Andrzej Krzanowski was undoubtedly a visionary of accordion music. In the second half of the twentieth century, this Czechowice-Dziedzice-born artist revolutionised the approach to an instrument perceived as plebeian and set the accordion on a completely new path of development. The programme of this concert includes Three Pieces by Krzanowski and one of his most representative works: Alkagran, or A Place on the Right Bank of the Vistula. This piece, the title of which is an acronym of the first letters of the Christian names of the composer and members of his family (al - Aleksandra, ka - Kamil, gr - Grażyna, an - Andrzej), is a masterful combination of polyphonic technique and particular sensitivity in the handling of instrumental colours in the accordion ensemble.
No less important for the development of the accordion repertoire was Bronisław Kazimierz Przybylski. His output includes some 180 works for accordion solo, in chamber ensemble or with orchestral accompaniment. A five-movement work whose title directs the listener’s attention towards outer space and the movement of celestial bodies, Asteroids is a pioneering composition in terms of the sonorities obtained and the differentiation of textures.
In addition to works written originally for accordion quintet, the programme also includes compositions scored for different forces: Stanisław Moniuszko’s Fairy Tale, Karol Szymanowski’s Mazurkas, Op. 50 Nos. 1, 3, 9 and Wojciech Kilar's Orawa. And these arrangements demonstrate the accordion quintet’s unusually wide and attractive timbral range.
Magdalena Stochniol
The Polish Music Scene is a programme of music organised by the National Institute of Music and Dance in collaboration with the Warsaw Philharmonic and financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We present Polish artists and Polish compositions – particularly works not often performed. We wish to promote the performance of Polish music, inspire musicians to turn to this repertoire and generate interest among audiences in Polish musical output as broadly understood. The programme is open to instrumentalists and singers, soloists and chamber ensembles. The programmes featuring Polish music, selected via a competition, will be performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic and at other concert venues around Poland.
