A two-disc album with music by Polish composers performed by the laureates of the 2nd International Competition of Polish Music has its premiere today at the most popular streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer and Amazon Music. The new editions and unique interpretations of the compositions are a significant contribution to the ongoing promotion of Polish composers and their oeuvres.
For the 2nd edition of the Competition the participating musicians had a chance to build their programme based on works written by 56 composers, from the early nineteenth century until the present times, e.g. Grażyna Bacewicz, Fryderyk Chopin, Stanisław Moniuszko, Karol Lipiński, Witold Lutosławski, Michał Kleofas Ogiński, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Władysław Żeleński.
2nd International Competition of Polish Music – listen to the album on Spotify!
Eighty-six artists from three continents applied to take part in the second edition of the Competition, which was eventually won by a Canadian pianist, Carter Johnson and, in the chamber ensemble category, by the Książek Piano Duo (Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek) from Poland.
About the discovered works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Carter Johnson said that
“There is something direct in her music, something specific, an exceptional energy that I don’t find in the works written by other composers”.
The two-disc album released by the National Institute of Music and Dance features some world premiere recordings: compositions by Henryk Pachulski and Miłosz Magin.
The latter artist’s daughter Margot Magin reminisced:
My father wrote the String Quartet in 1957 but the work’s manuscript spent many years in a basement and then, after it had been finally discovered, another couple of years in a drawer. The ensemble Kwartet Smyczkowy Op. 1. received the manuscript copy that was not easy to read. For me it was incredible that the work was edited specifically for the International Competition of Polish Music. This is where I could listen to it for the very first time and now I can listen to the record with a performance from this competition. It is very moving. Thank you!
The 3rd International Competition of Polish Music just around the corner!
The principal idea behind the competition, which has been organised since 2019, is to promote the legacy of Polish composers, especially lesser known works, neglected or even newly discovered for the awareness of the listeners.
The Competition is the only project in the world of this kind that is exclusively dedicated to Polish composers. It is organised by the National Institute of Music and Dance in collaboration with the Artur Malawski Podkarpacka Philharmonic in Rzeszów and with financial assistance from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
The applications for the third edition of the International Competition of Polish Music can be submitted from late 2022.
The artists are welcome to find the details of the Competition (rulebook and programme) at polishmusiccompetition.pl