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"Welcome Spring!" – online family concert

"Welcome Spring!", a family concert of the Gorzów Philharmonic, will be broadcast online on 21 March 2021 at 12.00 p.m. on the Philharmonic's YouTube channel and Facebook. The recording will be available for the next 24 hours.

On the occasion of the first day of spring, young and old music lovers will be able to watch extraordinary musical stories about the world of nature – insects, birds and water expans, which will engage them in an unusual game of imagination and impressions.

Ornithology composed by Jarosław Siwiński to the words by Małgorzata Kołcz is a piece that awakens imagination and becomes a fascinating game – with sound, text, form, texture, instruments, colours, twittering and various melodies. Insectology is a fairy tale about Mrs. Mosquito, who meets Beetle the Growler, Miss Ladybird and other nice creatures on her way. Simple children's songs illustrated with music were written by Anna Maria Huszcza. Adrian Robak's Hydrology to Maja Baczyńska's text is an extraordinary story about the element of water. The piece juxtapose the human voice with the harp and percussion instruments.

We will hear these wonderful compositions performed by outstanding soprano Joanna Freszel and the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Bartosz Olejnik.

Detailed information at: https://www.filharmoniagorzowska.pl/

Wrocław | Jerzy Maksymiuk and NFM Orchestra

Jerzy Maksymiuk has a well-deserved reputation as the doyen of Polish conductors. The performance of this outstanding artist with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic on 19 March 2021 at 7.00 p.m. is a great opportunity to enjoy his interpretations of the works of four composers.

The Polymorphia is one of Krzysztof Penderecki’s early, avant-garde works. Its structure is thought through to the tiniest detail, and the richness of the sonic effects obtained by Penderecki was used to create an atmosphere like straight from a nightmare. Director Stanley Kubrick was so intrigued the composition that he included it in the soundtrack of The Shining. The Polymorphia ends in a completely surprising and witty way: the music breaks off and then resounds… in the sunny and joyful C major chord!

Next, we will listen to the Concerto in G major for flute, violin, and orchestra by a Czech composer little known in Poland, Bohuslav Martinů, who was active in the first half of the 20th century. This light, cheerful and melodic work represents the Neoclassicist trend popular at the time. It was completed in October 1936 in Paris. La muse et le poète is a composition by Camille Saint-Saëns, written in 1910. The violin and the cello appear as solo instruments. The composer’s goal was not so much to present a show-off by the two soloists, but to create a poetic, free and reflective dialogue between them.

The concert will end with the joyful and light Symphony No. 1 in C major by Ludwig van Beethoven. Although it was modelled on the symphonies of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Beethoven’s individualism made the symphony clearly distinguishable with his enthusiasm and unusual inventiveness from the works of his predecessors.

Information about tickets: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/en/component/nfmcalendar/event/8251

Final Concert of the 1st Mieczysław Karłowicz International Composers' Competition

Six world premieres will take place during the final concert of the 1st Mieczysław Karłowicz International Composers' Competition. The pieces selected in the first stage will compete for the prize pool of PLN 100,000. Premiere of the concert will be held on Friday, 19 March 2021 at 7.00 p.m. on the Szczecin Philharmonic Facebook and YouTube channels.

The Competition was open to composers of all ages and nationalities. The subject of the Competition was a composition for the symphonic orchestra of a duration between 9 up to 12 minutes. All submitted works had to be original, unpublished, not previously performed in public and not awarded a prize in any other competition.

The jury has reviewed 176 works from Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the USA. The following works have been selected to the finals of the 1st Mieczysław Karłowicz International Composers' Competition: Borealis by Tomas Peire-Serrate, Helix Nebula by Andrzej Szachowski, Iluzje by Adam Porębski, Rumori by Tomasz Szczepanik, Sunrise in Hyangil Am by Choi Jin Seok, Symphonic Dystopia by Claudio Passilongo.

The finalist works will have their first performance during a concert in the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin scheduled for 19 March 2021. After the concert, the jury will announce its final decision, while additional prizes of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Audience of the Szczecin Philharmonic will also be awarded.

More information: https://karlowiczcompetition.pl/

Wrocław | Folk Impressions

Światowid Centre for Creative Activities invites you on 19 March 2021 at 6.30 p.m. for the concert "Folk Impressions" performed by Walicki-Popiołek Duo . We will hear contemporary music inspired by Polish, Spanish and Serbian folklore.

Walicki-Popiołek Duo consists of the pianist Aleksandra Popiołek-Walicki and the guitarist Jakub Walicki. They are both graduates of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, currently studying at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under the supervision of prof. Wanda Palacz and prof. Teresa Baczewska. Their debut album Iberico, with music from Spanish-speaking countries, was released in January 2020. A year later, the duo released their second album, Made in Poland, featuring pieces by contemporary Polish composers inspired by native folklore. New compositions were written especially for Walicki-Popiołek Duo.

During the upcoming concert, we will hear works from these albums as interpreted by the duo, including Bies by Adrian Robak, Strumienie by Aleksandra Chmielewska and Rytmy Polskie by Marcin Grabosz.

Full programme is available at: https://swiatowid.net.pl/

ISCM World Music Days 2021 – results of the national stage

This year ISCM World Music Days festival will be held in China. The Polish Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music has selected 6 pieces that will be presented during the World Music Days 2021.

The jury consisting of: Anna Ignatowicz-Glińska, Adam Porębski, Edward Sielicki and Anna Dorota Władyczka (Jury President) read the 28 scores and decided to recommend the following pieces to be performed during the ISCM World New Music Days in China:

Krzysztof Baculewski Volte-Face (cat. 1 Orchestral Works)
Magdalena Gorwa ePitaph (cat. 1 Orchestral Works)
Paweł Hendrich Gliptopalinomia (cat. 7 Solo Piano Works)
Wojciech Kostrzewa Sphères (cat. 1 Orchestral Works)
Mateusz Ryczek Alchemy of the Sound (cat. 12 Electronic Music, Live Electronics with 1 instrumentalist)
Paweł Siek Lignes d'hauntologie / 1949 (cat. 4 Chamber Music Group A)

The above works will be submitted to the organisers of the festival in China.

Jury minutes (in Polish): https://ptmw.art.pl/sdm2021chiny/

Warsaw | Piotr Beczała at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera

The world-famous tenor Piotr Beczała will give a concert with the Choir and Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera on 17 March 2021 at 7.00 p.m.

The hottest name among lyrical tenors in the world. In 2018 he was awarded an ‘operatic Oscar’ – the International Opera Award for the best male singer. For years he has been performing the most important tenor parts at the Metropolitan Opera and the Wiener Staatsoper. Yet another, after Jan Kiepura, ‘boy from Silesia’ who effortlessly conquers subsequent operatic stages with his singing and acting prowess. His successful career is compared to Luciano Pavarotti’s, while Piotr Beczała is often called his successor. He rarely sings in Poland, which is why the concert accompanied by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Polish National Opera is one of few occasions to listen to the master.

The artist will perform arias from the operas by Umbert Giordano, Pietro Mascagni, Giacomo Puccini, as well as Janek’s aria Gdy ślub weźmiesz z twoim Stachem from the opera Janek by Władysław Żeleński, Doman’s aria Czy ty mnie kochasz… from The Legend of the Baltic by Feliks Nowowiejski, Jontek’s aria Szumią jodły from Halka and Stefan’s aria Aria z kurantem from The Haunted Manor by Stanisław Moniuszko. We will also hear Moniuszko's Civic Polonaise and the overtures to the operas Monbar by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka.

Additional pool of tickets: https://teatrwielki.pl/en/

Kraków | "Navigatio mors" – a passion concert of the Polish Radio Choir

The "Navigatio mors" passion concert of the Polish Radio Choir conducted by Maria Piotrowska-Bogalecka will be held with the participation of the audience in the St. Martin's Church in Kraków (56 Grodzka St.) on 17 March 2021 at. 5.00 p.m. The event will be rebroadcast on the playkrakow.com platform on 21 March at 7:30 p.m.

Carlo Gesualdo's Responsoria is a collection published in 1611, dedicated to Holy Week. For Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, Prince of Venosa composed nine responsories for the six-part a cappella ensemble. These pieces were related to the liturgical form of the Officium tenebrarum. As in madrigals, Gesualdo uses sharp dissonances and rich chromatics, which make his works undoubtedly unique in the historcial context.

The renowned composer Paweł Łukaszewski, whose individual style originates from contemporary sacred music, refers to the Officium tenebrarum and the Renaissance tradition in his Responsoria Tenebrae. The concert programme will be complemented by the arrangement of the Psalm 51 Misere mei, made famous in the early 17th century by Gregorio Allegri. We will hear Miserere by the leading Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan, whose musical language was influenced by both Scottish heritage, Catholic tradition and Celtic music.

Co-financed under the "Music" programme carried out by the Institute of Music and Dance and from the funds of the Municipality of Krakow.

Tickets are available at: https://chorpolskiegoradia.pl/

Kielce | "Stage for Polish Music": Książek Piano Duo

The Oskar Kolberg Świętokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce invites you on 16 March 2021 at 6.30 p.m. for a concert as part of the "Stage for Polish Music" programme of the Institute of Music and Dance. Książek Piano Duo will present works by Józef Elsner, Fryderyk Chopin, Alexandre Tansman, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, and Władysława Markiewiczówna.

The "Stage for Polish Music" is a project aimed at Polish music performers, organised in collaboration with the Warsaw Philharmonic and arts institutions in Poland. Programmes featuring Polish music, selected on the basis of a competition, will be presented at the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Hall and then repeated in other cities in Poland. The goal of the project is to inspire musicians to prepare concert programmes featuring Polish music, promote the performance of Polish musical works as well as draw listeners’ attention to Polish music, especially lesser known pieces. The project is expected to showcase and popularise Polish works of music, especially those that are less commonly found in concert programmes, organise more performances of these works as well as promote Polish music performers.

The next concert as part of the project will feature Książek Piano Duo, founded in 2012 by Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek. The duo represented by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association has performed many concerts in Poland and abroad, incl. in Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Thailand and South Africa. In 2019, the musicians won 2nd prize and a special prize at the 21st International Franz Schubert Piano Duo Competition in Jesenik and the title of finalist and a special prize at the 3rd International Suzana Szӧrenyi Competition of Piano Duets in Bucharest. The following year, they received the "Young Poland" scholarship. Their talents and artistic achievements have brought them recognition of the audience and international music critics.

More information at: http://filharmonia.kielce.pl/

Chopin, Liszt and Paderewski as interpreted by Anna Kubicz

For over 20 years, the Presto Concert Agency has been introducing the work of the great Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin to foreign visitors. The next concert in the "Live & online" series will take place on 15 March 2021 at 7.00 p.m. at the Agency's venue – the Fryderyk Concert Hall in the Old Town. The programme includes works by Fryderyk Chopin, Franz Liszt and Ignacy Jan Paderewski as interpreted by Anna Kubicz.

Anna Kubicz's outstanding achievements place her among the most promising pianists of the young generation in Poland. After graduating from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of prof. Alicja Paleta-Bugaj, she started artistic collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the Fryderyk Chopin Society, the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra and the "Polish Community" Association. As a soloist, she has participated in many national and international festivals. She is a winner of international competitions, such as the 21st Century Art in Funchal (Portugal) and the 28th Young Musician International Competition Città di Barletta (Italy).

During the upcoming concert, Anna Kubicz will perform Fryderyk Chopin's polonaises, nocturnes and waltzes, Franz Liszt's Love Dream in A flat major, S. 541/3, and Minuet in G major, Op. 14 No. 1, as well as Ignacy Jan Paderewski's Variations in A major, Op. 16 No. 3.

The concert will be broadcast on the Fryderyk Concert Hall Warsaw Facebook Profile.

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