Polska Orkiestra Sinfonia Iuventus

From its beginnings, the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra has maintained close cooperation with Krzysztof Penderecki (who has been a honorary patron of the Orchestra since 2013). Albums with the music of Penderecki and performed under his baton are a particularly meaningful entry in the Orchestra’s discography. They include a set of symphonies and recordings of solo concerts engineered by DUX. The company’s latest album made with the participation of the PSIO is not, however, a part of the above-mentioned series, but a part of the Guitar eVOLution series recorded by the splendid guitarist Piotr Przebora, although it includes one piece of Penderecki conducted by the composer himself, namely Concerto per viola. This reflexive, one-part piece composed for Grigori Zhislin, was initially to be titled Elegy. It soon became popular and is now considered one of the most important contemporary viola concertos. Its variants for other solo instruments: cello, clarinet and guitar, have also been composed. The guitar variant was recorded on the album with excellent Piotr Przedbora, who is also its author. The version has been approved by Maestro himself, who also conducted the piece during recordings.

Przedbora is one of the most outstanding musicians of the young generation; having graduated from the 2nd degree music school in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, in 2013 he started studies at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, in the guitar class of Professor Marcin Zalewski, which he completed with honours in 2018. Przedbora’s cooperation with Judicaël Perroy, a splendid guitarist and teacher based in Paris, was crucial in the development of his musical career. Playing the guitar is Piotr Przedbora’s lifetime passion: he enjoys playing pieces ranging from Classicism to contemporary times. He is a winner of prestigious internships and competitions. Guitar Evol.3ution is the third album the young soloist recorded for DUX, and the first one of the cycle accompanied by orchestra. Another piece performed by him (under the baton of Maciej Tworek, a valued conductor and academic lecturer from Kraków) will be Arioso e furioso. Concerto for guitar, string orchestra and percussion by Mikołaj Górecki. The piece was composed on commission from Alina Gruszka, artistic director of the 15th “Silesian Guitar Autumn” International Festival and the Jan Edmund Jurkowski Competition in Tychy in 2014. The piece was dedicated to another famous Polish guitarist, Łukasz Kuropaczewski. Łukasz Kuropaczewski is involved in the third of the recorded concertos, composed at his request, Krzysztof Meyer’s classicising Concerto for guitar, timpani and strings, op. 115 – the recording was conducted by Dawid Runtz, Polish young conductor, who has been the first conductor of the Polish Royal Opera in Warsaw since 2017. [Piotr Maculewicz]

Recording engineering: Małgorzata Polańska, Michał Szostakowski
Editing: Michał Szostakowski, Marcin Domżał
Mastering: Piotr Przedbora

The pieces were recorded in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio in Warsaw, on 22 December 2018, 10-11 April and 20 May 2019.

CD available: https://bit.ly/2JPVIcE
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