Sławomir Dobrzański, piano professor at Kansas State University and author of Polish Music History Series vol. 9—recently sent us the CD Antoni Stolpe – Piano Works(AP0203), performed by Polish pianist Stefan Łabanowski. This world premiere recording on the Acte Préalable label contains Stolpe’s Sonata in D minor, Variations in D minor, Allegro appassionato in C minor, and other shorter piano compositions. This recording sheds light on a little known Polish composer and brilliant pianist, who died in 1872 at the age of 21.

Marta Ptaszyńska— composer, percussionist, and pedagogue—used the occasion of Cracow Duo’s October 2017 performances in Chicago to pass along two gifts to PMC: a bilingual (Polish & English) Catalogue of Selected Works published by PWM in Warsaw, and a score of her Moon Flowers for Cello and Piano, published by Fallen Leaf Press in Berkeley. The score came with an inscription and the composer’s autograph as well!

Małgorzata Kot, the Managing Director of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago, also used the Cracow Duo as messengers of gifts to the Polish Music Center. We received a very interesting and especially useful for us publication, Katalog starodruków [The Catalogue of Vintage Prints] owned by the Polish Museum of America. Edited by Fryderyk Rosen and preceded with a bilingual introduction, the Catalogue contains capsule descriptions of many fascinating documents, including old maps, 18th century edition of volumes on Polish history by the legendary Jan Długosz, as well as collections of speeches from Poland’s Parliament and original printings of various bills and decrees from 17th and 18th century. This Catalogue can be read in PDF format at ksiegarnia.bn.org.pl.

Diana Eisele, daughter of Polish composer Roman Ryterband, visited the PMC to deliver a copy of the newest publication of Ryterband’s music. It is a reprint of the beloved Trois Ballades Hébraïques, in the composer’s version for violin and harp. This new edition features corrections to both the score and cover spellings that were present in the original, published also under the auspices of Lyra Music Co. (now owned by Vanderbilt Music Co.) in 1980.

[Sources: lucian.uchicago.edu]