Represented by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, the Ksiazek Piano Duo is one of the most interesting piano duos in the world; the ensemble is made up of two outstanding Polish pianists, Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Ksiazek and Krzysztof Ksiazek. Since 2012, which marks the beginning of their cooperation, the multi-award-winning duo has given a number of concerts in Switzerland, France, Thailand, Great Britain and South Africa, winning recognition of the audience and critical acclaim. The present album contains works for two pianos by Anton Arenski and Sergei Rachmaninoff, which play an important role in the compositional legacy of both artists. In both cases, the formation of two pianos is an individually-approached creation, although in the case of Rachmaninoff it manifests itself to an exceptional extent; the said creations feature a piano technique using a wide range of possibilities and advantages of the instrument, a technique that both composers perfectly understand.

Vladislav Zolotaryov, Alexandr Nagayev and Albin Repnikov – these are household names for fans of 20th-century Russian music for the accordion. The sonatas featured on this release share an aura of tragedy and a reflection on life in the shadow of death. The sonatas are replete with musical associations directly referring to death, as evidenced by Zolotaryov’s use in his Third Sonata of a quotation from the medieval requiem mass sequence Dies iræ, dies illa. Another example is Repnikov’s use, in the third movement of his composition, of motivic writing from the song Позабыт, позаброшен (Forgotten, abandoned), which tells of a child conscious of his imminent death. Nagayev’s Sonata, Op. 13 was penned a year after Zolotaryov’s tragic demise and is a musical tribute to a friend and fellow composer.

On January 23, 2021, the music world celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the death of Władysław Żeleński, the founder and long-time director of the Music Conservatory in Kraków, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Romantic era in Poland. This album contains studio recordings of two great chamber works, showing the excellent compositional technique of the Polish composer. Recordings of both works make us aware of the enormous potential of Żeleński as a composer. What's more, each of the pieces, despite the apparent simplicity and formal transparency, is marked by a large dose of individualism and expressive and social distinctiveness. All this makes the above-mentioned works by Żeleński one of the greatest showpieces in the history of chamber music in the world.

Instrumental Ensemble of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdansk Slawomir Stanislaw Czarnecki was born in 1949 in Jelenia Góra. In 1963–1969, he attended the State Music School in Czestochowa as a piano class student. It was also there where he took contact with Prof. Romuald Twardowski, with whom he had his first composition lessons. In 1969–1974, he studied composition at the Warsaw Higher State School of Music (currently the Chopin University of Music) in the class of Prof. Piotr Perkowski and Prof. Romuald Twardowski. Vespers for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Vesperæ in exaltatione Sanctæ Crucis) by Slawomir Czarnecki is a composition that is thoroughly imbued with the Christian tradition. It is almost a complete form of the evening breviary prayer of the Catholic Church written in Latin but already according to the post- -conciliar liturgy. The present album features a complete recording of the said work, dedicated to His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

On the present release Duo Wolanska/Gajda presents transcriptions for Piano and Accordion. DUO WOLAŃSKA/GAJDA is an unusual chamber music ensemble. The combination of piano and accordion opens unlimited performance possibilities. Two solo, independent instruments collide with each other on a sonoristic level, thus creating a new quality of instrumental dialogue. Established in 2014, the ensemble is formed by pianist Julia Wolańska-Gajda and accordionist Michał Gajda. On a regular basis, the artists give concerts in Poland and abroad (New York, Virginia, Arkansas, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Austria, Germany, or the Netherlands). They have already performed in the most prestigious concert halls in the world: New York’s Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Mozarteum Saal in Salzburg, Musikverein in Vienna, Kioi Hall in Tokyo, or Guri Art Hall in Seoul. Duo Wolańska/Gajda has won a number of coveted awards and accolades. They are prizewinners of, among others, the Gold Medal in the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition (2019), 1st prize in the 1st Vienna International Music Competition (2019), 1st prize in the Salzburg Grand Prize Virtuoso Inter-national Music Competition (2018), 1st prize in the 54th Internationaler Akkordeonwettbewerb Klingenthal (2017), ‘Top Winner’ 1st prize in the 25th Ibla Grand Prize World Music Competition in Ragusa (2016), or 1st prize in the Val Tidone International Music Competitions (2015).

“This year, the Płock Symphony Orchestra has under-taken the most important mission of presenting works of 19th- and 20th-century Polish composers. On the second album of the ‘Polish Music’ series, we will find more and less known pieces by Grażyna Bacewicz, Karol Kurpiński, Mieczysław Karłowicz, and Witold Lutosławski. All of them are wonderfully performed by the Płock musicians under the baton of Jakub Chrenowicz, one of the best Polish conductors of the young generation. While listening to the recordings, we can appreciate the richness and diversity of Polish culture. Music is an essential part of our heritage, although not always well known to the general public. This makes the initiative to promote achievements of Polish artists all the more valuable. I am glad that the symphonic orchestra from our city has undertaken that task, since thanks to it we can discover new musical worlds and broaden our horizons. I hope that the sounds coming from the speakers or headphones will be pleasurable and joyful to all listeners! I am looking forward to the next musically interesting proposals of the Płock Symphony Orchestra.” (Andrzej Nowakowski, Mayor of the City of Płock)

Romuald Twardowski’s considerable achievements in the field of choral music constitute a lasting contribution to the repository of the Polish culture. The music is characterized by a great variety of forms and genres, technical mastery, and they are united by the personality of the creator faithful to the “unity in diversity” principle. The Czestochowa Philharmonic Choir “Collegium Cantorum” conducted by Janusz Siadlak gathered in their repertoire works by Twardowski created over several decades. The present album is entirely devoted to this output, very well reflecting this genre diversity but also the ensemble’s remarkably enormous performance capability.

In September 2019, the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music took place in Rzeszów, whose main goal was to promote our native compositions and to draw the attention of musicians around the world to them. The auditions were divided into two categories (performances by pianists and chamber ensembles), which meant that, in less than 10 days, the audience had the opportunity to commune with countless extremely rarely performed gems of Polish music. We present you with selected competition interpretations of participants of auditions in both categories. In addition to the Patron’s works, the albums include compositions by may Polish composers. The present album features the work of Artur Malawski and Michal Spisak.

In September 2019, the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music took place in Rzeszów, whose main goal was to promote our native compositions and to draw the attention of musicians around the world to them. The auditions were divided into two categories (performances by pianists and chamber ensembles), which meant that, in less than 10 days, the audience had the opportunity to commune with countless extremely rarely performed gems of Polish music. We present you with selected competition interpretations of participants of auditions in both categories. In addition to the Patron’s works, the albums include compositions by may Polish composers. The present album features the work of Fryderyk Chopin, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, Joachim Kaczkowski, Wojciech Kilar, and more.

Joachim Kaczkowski, a Polish violinist, teacher and composer, was born in 1789 in the city of Tábor in southern Bohemia. He came from a family with strong musical traditions. Joachim Kaczkowski took his first violin lessons from his father. He grew up in Lviv at a time when such outstanding representatives of the musical community as Polish conductor and composer of German origin Józef Elsner and violinist, conductor and composer Karol Kurpinski were active there. The form of violin duo has never gained great popularity and attention among composers of chamber music throughout the musical eras. Due to the relatively limited sound range of the violin, this kind of works, on the one hand, severely hampered the artistic potential of composers, and on the other hand, unlike the much more popular string quartets, it did not arouse much interest among a wider audience. Therefore, Joachim Kaczkowski, an excellent violin virtuoso, had a great opportunity to experiment with a rarely exploited musical form, which resulted in numerous innovative and often surprising textural and sound effects.

The TANGOSTORIA album is a continuation of one of BANDONEGRO’s projects, in which the musicians focus on the traditional tango. The album refers to the greatest creators of this genre and is a response to the constantly growing interest in Argentine culture. We can find here the greatest hits of sung tango such as: ‘Sur,’ ‘Remembranza’ or ‘Ballada Para un Loco,’ but also the most interesting traditional tangos, selected by the ensemble, by such composers as Juan D’Arienzo, Alfredo Gobbi, Anibal Troilo, Horacio Salgan or Astor Piazzolla. Despite the considerable variety of styles presented by the aforementioned composers, the album is a closed, coherent whole, and it is listened to as a story with its necessary elements of introduction, development and ending. The musicians from Bandonegro invited Uruguayan vocalist Andres Martorell to cooperate. By adding new, fresh arrangements of existing pieces, they created a project with no expiry date. Undoubtedly, Bandonegro’s trip to Buenos Aires in 2019 had an impact on the interpretations of the works present on the album. The experience gained during that tour resulted in new ideas, one of which was recording this album. ‘Traditional tango is an inseparable element of Argentine culture, based on a strong relationship between music and dance. As musicians dealing with this genre, we want to cultivate these traditions, as evidenced by the album Tangostoria.’ The album was recorded six months after Bandonegro’s trip to Buenos Aires.

“We know these figures from the pages of history: Karol Szymanowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Grażyna Bacewicz, Stefan Kisielewski, or Witold Lutosławski. Now, thanks to the Płock Symphony Orchestra, they will become even closer to us, since we will be able to listen to their music on a daily basis. The album you are holding in your hands will surely satisfy the taste of the most demanding music lovers. It combines works by outstanding Polish composers with a perfect performance of the Płock Symphony Orchestra. The artists were led through almost all compositions by the steady hand of Maestro Marek Wroniszewski. Thus, an album attracting the attention of the audience has been created. The album is also worth reaching for due to the local patriotism. The orchestra invited the talented clarinetist Szymon Emil Parulski, who is a graduate of the Płock music school, to participate in the recording. I have had the pleasure to listen to the young man from Płock on several occasions and I am glad that his career is developing so beautifully. I wish you pleasant listening! And I invite you to concerts of the Płock Symphony Orchestra. I can assure you that it sounds equally great live and on an album. (Andrzej Nowakowski, Mayor of the City of Płock)

The Silver Age of Russian culture spanned the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It was a period when Russian art found itself at the crossroads between a fascination with Western culture and a celebration of its own roots and the Slavic tradition of the Great Rus’. That mounting century-old trend reached its apogee at the time. And even though lasting only two decades or so, it produced a host of outstanding artists. These included the poet Akhmatova, the painters Kandinsky and Chagall, and the composers Scriabin and Stravinsky. One other was Alexei Stanchinsky, a young composer from the circle of Taneyev and Scriabin. Hailed as a rising star of classical music, Stanchinsky was endowed with a rare talent. His march to greatness came to a halt with his sudden and tragic death in 1914. Meanwhile, the Silver Age itself was also brought to an end with the Bolshevik revolution three years later. On this release Witold Wilczek presents piano music by Alexei Stanchinsky.

Aleksander TANSMAN was a Polish composer of Jewish origin. Born in 1897 in the city of Łódź, he became a French citizen in 1938. In the initial stage of his career, his compositions did not appeal to many Polish music critics. This was because Tansman’s music, like that of Karol Szymanowski, went beyond the narrow confines of a specific historical setting. Even though he won the top prize at a composers’ competition in War-saw in 1919, Tansman decided to leave for France. This proved a turning point in his career, paving his way to unprecedented international fame. Tansman’s works are presented on this new release by award-winning pianist Hanna Holeksa.

The Ensemble Rayuela was established at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris, following the friendly meeting of four saxophonists and a pianist. Originating from different countries (Spain, Japan and Italy), the members of the ensemble feed their musical project with a rich cultural mixture which they sometimes share with other instrumentalists; meetings conducive to the exploration of new musical styles. The ensemble studied for two years with David Walter and obtained the master's degree in chamber music with the mention “A grade unanimously with the congratulations of the jury” at the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris. The Ensemble Rayuela performed at the “Philharmonie de Paris” as part of the cycle “Prelude to concerts”, at the Festival “Automne musical grand Châtellerault”, at the “Festival Eurupéen Jeunes Talents” at the Hôtel of Soubise and at the Petit Palais, for the “Musical Season at the Invalides” in the Grand Salon of the Army Museum. The present release by The Ensemble Rayuela features Moussorgsky’s Tableaux d’une exposition, Alex Nante’s Altro castello, and Benoit Sitzia’s Rayuela.