EWA FABIAŃSKA-JELIŃSKA Chamber Music

 

CHAMBER MUSIC

 

Dominika Przech / Adam Mikołaj Goździewski MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

 

MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

 

Małgorzata Wasiucionek / Sylwia Michalik ENESCU / PROKOFIEV / SZYMANOWSKI

 

ENESCU / PROKOFIEV / SZYMANOWSKI

 

Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra / Łukasz Borowicz STANISLAW MONIUSZKO Paria

 

PARIA

 

Arkadiusz Bialic OLIVIER MESSIAEN La Nativité du Seigneur

LA NATIVITÉ DU SEIGNEUR

Łukasz Długosz / Agata Kielar-Długosz / Łomża Chamber Philharmonic / Jan Miłosz Zarzycki FLUTE ESSENTIALS

FLUTE ESSENTIALS

Julia Kociuban / Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra / Paweł Przytocki BACEWICZ - TANSMAN Piano Concertos

                                                               PIANO CONCERTOS

Messages Quartet MESSAGES

                                                                     MESSAGES

Gabrysia Balcerek / Sinfonia Viva / Tomasz Radziwonowicz WIENIAWSKI - KREISLER - HUBAY - SARASATE

This release is the debut album of an extremely talented young violinist, presenting a handful of miniatures of classical music arranged by Tomasz Radziwonowicz for violin, with the accompaniment of string orchestra. Gabrysia Balcerek began learning to play the violin at the age of 7 at Krzysztof Komeda-Trzcinski Music School in Ostrów Wielkopolski under the supervision of Agata Falkiewicz, MA. Currently, she is a student of the Poznan Mieczyslaw Karlowicz General Education Secondary Music School, where she develops her talent under the direction of Karina Gidaszewska. From an early age, she has been participating in many violin competitions. In total, she is a laureate of more than forty Polish and international violin competitions.

Won-Sook Hur JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Goldberg Variations BWV 988

The Goldberg Variations – alongside Wohltemperiertes Klavier, Musikalisches Opfer, Die Kunst der Fuge – constitute the most intense link of Bach’s art of polyphony. Thus, they focus on the whole essential problem of polyphonic composition using the counterpoint technique, on the problem of the polyphonic composition given to perform. In none of Bach’s other works, these two moments – the composer and the executive – are so closely connected, almost identifying with each other. This work, originally for harpsichord, is at the same time the most pianistic of all Bach’s keyboard works. This subtle interpretation of the Variations is performed by Professor Won-Sook Hur, one of the most recognized pianists in Korea, and should interest every fan of composer and didactic Bach craftsmanship.

Marta Gebska / Grzegorz Skrobiński PER MUSICAM AD ASTRA

This is the debut album of a Polish violinist – Marta Gebska. The young artist is a laureate of extremely numerous competition prizes, and considering her young age, she presents a very mature personality. Her interpretations testify to a unique performance craftsmanship combined with excellent violin technique and signal the emergence of a genuine talent on the Polish music stage. The multitude of artistic means of expression used, the variety of colors, the variability of the character of the sound and its beauty is a matter of the soloist’s rich imagination, enhanced by the values of the great French instrument Gustave Vuillaumme 1923. Listening to her recordings, one can experience not only artistic satisfaction, but also the joy resulting from the harmonious development of Polish violin music, to which both Marta’s masters and outstanding violinists, Roman Lasocki and her father Andrzej Gebski, contributed.

Arkadiusz Adamski BRAHMS Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano - Clarinet Quintet

Arkadiusz Adamski received his master degree from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, in the clarinet class run by Professor A. Janicki. While still a student, he won awards at numerous national and international music competitions, including First Prizes at the National Chamber Music Competition in 1983 (the duo category) and the 2nd Karol Kurpiński International Clarinet Competition (1985). He has attended international masterclasses in Germany, France and Poland and continued to improve his skills with Professor J. Schou in Denmark thanks to a Polish government grant. In 1985 he began to collaborate with the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra, two years later becoming a Principal of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic. He is now Principal Clarinet in the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (since 1993) as well as in Sinfonietta Cracovia (since 2000).

Radosław Sobczak SZYMANOWSKI

Piano works by Karol Szymanowski pose a considerable challenge to their performers. Although the composer himself was an active instrumentalist, he never thought about his works in a purely pianistic way. This work is full of textural complexities which, in combination with numerous compositional indications, regulating tempo and dynamics, do not facilitate interpretation. A recording of a pianist who earned a reputation as promoter of Polish music, Radosław Sobczak , shows that even the most difficult textural traps do not pose any difficulty for this artist. The album programme consists of: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major. Op. 21 , 2 Mazurkas from Op. 50 , Etude in B flat minor, Op. 4 No. 3 , and rarely performed Preludes, Op. 1.

Aleksandra Hortensja Dąbek CHOPIN - SCHUMANN

On this release, Aleksandra Dabek, young pianist and laureate of numerous music competitions all over the world, presents her interpretations of Romantic music; one of the greatest piano works is included – Carnaval, Op. 9 by Robert Schumann, as well as a selection of Chopin’s nocturnes and polonaises. Aleksandra Hortensja Dabek is a pupil of the Mieczyslaw Karlowicz Secondary School of Music in Katowice, in the piano class of Professor Wojciech Switala. She began her musical education at the age of seven in the class of Beata Zajac at music school in Krzeszowice, before continuing her training under Olga Lazarska in Cracow. She has many significant achievements in piano competitions to her name, including First Prize in the under-18 category at the 21st International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youngsters in Szafarnia (2013), a first class distinction in the 7th EPTA Piano Competition for Secondary School Pupils in Cracow (2012), and Third Prize in the 14th All-Poland Halina Czerny-Stefanska Piano Tournament in Zagan (2009).

Blandine Waldmann MOMENTUM

The artistic concept of the new album by French pianist Blandine Waldmann is based on a specific dialogue between tradition and modernity. The dialogue is conducted in the space that spans between the programme music of the famous Pictures from the Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, a classic form of Brahmsian variations and miniatures, and the absolute music of the Piano Sonata No. 9 by Scriabin whose thickened chromatic language is boldly heading towards the limits of tonality. Blandine Waldmann, a graduate of the Belgian Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, is a laureate of numerous international awards, a participant of many master classes, and for the entirety of her career has been performing in the worlds most famous concert halls, enchanting the listeners with excellent technique and great emotional, plenty of colors, and conscious musicality.

Aleksandra Bryła / Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryła JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 3 Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014-1016

In the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, two groups of sonatas composed for violin and harpsichord can be distinguished. The first group features the harpsichord performing only the role of basso continuo. The second group includes the harpsichord as an equal partner to the violin. This release features six sonatas of the latter category. Aleksandra Bryla is a versatile violinist with rich artistic achievements. She performs as a soloist and chamber musician, cooperating with prominent figures of the international music scene. She is a laureate of several violin and chamber music competitions around the world. In 2007 she cofounded the Meccore String Quartet, with which she carries out dynamic international concert activity. As a soloist, she has achieved major success at the National Zdzislaw Jahnke Violin Competition in Poznan, the Michael Hill International Competition in New Zealand, the International Violin Competition Valsesia-Musica in Italy and the International Violin Competition in Avignon in France. Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryla is a graduate of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, where she studied in the harpsichord class of Z. Brencz-Budny and E. Mielczarek-Poprawa and in the organ class of R. Sroczynski. She has taken numerous courses in the interpretation of early music, and is founder and director of the early music ensemble Brill’ante.

Wojciech Pyrć EKIER - SZYMANOWSKI Piano Music

The composers presented on the CD – Jan Ekier and Karol Szymanowski - were united by fascination with Chopin’s music, as well as inspiration from folk music, particularly the highlander folklore. Szymanowski’s influence on the entirety of the Polish music was not to be overestimated and it also left its mark on the artistic sensitivity of young Ekier. He also occupies a particular place on the artistic path of a young pianist, Wojciech Pyrć, a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, laureate of numerous Polish and international competitions. He interprets piano miniatures by Ekier, as well as Szymanowski’s works, including the daunting and rarely performed Fantasy in C major.

Anna Liszewska FRANZ XAVER MOZART Piano Works

Franz Xaver Mozart, the youngest son of Wolfgang Amadeus, has some 30 piano works to his name. They include nine cycles of variations with opus numbers, three sets of Polonaises melancholiques, sonatas, fantasies, rondos, and several smaller forms. In contrast to his father, he never displayed a performing interest in any instrument other than the piano. He used his outstanding performing skills in his compositional output, the lion’s share of which was for the piano. It is these works that pianist Anna Liszewska has included on this release. Anna Liszewska studied at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, gaining her diploma in 1995. She later went on to study under Barbara Halska, John Owings, and Andrzej Jasinski. In addition to an active performing and recording career, Anna is a teacher, and has directed a piano class at the Henryk Wieniawski Primary and Secondary Music Schools, and is on the faculty of the Music Academy in Lodz, lecturing in the Department of Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Early Music, and Jazz.

Dafô String Quartet GÓRECKI String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67 "...Songs Are Sung"

The Quartet No. 3 “Songs are Sung,” Op. 67 by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki belongs to the late works of the composer, and for a long time it was considered to be his last opused work. It was created in the ‘90s on commission of the Kronos ensemble. The reference to a song in the title is not accidental – the cantabile category, in combination with sometimes dramatic, sometimes doleful and melancholic narration addi-tionally contributes to the Quartet becoming a sui generis chamber echo of the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs No. 3. The perception of the piece is dominated with Górecki’s style, recognisable by almost every music lover, deeply emotional, introvert, frugal and at the same time extremely moving. The Dafô Quartet, the first female string quartet in Poland, have been fascinated with contemporary music performance from the beginning of their activity; they belong to the most outstanding performers of Polish chamber music.

"The Dafô Quartet have more than the measure of this music: this is a powerful, gripping performance, beautifully recorded. Any admirer of Górecki needs to have this." (Gramophone)

Anna Wróbel TUTTI I CAPRICCI DEL SIGNOR PIATTI

Carlo Alfredo Piatti, born at Bergamo, Jan. 8, 1822, died at Crocette di Mozzo – about four miles from Bergamo – at the residence of his son-in-law, Count Carlo Lochis, on July 18, 1901.

His father, Antonio Piatti, born at Bergamo in 1801, was a violinist of some repute, who held the post of leader in the orchestra of his native town. Piatti began in his extreme youth to study the instrument which was destined to make him famous. Given the option – at the age of five – of choosing between the professions of violoncellist and cobbler, he decided in favour of the first, and was promptly sent to his great-uncle Zanetti to receive instruction. Though an old man at the time, Zanetti was an accomplished violoncellist, and a patient teacher. He mode it a rule to seat his diminutive pupil in a chair placed upon a table, and it was in this elevated position that the precocious child easily mastered those ordinary difficulties, which severely tax most students. After two years' study his great-uncle, considering his pupil sufficiently advanced, applied for, and obtained permission for him to play in the theatre orchestra. The only return he received for the serious physical effort of the engagement – which lasted three months – was a present of ten francs from the Impresario, half of which was retained by his great-uncle...