Beata Bilinska - Poster of the Recital

Today The Cultural Foundation. J.I. Paderewski organized Beata Bilinska recital in Cracow Philharmonic. The concert included works by Chopin, Szymanowski, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. Beata Bilińska is a leading Polish pianists. She performed at many prestigious festivals and has performed, among others in Austria, Argentina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, USA and Italy.

The music of Chopin will sound today in TVP Kultura Channel during the concert of Piotr Anderszewski from Roque d’Antheron Piano Festival, taking place in the French Provence.

Beginning hour: 22:25

(The Statuette’s name comes from Frederic Chopin’s name).

Classical Music

Solow Music Album of the Year - Rafal Blechacz “Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart”

Album of the Year Symphony and Concert Music - “Karlowicz: Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 8, Eternal Songs, Op. 10, SACD & CD

Contemporary Music Album of the Year - Pawel Mykietyn “Speechless Song”

Album of the Year Vocal Recital, Opera, Operetta - Karol Szymanowski “King Roger”

Phonographic Debut of the Year - Opera and Podlaska Philharmony Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Violetta Bielecka (album “Gorecki, Moryto, Szymanowski – Kurpie Songs”

Composer of the Year - Pawel Mykietyn best recording of Polish Music - Pawel Mykietyn “Speechless Song”

Cycle consists of six concerts devoted to the greatest Polish composer, organized in the year preceding the Chopin Year.

The first concert was on February 22 with the pianists: Prof. Andrzej Jasinski and his talented student Lukasz Trepczynski.

Yesterday the public could hear the recital of Professors: Mariola Cieniawa and Stefan Wojtas, and their students: Eligiusz Skoczylas and Marcin Koziak.

Until the end of the year, the public can hear:
* August 30 - Ewa Pobłocka
* 27 September - Peter Machnik, Marek Szlezer, Ewa Wolak-Moszynska, Andrzej Pikul and Roman Podsadecka
* 29 October - Peter Paleczny and Prima Vista Quartet
* 29 November - and Katarzyna Ewa Bukojemska Popowa-Zydroń

http://www.biurofestiwalowe.pl/

On Thursday 16 April 2009, Mrs. Prof. Maria-Szylska Kaszycka passed away.

A great pianist, teacher at the Academy of Music in Carcow, Poland and Cracow Schools of Music.

Her name has always been and will remain for me in connection with the music of Frederic Chopin. She studied piano with Prof. Zbigniew Drzewiecki, and then Prof. Jan Hoffman, and she as no one else, was able to penetrate the essence of Chopin’s compositions. It was an extremely sensitive person, with an incredibly rich imagination, heart and great sense of humor, and at the same time also the great modesty. While in the first place has always put students’ personality and his imagination, in the piano playing were extremely important: a sense of style, color and beauty of sound(!!!) and the ability to operate musical plans.

As a teacher she has developed a unique style of training pianists. She solved all technical problems on Studies (not only) of Chopin, and believed, as many great professors, that this is an compendium, but treat even the smallest, each exercise, not as some kind of exercise, but always as part of the artistic whole, as a practice has always been dictated by the prospect of the final shape of an artistic work.

She frequently mentioned his Master Prof. Zbigniew Drzewiecki and in very colorful manner told of his great heart and sensitivity to the needs of other people. For me, Professor Maria-Szyska Kaszycka forever remain just that Beloved Ms. Professor of Great Heart!

Marta Polanska

This weekend Cracow guests world-famous pianist Olga Kern with two great Rachmaninoff’s pieces.

Her life’s story fascinated me, and her persistence in pursuing the goals earned my admiration.

I first knew her name during the 13th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition. She was 20-year old, with dark hair, even childish face and the 1st price at the Rachmaninoff’s Competition in her CV, which started by name Poushetchnikova at that time.

But in Warsaw 1995 she just began her career. After being eliminated before the 3rd stage at the Chopin Competition 1995 and in the preliminary rounds of the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Contest, she went home to Moscow and underwent a complete makeover. “I change everything because I want to change my life, because I was really unhappy with my life,” she says.

She changed her surname from Poushetchnikova into Kern, which is derived from her mother’s maiden name, and the image as well, and probably this linked with more musical maturity earned her Gold, shared with Stanislav Ioudenitch, at the 11th International Van Cliburn Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, 2001.

Eight years later we could attend her concert in Cracow announced as a great music event.

The programme included: the 3rd Concerto by Rachmaninoff followed by Overture “Romeo and Juliet” by Peter Tchaikovsky (for the orchestra of course) and Rachmaninoff’s Pagannini Variations again with the pianist.

Both concerts, on Friday and Saturday were sold out and the audience reacted enthusiastically.

Olga Kern plays technically perfect, and as Vladimir Horowitz used to say her fingers really are going. But I think, she plays with much emotional distance.

The Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Antoni Wit, also accompanied wonderfully and its own piece by Tchaikovsky sounded really great.

I hope, that we can attend in Cracow other concerts like that in the near future.

Marta Polanska