The years 1839-40 mark the high point in Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s (1805-47) compositional career. + Together with her husband and son, she traveled throughout Italy where she met many prominent musicians and artists and gained insights into Italian architectural and cultural heritage. + The piano cycle Das Jahr is a musical evocation of that time spent in Italy. + Pianist Joanna Strzelecka-Orłowska (1977) has performed in many prestigious venues in Poland, Germany, Italy, France, Holland and the U.S.

RONDOS & FANTAZIA

• World premiere recordings of twenty Church Songs for a cappella Choir, adapted by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki • Written mostly in May and June 1986 • Most of the original old melodies (some dating back to the 14th century) were taken from “Church Songbooks” by Rev. Jan Siedlecki • “Church Songs” are well in agreement with the general outline of the composer’s oeuvre • The Cracow Singers in Tribute to H.M. Górecki - Włodzimierz Siedlik - artistic director and conductor

The Quartet No. 3 "... Songs are Sung," Op. 67 by Henryk Mikolaj G�recki belongs to the late works of the composer, and for a long time it was considered to be his last opused work. It was composed in the '90s on commission of the Kronos ensemble. The artist would redo it several times before he eventually decided to "release it to the world." The reference to a song in the title is not accidental - the cantabile category, in combination with sometimes dramatic, sometimes doleful and melancholic narration additionally 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 G�recki's style, recognizable by almost every music lover- deeply emotional, introverted, frugal, and at the same time extremely moving. The Daf� Quartet, the first female string quartet in Poland, have been fascinated audiences with contemporary music performance from the beginning of their career; they belong to the most outstanding performers of Polish chamber music.

The little-known Paderewski's opera "Manru" was performed only in Poland, with no more than three productions. In 2001, the 60th anniversary of Paderewski’s death, Wrocław Opera performed Manru in a concert version. The present recording is based on that production.

The American Born Cellist Zuzanna Szambelan Began Her Music Education in Piano in Poznan? at Age Five. A Year Later, She Also Began Cello Studies. The List of Her Award Wins Notably Includes the Special Award at the 18th Int'l Johannes Brahms Competition in Portschach (Austria, 2011) and a First Prize at the 8th Int'l Kazimierz Wi Komirski Competition in Poznan. Ms. Szambelan Is Presently a Student at the Hochschule Fu R Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. She's Heard Here in Dvorack's Cello Concerto, Op. 104 and Smetana's the Moldau from His Magnum Opus Ma Vlast.

The year 2017 marked the 140th anniversary of the birthday and the 70th anniversary of the death of Feliks Nowowiejski and the present release has been developed under a programme commemorating this very interesting, yet somewhat forgotten composer. Nowowiejski, a highly versatile composer, was, in the first place, an organist and he achieved genuine mastery in playing this instrument. This proficiency is perfectly rendered by the excellent interpretation of Elzbieta Karolak, which the listeners of this recording can enjoy. The characteristic practice of organ improvisation is reflected in three compositions which directly refer to Christmas by quotations from Polish Christmas carols, as well as in the colorful, illustrative music of the Organ Symphony No. 3.

The tradition of composing a funeral mass dates back to the times of the late Middle Ages, but it was brought to artistic perfection by later composers. Alfred Schnittke initially wore the intention of writing a small instrumental Requiem, which was to be one of the parts of the Piano Quintet. Eventually, however, he rejected this idea and created a fourteen-part Requiem. The work is expressive and full of dramatic contrasts. The instrumental parts of electric guitars of a set of drums surprisingly refer to the composer’s polistylist interests. Composed in the same stream, the three religious songs refer to Orthodox church music, introducing a mood of contemplative reflection and prayer reverie.

Homage to Brahms

There is no doubt that music is one of the best Polish export goods, at least since the times of Zielenski and Chopin. It is no different with the A-list of twentieth-century composers where Karol Szymanowski and Grazyna Bacewicz certainly occupy one of the highest places in rank. Their music paved the way for many years ahead, creating patterns, such as interest in folklore or formal discipline and melodic invention, which are still important points of reference for contemporary composers. The present release features a lineup of works by contemporary Polish composers, including Lubowicz, Szymanowski, Goreki, and more, performed by the Atom String Quartet and the NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra under Christian Danowicz.

Ignacy Jan Paderewski occupies a prominent place in the history of Polish music. An exceptional composer, gifted with outstanding pianistic talent and performer’s charisma; at the same time a politician, statesman, a man of great class, concentrating all his energy and abilities to serve the values that he considered the most important: Poland, freedom, and art. The composer was born in Kurylowka in Podole in 1860. He originated from a family of broad horizons and high culture, open to the world, and at the same time appreciating family values. He played piano from childhood, and was soon recognized as a bold virtuoso. The output presented to us by Paderewski as a composer, while varied and rich, leaves us with a feeling of some dissatisfaction. At a given moment the artist left composer’s work for the benefit of his pianistic career, as well as for the service of Poland and the society.

Mazurkas

"•The eighth CD by the ‘Musica Sacra’ Choir of the Warsaw-Praga Cathedral is an anthology of works - mostly religious in character - by Polish and foreign composers. • It features nineteen pieces by leading 20th century Polish composers and representatives of the young generation of Polish composers as well as by some of the most prominent choral music figures from abroad. • All the works were recorded in versions for female choir in various configurations."

The Organ of the St. Lawrence Church in Wroclów (1715-1717) comes from a workshop of one of the greatest Silesian constructors, Adam Horatio Casparini. The contemporary disposition, slightly modified in the 19th century, does not differ much from the Casparini concept. The instrument still meets the requirements of very orthodox Baroque literature, including the works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Hence it is perfect for the role that Professors Igor Cecocho and Piotr Rojek, associated with the Wroclaw Academy of Music, have assigned to it. The musicians undertook a task to examine and synthesize differentia specifica of the creative individuality of Johann Sebastian Bach, seen from the perspective of instrumentalists aware of the baggage of experience and the multifaceted inspiration of the cantor of Leipzig. They reached for works from the most famous Bach collections and performed their creative reinterpretation using transcriptions of these pieces and the possibilities of the trumpet and the unique instrument from Wroclów.

SCARLATTI: PIANO SONATAS