In an article entitled “Breaking Down Chopin’s 24 Preludes,” Wojciech Oleksiak of Culture.pl explores the context and history of Chopin’s quintessential 24 Preludes, op. 28, as well as a brief discussion of each individual Prelude. The article is based on Mieczysław Tomaszewski Chopin, information from chopin.com, and an interview with Urszula Oleksiak. Below is an…Continue Reading Discussion Of Chopin’s 24 Preludes
The Board of Directors of the Witold Lutosławski Society announces the annual competition for the Lutosławski Scholarship, awarded by the family of the composer. The grant in the amount of $10,000 will be given to one candidate for further studies abroad. Polish students, graduates of music schools, composers, conductors, instrumentalists, and vocalists are invited to…Continue Reading 2014 Lutoslawski Stipend
According to a new article in Biweekly.pl, anthologies of Grupa w Składzie and Andrzej Bieżan released in early 2014 along with the upcoming Tie Break box set offer a good review of avant-garde jazz in Poland. Written by Rafał Księżyk and entitled “The Institutionists,” the article explores both the history and the mythology of the development of…Continue Reading Free Jazz Exploration
Górecki. Portrait in memory Author: Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska Publisher: PWM/Fundacja Universitatis Varsoviensis Language: Pol. Softcover, 480 pp. (2013) Górecki. Portrait in memory by Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska is a record of interviews with people from Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s circle: his loved ones (wife and children), friends, students, publishers, musicologists, journalists, figures from the world of culture, etc. From this…Continue Reading New Books From PWM
A pianist of “unerring, warm-toned refinement, revealing judicious glimmers of power” (Los Angeles Times), Robert Thies will perform Chopin’s ‘Revolutionary’ Etude in C Minor, op. 10 no. 12, as well as works by Debussy, Brahms, Scriabin and Beethoven during the “Second Sundays At Two” concert at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church on June 8. Renowned…Continue Reading Robert Thies Plays Chopin
On Friday, June 13, the AllDayNight ensemble presents a free concert entitled “Voyage Musical: Original Instrumental Music & Songs in French, Polish & English” at the Music on the Plaza series at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale. AllDayNight is comprised of Frederic Michot (Prize winning Music Composer and Songwriter), Adriana Zoppo (Violin),…Continue Reading AllDayNight – Songs In French, Polish & English
On Sunday, June 29, the Polish American Club of Roseville (Sacramento) presents a classical piano concert featuring Michał Korzistka, a prominent Polish pianist from the University of Silesia. Michał Korzistka has studied classical piano at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, at the Postgraduate Piano Department of Academy of Music in Warsaw and then continued…Continue Reading Korzistka Plays Chopin
Oskar Kolberg died in Kraków on June 3, 1890 and was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery. On June 3 this year, Kolberg’s tomb was unveiled after undergoing extensive renovation. The ceremonies began at 1 p.m. with a procession and a short musical program presented by students from the Kolberg Music School in Radom. The rededication…Continue Reading Kolberg’s Tomb Renovated
As a corollary to the Kolberg Year Celebrations, please see an English-language interview with Andrzej Bieńkowski, a painter, photographer, and ethnographer who answers Agnieszka Grzybowska’s questions about Kolberg’s legacy and the social isolation of individuals living in rural areas of Poland. The full interview is available at culture.pl. I was lucky enough to have met three…Continue Reading Bienkowski Interview
The Symphony No. 4 of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was given its World Premiere on April 12 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The London Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Andrey Boreyko. This posthumously-premiered work was commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with generous support from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic…Continue Reading Górecki’s Fourth Lauded