news

Maestra Falletta in Kraków once again

Once again, the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra has the opportunity to work with the outstanding American conductor of a lively and dynamic personality – JoAnn Falletta. On February 1, 2019 at 7.30 p.m., and February 2, 2019 at 6:00 p.m., she will conduct works of Copland, Weinberg and Zemlinsky.

The concerts are organized on the occasion of the centennial of the birth of Mieczysław Weinberg – a composer whose works are being rediscovered only two decades after his death. Weinberg's output includes 22 symphonies, four operas and over a hundred other works, including Cello Concerto from 1948, premiered nine years later by Mstislav Rostropovich. This time, the solo part will be performed by Marcin Zdunik – the first prize and Grand Prix winner at the 6th Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Warsaw.

The programme of the concert evenings at the Kraków Philharmonic will also include El Salon Mexico by Aaron Copland – one of JoAnn Falletta's favorite composers, and Die Seejungfrau by Alexander von Zemlinsky.

Information on tickets at: http://www.filharmonia.krakow.pl/

Kalisz | Concert at the end of the celebrations of Adam Asnyk's Year

The year of Adam Asny is behind us, but to end the celebrations, another concert will take place. On February 1, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Kalisz Philharmonic, Ewa Iżykowska and Sebastian Karpiela-Bułecka ensemble will meet on one stage.

The concert will consist entirely of Polish music. The programme includes a very rare funeral march for symphonic orchestra The Shades of Adam Asnyk by Zygmunt Noskowski and his Highlander's fantasy, as well as fragments inspired by highlander music in Karol Szymanowski's Harnasie, performed by Sebastian Karpiel-Bułecka ensemble in the original version.

In addition, the evening will feature the world premiere of Asnyk's Sonnets by Piotr Moss. The works will be presented by the Częstochowa Philharmonic Choir "Collegium Cantorum" and the Kalisz Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Adam Klocek. Soprano Ewa Iżykowska, who is a professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, will perform as a soloist.

More information at: http://filharmoniakaliska.pl/news/koncert-na-zakonczenie-obchodow-roku-adama-asnyka/147

Toruń | Dances of the World – carnival concert

A carnival concert of the Toruń Symphony Orchestra entitled "Dances of the World" will be held on February 1, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Nicolaus Copernicus University Auditorium.

The concert will present dance traditions of many parts of our globe, captured and atisticaly transformed by outstanding composers. Europe will be represented by Antonín Dvořák and Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov, the border of Europe and Asia by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. Musical journey will also include Cuban dances, New Orleans jazz, country music from Texas, and the big band sounds of Duke Ellington, popular throughout the United States.

The concert will also promote the first TOS album for the world record label NAXOS – a CD with works by Romuald Twardowski, released in December 2018. Two compositions from this album: Spanish Fantasy and Capriccio in Blue will be performed by violinist Kinga Augustyn together with the orchestra under the baton of Mariusz Smolja. During the concert, the album will be available a promotional price.

Information on tickets at: http://tos.art.pl/pl/wydarzenie_715_Tance_swiata.html

Olsztyn | Chamber Concert at the Philharmonic

A concert on February 1, 2019 at 7.00 p.m. in the Warmian-Masurian Philharmonic will certainly be a musical feast for chamber music lovers.

It is claimed by many that chamber music is the noblest form of music making which essence is an "intimate conversation" of musicians. Every chamber concert is an exceptional and unique event, especially when it features outstanding Polish musicians. Kaja Danczowska (violin), Maria Shetty (viola), Adam Krzeszowiec (cello), Krzysztof Firlus (double bass), Piotr Lato (clarinet), Maksymilian Lipień (oboe), Damian Lipień (bassoon), and Tadeusz Tomaszewski (French horn) will be among the performers.

The evening at the Philharmonic will start with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Divertimento B-dur KV 229 for reed trio. The second chamber piece of the evening will be the charming four-part Suite pour trio d'anches (1949) by Aleksander Tansman, representing the best features of French neoclassicism. A classic combination of the wind trio and string quartet, and at the same time a closing piece, will be Septet in E flat major Op. 20 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Information on tickets at: www.filharmonia.olsztyn.pl

Kraków | The beauty of contrasts: from Rameau to Glass

The Opera Rara festival will take place in Kraków for the eleventh time. As part of the cycle, from January 31 to February 17, 2019, four stage productions will be presented: from Rameau, through Mozart to Glass, as well as vocal recitals by Danielle de Niese, Patricia Petibon and Jakub Józef Orliński.

Opera Rara 2019 Festival will start with Jean-Philippe Rameau's Hyppolite and Aricie staged by Israeli director Sjaron Minailo. The Krakow Festival Orchestra under the baton of Marek Toporowski will perform along with the international cast of soloists. In addition to large stage performances, the programme of the festival includes both Baroque operas as well as experimental stagings and vocal recitals. Among others, A Madrigal Opera by Philip Glass will be presented again.

On February 13 at 7.00 p.m. at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, counter-tenor Józef Jakub Orliński will perform a recital. The Polish singer of exceptional voice will juxtapose two musical areas which are usually considered to be totally separate – arias from Baroque operas and Polish songs by Karol Szymanowski, Tadeusz Baird and Paweł Łukaszewski. Seemingly, they have nothing in common – epoch, style, language and so on... What binds them together? You will be able to discover this during the concert in Krakow thanks to Jakub Józef Orliński, pianist Michał Biel and their bold repertoire choices.

Detailed programme available at: http://operarara.pl/program

Wrocław | 10th Student Piano Festival

Between January 30 and February 3, 2019, the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław will host the 10th Student Piano Festival.

The idea of the Student Piano Festival is to commemorate the work of outstanding composers of piano music. The first edition of the festival dates back to 2006 and was dedicated to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the subsequent editions, the focus was on Franz Liszt, Joseph Haydn, Claude Debussy, Sergey Rachmaninoff and Robert Schumann. This year, the festival will be devoted to the works of Fryderyk Chopin, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Karol Szymanowski. Every day at 19.00 in the AMKL Concert Hall there will be concerts performed by the students of the Academy. Admission free!

Detailed programme available at: http://amuz.wroc.pl/x-studencki-festiwal-pianistyczny-4480

Warsaw | Witold Lutosławski Festival "Chain XVI"

Concerts of the "Chain XVI" Festival, organized by the Witold Lutosławski Society and Polish Radio on the 25th anniversary of the composer's death, will be held from January 26 to February 9, 2019.

The programme of the Festival refers largely to Witold Lutosławski's connections with musical modernism and such works as Livre, Venetian Games and Three Poems, in which the composer transformed the ideas of contemporary innovators for his own use. To show this phenomenon, Lutosławski's works were combined in the programme with music by Iannis Xenakis and György Ligeti, and compositions that were written under the clear influence of post-war modernists. This group includes the opuses of Bolesław Szabelski and Grażyna Bacewicz, rarely performed today.

Parallel to the modernist thread, the thread of classical tradition will be present at the Festival. Haydn's and Beethoven's compositions (as well as various incarnations of traditional sonata and suite) were included in the programme to deepen its historical perspective, but not in opposition to contemporary innovation, which originated, among others, from the classics' achievements, in particular – the Beethoven style. Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven and Concerto for orchestra by Lutosławski will be performed at the closing concert under the baton the world-famous Kapellmeister, "a native of Warsaw", maestro Marek Janowski. The evening with the participation of the artist will be on the eve of his 80th birthday.

Significant place in the programme, however, will be occupied not only by serious and great works, but also by a presentation of the unknown miniatures of Lutosławski, written as musical illustrations for theater and radio productions.

Full programme available at: http://www.lutoslawski.org.pl/pl/event,222.html

Katowice | Sacred Music Concert

A concert of sacred music will take place on January 27, 2019 at 6.00 p.m. in the Saint Stephen's Church in Katowice.

The Silesian Philharmonic Choir conducted by Jarosław Wolanin will present a wide range of religious music – Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic choral music. The programme will include Weihnachten and Jauchzet dem Herrn, Op. 69 No. 2 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, compositions for the Latin biblical texts by Gustav Holst, Morten Lauridsen, Maurice Duruflé, Francis Poulenc and Anton Bruckner. The choir will also perform a fragment of Sergei Rachmaninov's masterpiece – the seventh part of The All-Night Vigil – Glory To God in the Highest. In the finale, Krzysztof Penderecki's song Iże chieruwimy will be performed.

The concert will be led by Karina Paszek. Admission free.

More information available at: https://www.filharmonia-slaska.eu/koncert-15380351701658!3072.html

Szczecin | January "SoundLab" with Anna Zaradny

Performance of Anna Zaradny at the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin with the "SoundLab" cycle is more than an electronic concert. On January 26, 2019 at 7:00 p.m., the artist invites you to participate in the event that incorporates sound and image, silence and darkness.

The concert will open with the short Octopus (2012). Using the medium associated with popular music – a video clip, a music video – Zaradny exploits the video format and combine it with experimental music. She switches images according to sounds, plays with them, changes contexts and builds a coherent, musical and visual work.

The second part will be filled with material from the Go Go Theurgy studio album, which centers around improvisation. Presentation of this sound narration in the dark chamber hall of the Philharmonic in Szczecin will be a unique experience, referring both to nature and culture.

The evening will end with a short film Enjoy the silence which records the flashes of matter breaking in front of our eyes against inscrutable black. These twinkling, soundless constellations are a call to meditation, a temporary contemplation of the work. Subsequent images and overwhelming silence may give birth to anxiety – it easily makes us reflect on the surrounding noise.

More information at: https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/wydarzenia/989-Anna_Zaradny__Lab_4_El-sono