Roman Palester (1907–1989) was a man of great erudition, well-versed in the literature and art of his day, as is evidenced, for example, by his...

Roman Palester (1907–1989) was a man of great erudition, well-versed in the literature and art of his day, as is evidenced, for example, by his regular programmes for Radio Free Europe. The radio station, where he worked as head of the culture department for twenty years (1952–1972), provided him with a substitute of home. It made him feel closer to Poland and its affairs – since announcing his decision to emigrate in 1950, he had been a persona non grata in his homeland, banned as a man and as an artist. This is why his music is still so little known – it has not been performed for years and in many cases has not been published either. And yet it is very much worth exploring and incorporating into the canon of Polish 20th-century culture, as is evidenced by the present recording. The three substantial vocal-instrumental works by Roman Palester included in it – Kolacze [The Wedding Cake] to words by Szymon Szymonowic, Trzy wiersze Czeslawa Milosza [Three Poems by Czeslaw Milosz] and Listy do Matki [Letters to the Mother] to words by Juliusz Slowacki – present various hues of the composer’s musical world. Written in different periods of his life – Kolacze in 1942, Three Poems by Czeslaw Milosz in 1973–1977, and Letters to the Mother towards the end of his life (1984–1987) – they perfectly convey the musical style close to the composer in each period, as well as the feelings and emotions he struggled with at the time.