeles (who provided a sumptuous buffet for the event), capped this highly successful evening.

Anniversaries

Born This Month

  • 1 March 1810 – Fryderyk Chopin, virtuoso pianist, Poland’s greatest composer
  • 2 March 1927 – Witold Szalonek, composer (d. 2001).
  • 3 March 1922 – Kazimierz Serocki, composer, co-founder of the Warsaw AutumnFestival
  • 6 March 1785 – Karol Kurpiński, composer, father of national opera
  • 6 March 1835 – Ludwik Grossman, composer, pianist, and piano merchant (d. 1915)
  • 7 March 1911 – Stefan Kisielewski, composer, essayist, writer
  • 10 March 1937 – Bernadetta Matuszczak, composer
  • 14 March 1913 – Witold Rudziński, composer
  • 17 March 1901 – Piotr Perkowski, composer
  • 17 March 1925 – Tadeusz Prejzner, composer, pianist active in popular music
  • 18 March 1961 – Hanna Kulenty, composer
  • 21 March 1936 – Marek Stachowski, composer
  • 23 March 1933 – Andrzej Trzaskowski, composer, jazz pianist and conductor
  • 23 March 1888 – Lidia Kmitowa, violinist and teacher (d. 1980)
  • 27 March 1927 – Joachim Olkuśnik, composer
  • 28 March 1954 – Paweł Szymański, composer

 

Died This Month

  • 1 March 2004 – Janina Garscia, composer of music for children and teacher
  • 2 March 1887 – Wilhelm Troschel, singer and son of piano maker
  • 4 March 1939 – Józef Sliwiński, pianist, composer (b. 1862)
  • 4 March 1925 – Maurycy (Moritz) Moszkowski, composer and pianist (b. 1854)
  • 4 March 1895 – Stanisław Niedzielski, singer (baritone), choral conductor.
  • 14 March 1954 – Ludomir Rogowski (b. 3 Oct 1881)
  • 15 March 1883 – Karol Studziński, violinist (b. 1828)
  • 15 March 1948 – Konrad Neuger, conductor, active in the U.S. since 1931 (b. 1890)
  • 19 March 1876 – Józef Stefani, composer, conductor, violinist, son of Jan (b. 1800)
  • 21 March 1973 – Antoni Szałowski, composer
  • 22 March 1893 – Adam Herman Hermanowski, cellist, child prodigy and virtuoso (b. 1836)
  • 29 March 1937 – Karol Szymanowski, composer, pianist (b. 1882)
  • 29 March 1959 – Zdzisław Szulc, curator of music instruments museum in Poznań
  • 31 March 1880 – Henryk Wieniawski, composer, virtuoso violinist (b. 1835)
  • 31 March 1946 – Aleksandra Stromfeld-Klamzynska-Szuminska, soprano (b. 1859)