news

Warsaw | 16th "Chopin and His Europe" International Music Festival

The 16th edition of the "Chopin and his Europe" International Music Festival will run from 15 August to 1 September 2020. Apart from Polish music, this year's programme will present works by Ludwig van Beethoven in masterful interpretations as part of the celebration of the composer's 250th birth anniversary. Most concerts will be available on YouTube and social media of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

Despite these difficult times, which pose major challenges to all and sundry, we invite you once again to take part in the celebration of music that is the “Chopin and His Europe” Festival. Nearly 30 concerts will be held this year. Most will be solo recitals by great masters of piano playing, both on contemporary and historical instruments. We will listen to a number of pianists associated with the Chopin Competition, including two of its winners – Yulianna Avdeeva and Kevin Kenner. World-renowned orchestras and chamber ensembles will present 10 concerts, featuring, among others, Karol Szymanowski's Myths, and Krzysztof Penderecki's String Quartet No. 3. Beethoven's string quartets will be performed during four evenings by the Belcea Quartet. In addition to vocal recitals by outstanding soloists, a special gem for music lovers will be a concert performance of Stanisław Moniuszko’s The Countess, the first on period instruments. The work will be conducted by Fabio Biondi, with an international group of soloists, Europa Galante and the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir.

A large portion of the festival concerts will be streamed free of charge on the Chopin Institute’s YouTube channel and on its social media page. Selected concerts will also be broadcast by Polish Radio. Nonetheless, the organisers invite you to experience the concerts in person, in the concert hall, where all safety rules are followed (limited number of seats, the obligation to cover your nose and mouth and disinfect your hands).

Tickets for festival concerts scheduled for 15 to 23 August are currently available online at www.bilety.nifc.pl and at the ticket offices of the Chopin Museum in Warsaw (11 a.m.– 7 p.m., Tuesday thru Sunday). Ticket sales for concerts planned for 24–31 August will begin on 14 August.

Full programme is available at: https://festiwal.nifc.pl/pl

Warsaw | Concerts on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920

The Institute of Music and Dance and the "Niepodległa" Programme Office invite you to concerts of classical and jazz music on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920, which will take place on 15 August 2020 in the courtyard of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

A specially selected repertoire will be a journey to the times of, among others, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Karol Szymanowski. We will also hear contemporary, jazz interpretations of their work. At 1.00 p.m. Karol Radziwonowicz (piano), Sławomir Tomasik (violin) and Robert Morawski (piano) will perform Paderewski's piano and chamber works; at. 4.00 p.m. Urszula Kryger (mezzo-soprano), Zuzanna Nalewajek (soprano), Dagmara Barna (mezzo-soprano) and Paweł Cłapiński (piano) will present Paderewski's and Szymanowski's songs; while at 7.00 p.m. we will hear Nahorny Sextet, a band that connects the world of classical music and jazz, composed of: Włodzimierz Nahorny (piano), Dorota Miśkiewicz (vocals), Wojciech Staroniewicz (saxophones), Henryk Gembalski (violin), Mariusz Bogdanowicz (double bass), Piotr Biskupski (drums). The concerts will be hosted by Anna Butrym.

The programme includes works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Karol Szymanowski, Fryderyk Chopin and Roman Maciejewski. Free admisssion!

More information at: https://imit.org.pl/programy/departament-muzyki/4466

Katowice | Hear us at the Silesian Museum

15 August is a special day in Poland – not only because of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but also the Feast of the Polish Armed Forces. A few days later falls the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second Silesian Uprising, therefore the concert played that day by the musicians of the Silesian Philharmonic as part of the series "Hear us at the Silesian Museum" will present an appropriate programme.

The Silesian Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Jarosław Wolanin, will perform uprising, military and patriotic songs. We will also hear fragments of Broad Waters, Op. 39 by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, a series of songs based on traditional songs from the collection of Jadwiga Gorzechowska of that title and from Jadwiga Gorzechowska and Maria Kaczurbina’s What It Used to Be Like in Kurpie. The Symphony Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic under the baton of Jarosław Wolanin will perform Symphony No. 100 in G major 'Military' by Joseph Haydn, Etude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3 by Fryderyk Chopin in an orchestral arrangement and film music by Wojciech Kilar.

A special part of the evening will be the concert premiere of Three Warsaw Polonaises by an unknown 18th-century author, arranged for chamber orchestra by Szymon Laks, the bandmaster of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Orchestra. In the Nazi camp, performing and listening to Polish and Jewish music was forbidden, but the prisoners, risking their lives, violated this prohibition. In the inhuman conditions of the camp, being in touch with native art gave at least a substitute for humanity. Three Warsaw Polonaises were recorded last year by the New Music Orchestra conducted by Szymon Bywalc, who will also stand on the conductor's podium on 15 August. The recording was made with the financial support of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Victims Memorial Foundation and under the patronage of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: https://filharmonia-slaska.eu/production/sezon-letni-1508/

Wrocław | Zdunik & Mykietyn

Two works featured in the programme of the concert on 14 August 2020 at the National Forum of Music differ in almost everything: stylistics, time of creation, and assumptions underlying the composition. The first one is a new work by Polish composer, while the second one is widely known and popular composition, which this evening will be performed in a rarely presented orchestral version, and in the last movement we will hear for the first time the new pipe organ at the NFM.

Paweł Mykietyn’s Concerto No. 2 for cello and symphony orchestra was premiered last March in Warsaw. The solo part was played by Marcin Zdunik, recognizable for his broad repertoire and eagerness to reach for contemporary works, and the whole was conducted by Bassem Akiki. The same artists will perform during this concert. The work was brilliantly received, it was praised especially for the communicativeness and emotionality of the musical language.

The Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the most famous works of Modest Mussorgsky. It was written as a tribute to the composer’s friend, the painter Victor Hartmann. Mussorgsky turned his friend’s paintings into music, as it were. Mussorgsky’s suite was originally intended for the piano, but soon it received numerous arrangements for orchestra. The most famous is undoubtedly the orchestration by Maurice Ravel. During this concert, the work will sound in much less frequently performed Walter Goehr’s orchestration from 1942.

More information at: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/8045

Warsaw | National Philharmonic – "Yes, we play!"

Warsaw Philharmonic Ensembles will perform again in August and September as part of the series "Yes, we play!". The symphonic concerts on 13 and 14 August 2020 will feature works by Romuald Twardowski and Richard Strauss.

Due to safety reasons the National Philharmonic online concerts in June were cancelled, but for August and September the institution prepared a series of various events meant as a bridge between the interrupted artistic season 2019/20 and the new coming one 2020/21.

On 13 and 14 August Maestro Andrzej Boreyko will conduct the National Philharmonic Orchestra in a unique program, which will include the three-part Serenade for string orchestra by Romuald Twardowski – the nestor of Polish composers, who celebrated his 90th birthday in June, and the nine-part orchestral suite The Middle Class Gentleman, Op. 60 by Richard Strauss, originally performed as music to the Molière comedy. Andrzej Seweryn will take part in this concert as the narrator.

During the next events we will hear, among others, choral works by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki performed by the National Philharmonic Choir and songs by Romuald Twardowski interpreted by Tomasz Konieczny. At the end of September, the final concert of the 63rd "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music will take place. The National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir together with the Chopin University BigBand and conductors: Andrzej Boreyko, Maciej Tomasiewicz and Bartosz Michałowski will perform compositions by contemporary artists. Some of them (such as works by Polish artists Mikołaj Laskowski and Joanna Woźna) were commissioned by the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival and the National Philharmonic.

Information on tickets at: http://www.filharmonia.pl/aktualnosci/tak--gramy

Warsaw | 13th New Town Summer Festival

The New Town Summer Festival is a periodic event devoted to Polish music, presenting works from various historical periods, in different styles and various performances. This year's edition will be held on 7-23 August 2020.

The inaugural concert will feature rediscovered pieces for violin and piano by Piotr Maszyński, Feliks Nowowiejski, Adam Wieniawski, Irène Poldowski and Mieczysław Weinberg, arranged by violinist Joanna Okoń and pianist Katarzyna Glensk. The first concert on Sunday will be performed by the host of the Festival – the Warsaw Camerata orchestra conducted by Paweł Kos-Nowicki. The programme will include Romuald Twardowski's Marian Triptych, Stanisław Moniuszko's The Fairy Tale Overture arranged for strings by Maciej Żółtowski and the premiere of Iwona Kisiel's Concerto for violin and string orchestra, performed by Agnieszka Marucha, for whom this concert was written.

The next festival weekend will feature a concert of Polish choral music entitled "Gaude Mater Polonia", performed by the University of Warsaw Collegium Musicum Chamber Choir under the direction of Andrzej Borzym. On Sunday we will hear a piano recital by Anna Ciborowska, a pianist based in Belgium who promotoes Maria Szymanowska's compositions. The last festival weekend on Friday will be a concert dedicated to Karol Lipiński, whose 230th birth anniversary falls this year. The final concert will be a tribute to last year's celebration of the Moniuszko Year. Jakub Burzyński's La Tempesta ensemble will present their own arrangements of Religious Songs on historical instruments. The soloists of the concert will be Julita Mirosławska (soprano) and Joanna Motulewicz (mezzo-soprano).

Admission to all concerts is free!

Participants are obliged to follow safety rules issued by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage..

Full programme is available at: https://www.facebook.com/LetniFestiwalNowegoMiasta/

Poznań | Contemporary chamber miniature in the times of pandemic. First performances

In August and September, Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań will present a new concert series "Contemporary chamber miniature in the times of a pandemic. First performances". Every Thursday at 12.00 p.m., new works by composers associated with the Poznań academy will be presented on YouTube, Facebook and on the website www.amuz.edu.pl. The series will start on 6 August 2020 and end on the International Music Day, 1 October 2020.

A total of 9 miniatures were created during the pandemic. This Thursday, 6 August, the series will be inaugurated by Radosław Mateja's Tango for violin and piano, performed by Piotr Kosarga (violin) and Hanna Lizinkiewicz (piano). The piece was commissioned by the duo of performers. Its axis is a theme that returns in the form of a refrain, which is a subject of variations and rhythmic modifications. The link to the online premiere: https://youtu.be/vK67ASarDPM.

On subsequent Thursdays we will hear miniatures composed by teachers of the Academy of Music in Poznań: Agnieszka Zdrojek-Suchodolska, PhD (13 August), Barbara Kaszuba, PhD (20 August), Radosław Mateja, PhD (27 August), Prof. Monika Kędziora (3 September), Ewa Fabiańska-Jelińska. PhD (10 September), Michał Janocha, PhD (17 September), Prof. Artur Kroschel (24 September), Prof. Zbigniew Kozub (1 October).

More information at: https://amuz.edu.pl/event/wspolczesna-miniatura-kameralna-w-czasach-pandemii-prawykonania/

Warsaw | 20th Franciszek Wybrańczyk Sinfonia Varsovia to Its City Festival

The 20th edition of the Franciszek Wybrańczyk Sinfonia Varsovia to Its City Festival will be held between 2 August and 3 September 2020. The Festival will feature 23 concerts and events over the course of a month. Four days a week, Concert Pavilion at 272 Grochowska Street will host music of many styles and genres.

The Sinfonia Varsovia to Its City Festival will showcase guest chamber ensembles and Sinfonia Varsovia’s musicians, including Sinfonia Varsovia Brass, Sinfonia Varsovia String Quintet, and Sinfonia Varsovia Wind Quintet performing together with guest artists. As a part of a larger ensemble, Sinfonia Varsovia’s musicians will perform under the baton of renowned conductors, including Alexander Vedernikov, Jerzy Maksymiuk and Daniel Raiskin. The programme will include works by 20th-century Polish composers such as Andrzej Panufnik, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Witold Lutosławski. For the first time, this year’s edition will feature a new series of contemporary music concerts, Experimental Tuesdays. The programme also has plenty to offer to young audiences and families – Family Mornings are coming back.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: https://www.sinfoniavarsovia.org/

Warsaw | 4th WarszeMuzik

As part of the fourth edition of WarszeMuzik, on 1-29 August 2020, chamber music will return to Warsaw Ghetto's remaining buldings. We will visit a tenement house at 20 Chłodna Street (the Clock House), the house of Mieczysław Weinberg at 66 Żelazna Street, and an old tenement house at 41 Chłodna Street.

In 2020, the repertoire will expand to include forgotten works of great composers of the pre-war Warsaw, and add some new contexts. For the first time the programme will feature music by Józef Koffler, probably the first enthusiast of the dodecaphonic technique in Poland and an active member of the Board of the Polish Composers' Union, whose life was brutally interrupted by the Second World War. During the inaugural concert, Hashtag Strings will perform his String Trio.
We will also get to know the work of the composer-in-residence at this year's festival – Yair Klartag, who combines musical "archeology" with modernity. His Half Tiger, Half Poet for solo violin will be performed from the upper window, symbolically referring to the figure of the greatest poet of the Warsaw Ghetto – Władysław Szlengel.

During the final concert of the festival, at the POLIN Museum, musicians from the Hashtag Ensemble will premiere Yair Klartag's Voglio e non vorrei, in which the composer raises the subject of "the work of memory", referring to the story of his grandfather, the pre-war chorister of the Great Synagogue in Tłomackie. The work was co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund as part of the "Composing Commissions" programme operated by the Institute of Music and Dance.

For the second time, the backyard concerts of WarszeMuzik will feature music by Franz Schubert, the first composer in the history of classical music, who worked closely with the synagogue and wrote liturgical music to Hebrew texts. Mieczysław Weinberg, the patron of the WarszeMuzik festival, was also a great admirer of Schubert's music. Since the very first WarszeMuzik concert in 2017, the festival is also inspired by the figure of Władysław Szpilman. His unpretentious, simple and nostalgic Mazurka convinces us of the deep bond with Poland of so many Warsaw Jews from the North District, the forever lost, outstanding figures of culture and art.

Despite the imposed distance due to the COVID19 pandemic, you will be able to listen to music from the balconies, windows and staircases.

Full programme of the Festival is availabe at: http://warszemuzik.org/pl/program