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Alexander Kalischewski – 1. miejsce w Międzynarodowym Konkursie Wokalnym American Protégé i występ w Carnegie Hall w Nowym Jorku

Alexander Kalischewski (sopran chłopięcy), uczeń klasy śpiewu solowego prof. Sylwii Burnickiej-Kalischewskiej, wziął udział w Międzynarodowym Konkursie Wokalnym American Protégé i został uhonorowany 1. nagrodą w „classical category“ w grupie juniorów (11-14 lat) oraz zaproszeniem do występu w Koncercie Laureatów Konkursu American Protégé w Carnegie Hall w Nowym Jorku w grudniu 2019 roku.

Od prawie 10 lat organizowany jest w Nowym Jorku w USA Międzynarodowy Konkurs Wokalny American Protégé. Jest on rozpisany w kilku grupach wiekowych i różnych kategoriach: opera, klasyka, muzyka tradycyjna / ludowa, musical / jazz. Każdego roku do konkursu zgłasza się kilkuset uczestników z USA, Kanady, Kostaryki, Trynidad i Tobago, Wielkiej Brytanii, Niemiec, Włoch, Arabii Saudyjskiej, Chin, Indii, Tajlandii, Singapuru, Japonii, Korei Południowej, Wysp Karaibskich, Tajwanu, Filipin, Australii i wielu innych krajów. American Protégé jest konkursem wyjątkowym, o zasięgu światowym, bowiem wybór laureatów dokonywany jest drogą przesłuchań opublikowanych nagrań video zgłoszonych uczestników, spośród których wybrani laureaci prezentują swoje umiejętności w Carnegie Hall w Nowym Jorku.

W czerwcu ubiegłego roku, jeszcze będąc 13-letnim uczniem klasy śpiewu solowego prof. Sylwii Burnickiej-Kalischewskiej, Alexander Kalischewski wziął udział w Konkursie, prezentując następujące utwory: Giuseppe Giordaniego Caro mio ben, Franza Schuberta Minnelied oraz Luigiego Denzy słynną pieśń Funiculi funicula. Otrzymawszy 1. nagrodę, Alexander wykonał 21 grudnia 2019 roku w Koncercie Laureatów Konkursu American Protégé w nowojorskiej sali koncertowej Carnegie Hall znany i lubiany utwór Funiculi funicula. Alexandrowi akompaniował przy fortepianie Romuald Kalischewski.

Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska

Warsaw | Beethoven, Dvořák and Elgar performed by Sinfonia Iuventus

A concert of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra conducted by Marek Wroniszewski with the talented young cellist Marcel Markowski will take place on 18 January 2020 at 7.00 p.m. at the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio. The repertoire will include neo-romantic works by Antonin Dvořák and Edward Elgar as well as Ludwig van Beethoven's Coriolan overture.

General Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was a symbolic character of particular importance for ancient Romans, going back to the mythical origins of the City. A conqueror of the Volsci, he eventually defected to the enemy after a conflict with the tribunes and invaded Rome. In 1804, another tragedy based on Gaius Marcius’ story was written by a now-forgotten Austrian playwright, Heinrich Joseph von Collin. It is for his version that an overture was composed in 1807 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The structure of a two-theme allegro enabled rendering the dramatic tension between the rebellious attitude of Coriolanus and pleadings of the two women.

Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No 7 in D minor, op. 70, was written for the Royal Philharmonic Society in London (1885), which highly appreciated the Czech composer’s skills. In some commentators’ views, the Seventh is even regarded as Dvořák’s finest work of this kind, his orchestral mastery and individual style characteristics at their fullest. While eventually the Ninth (‘From the New World’) was the one to achieve the greatest popularity, the Seventh has belonged to the canon of neo-romantic symphonic music ever since its premiere.

The Cello Concerto in E minor is one of the core pieces of the present-day repertoire and one of the author’s most popular works nowadays. This elegiac work was influenced by traumatic experience of the great war. Challenging on the technical level, it does not, however, dazzle the audience with its virtuosity, but rather amazes one with the richness of its thematic invention, its unique harmonic colour, and above all, with the depth of its emotional message.

Piotr Maculewicz

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: https://sinfoniaiuventus.pl/

Szczecin | Karłowicz interpreted by Bergmann

The Szczecin Philharmonic continues the undertaking of performing all the works of its patron. The next concert from the "Grandioso" series will take place on 17 January 2020 at 7:00 p.m. The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rune Bergmann will present selected works by Mieczysław Karłowicz.

Mieczysław Karłowicz, due to his innovative music language, belongs to the group of the Young Poland composers. He contributed to advancing modernity in music and hmanaged to develop an original musical language expressed in harmony and orchestration, the latter of which he mastered like few other composers and wrote some of the most colourful orchestral music ever found. The programme of the upcoming concert will include Karłowicz's two symphonic poems: Episode at a masquerade and Stanisław and Anna Oświecim, preceded by the Serenade for string orchestra.

More information at: https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/wydarzenia/1204-KARLOWICZ__Bergmann

Kalisz | A concert to end the celebration of the Year of Tadeusz Kulisiewicz

The celebration of the Year of Tadeusz Kulisiewicz, Polish graphic artist and draftsman, will culminate in a great concert on 17 January 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kalisz Philharmonic.

The programme will be composed of works by two composers who lived and worked in Poland in the same period as Kulisiewicz: Grażyna Bacewicz and Witold Lutosławski. The Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Adam Klocek will perform a masterpiece of neoclassicism: Concert for string orchestra by Grażyna Bacewicz as well as Concerto for orchestra by Witold Lutosławski, saturated with traditional Polish melodies.

The evening will also feature a screening of the documentary film Białe i Czarne directed by Stanisław Szymański.

More information at: http://filharmoniakaliska.pl/

Warsaw | Stage for Polish Music – Ãtma Quartet

Ãtma Quartet will perform at the National Philharmonic on 15 January 2020 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the "Stage for Polish Music" project.

The “Stage for Polish Music” is a new project of the Institute of Music and Dance aimed at Polish music performers and 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.

Considered by many to be among the most promising young generation string quartets, the Ãtma Quartet first appeared publically as the New Music Quartet in 2016 and for the two years that followed performed under its former name. Four outstanding instrumentalists, graduates of Polish music academies, Katarzyna Gluza (violin), Paulina Marcisz (violin), Karalina Orsik-Sauter (viola) and Dominika Szczypka (cello), have been busy giving concerts at home and abroad, popularizing chamber music, particularly, works by Polish composers. The programme of the upcoming concert will feature works by Franciszek Lessel, Andrzej Panufnik, Stanisław Moniuszko, and Karol Szymanowski

Full programme available at: http://www.filharmonia.pl/koncerty-i-bilety/repertuar/scena-dla-muzyki-polskiej4

Szczecin | Polish Cello Quartet

The Polish Cello Quartet will perform on 15 January 2020 at 7.00 p.m. at the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin.

Polish Cello Quartet was formed in 2011 on the initiative of Tomasz Daroch, Wojciech Fudala, Krzysztof Karpeta and Adam Krzeszowiec – four cellists of the new generation. The four artists have decided to initiate a chamber music group to show and share the unique and original sound of the cello quartet. In the way they perform, the artists have chosen a democratic model of cooperation. Within the group they exchange parts of music pieces they play – which allows to alter the sound and interpretation of the pieces.

The musicians of PCQ had an honour and privilege to acquire their skills from leading Polish cello musicians such as Paweł Głombik and Stanisław Firlej, and also from world-leading professors such as Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Michael Flaksman, Jelena Očić, Julius Berger and Jeroen Reuling. They have gained their experience in many European cultural centers (Cologne, Mannheim and Brussels). Each of the artists has often been awarded in solo and chamber performances. All PCQ members lead cello classes at renowned Polish Music Academies. Since 2014 Polish Cello Quartet is a ensemble in residence at the National Forum of Music in Wrocław.

The repertoire of the Polish Cello Quartet includes primarily works originally composed for cello quartet. The programme of the concert in Szczecin will feature Cello-Quartet, Op. 44 by Marinus de Jong, Fantasie rhapsodique, Op. 21 by Jean Absil, Offenbachiana II by Piotr Moss, Deux mouvements pour quatuor de violoncelles by Aleksander Tansman, and Ballade and Rhapsody for four cellos by Kazimierz Wiłkomirski.

More informaion at: https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/wydarzenia/1202-Polish_Cello_Quartet

Warsaw | 27th "Polityka's Passport" Awards Gala

The annual prestigious Polish awards of the weekly magazine "Polityka" will be presented for the 27th time on 14 January 2020 at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw. The gala will be broadcast by TVN. The evening will be hosted by journalist Grażyna Torbicka and editor-in-chief of "Polityka" Jerzy Baczyński.

The main partner of the award is the ZAiKS Association of Authors, a patron of Polish culture. Artists and creators are judged by the jury composed of critics representing various media: the team of each of the seven categories consists of ten reviewers from media other than the organizer – the weekly "Polityka". In the first stage, the members of the Jury indicate the three most interesting creative personalities of the past year in each category, and after counting the votes, three nominees are selected. In the second stage, the finalists are judged by the Chapter composed of journalists from "Polityka" who select the winners in all categories. The names of the winners are revealed during the awards gala.

The list of this year's nominees, which were nominated by critics and academics in the field of theater, film, literature, visual arts, music and digital culture, includes three artists representing classical music. Krystian Lada – director, playwright and librettist, active in the field of opera, music theater and performing arts, was nominated "for faith in the vitality of the operatic form". Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński was nominated for the whole of his work. Violinist Martyna Pastuszka received a nomination for "exceptional leadership skills, thanks to which her band {oh!} Historical Orchestra became the leader among Polish orchestras playing period instruments" and for "original expansion of the repertoire, including works of Polish composers and so-called Polonica".

More information at: https://www.polityka.pl/TygodnikPolityka/kultura/paszporty

Łódź | Listening – a memory of Zdzisław Szostak

On 14 January 2020 at 6.00 p.m. the Łódź Philharmonic will initiate a new series of meetings "Listening", which will be hosted by Agata Kwiecińska, radio journalist and editor of music publications. The first meeting in the Concert Hall will be devoted to the late Zdzisław Szostak.

An outstanding conductor and composer, longtime deputy director for artistic affairs and conductor of the Łódź Philharmonic would turn 90 on 13 January 2020. The late Maestro, as a pensioner, always willingly visited the Philharmonic. During the Tuesday's meeting Maestro Szostak will be recalled by: Dorota Filipczyk – the daughter of the Professor, Jacek Filipczyk – the son-in-law, the musicians and artist's friends: Łukasz Błaszczyk and Mariusz Drzewicki. The meeting will be accompanied by a chamber concert performed by Mariusz Drzewicki (piano), Sławomira Wilga (violin), Michał Owczarek (bassoon) and Tomasz Bartoszek (piano).

The guests of subsequent monthly meetings dedicated to interesting personalities from the world of culture will be well-known soloists, conductors, researchers, authors of texts on music and musicians, among others Tomasz Konieczny, Maria Pomianowska, Piotr Pławner, Marcin Gmys, Andrzej Wendland. The new cycle is a continuation of the Łódź Philharmonic Friends Salon, which took place over the past years.

More information at: https://filharmonia.lodz.pl/pl/wydarzenia/nasluchiwanie

Warsaw | Sinfonia Varsovia „Resounds. New Polish Music”

The next edition of the Sinfonia Varsovia series „Resounds. New Polish Music” will open with a concert on 11 January 2010 at 7.00 p.m. in the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio in Warsaw. The programme will include compositions by Agata Zubel, Emil Młynarski and Luciano Berio. Adam Siebers will perform as a soloist, the orchestra will be conducted by Wilson Hermanto.

Fireworks (2018) by Agata Zubel is the composer's musical view on the hundred years of the Polish nation – its tradition and contexts of broadly understood culture. The eight-minute work for extended symphony orchestra is filled with fireworks of musical thoughts, impressions and sound reminiscences, freely combined with each other. The composition reached international audiences, arousing widespread admiration. It was performed, among others at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms festival and Konzerthaus in Berlin. In August 2018, Fireworks brought Agata Zubel the European Composer Award.

The pretext for a musical retrospective to the interwar period is the 100th anniversary of the premiere of the Second Violin Concerto in D major by an outstanding violinist, conductor, composer and organizer of Warsaw's musical life – Emil Młynarski. The work will allow to observe the changes in the composer's language of expression over the century and understand the context of the new Polish music. Set in the tradition of European music, with a virtuoso solo party compared to Wieniawski's concerts, it will be performed by the outstanding violinist of the young generation, the second concert master of Sinfonia Varsovia, Adam Siebers.

The programme will also include Rendering (1989) by Italian composer Luciano Berio. Its genesis is associated with the discovery of sketches of the unfinished 10th Symphony in D major by Franz Schubert, which form the foundation of the composition. The premiere performance of the work took place exactly 30 years ago at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

The concert will be preceded by a meeting with Agata Zubel led by Jacek Hawryluk (6.00 p.m.).