Record Reviews

LOMZA CHAMBER PHILHARMONIC ~ POLISH IMPRESSIONS DUX 2023 (Barcode: 5902547020235) ~ POLAND ~ Classical Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by the Polish Lomza Chamber PhilharmonicFind albums by this artist, conducted by Jan Milosz ZarzyckiFind albums by this artist, performing three contemporary Classical pieces composed by Polish composers: “Polish Suite” (four parts) composed by Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist (usually associated with the Polish Jazz scene), “Venetian Concerto” (three parts) composed by Slawomir CzarneckiFind albums by this artist and “Rhythm Games” (five parts) composed by Mikolaj MajkusiakFind albums by this artist. On “Polish Suite” for flute, violin, baritone violin and string orchestra flautist Jadwiga KotowskaFind albums by this artist and Smoczynski perform the solo parts. On “Venetian Concerto” for clarinet and string orchestra clarinetist Artur PachlewskiFind albums by this artist performs the solo parts. On “Rhythm Games” for cello, accordion, strings and percussion cellist Karolina JaroszewskaFind albums by this artist, accordionist Klaudiusz BaranFind albums by this artist and the orchestra’s percussionist Krzysztof SzmandaFind albums by this artist (also associated with Polish Jazz) perform the solo parts. All three pieces are examples of delightful contemporary Classical music, which stays within the tradition, rather than exploring modernist or avant-garde directions, with strong melodic basis and often incorporating Polish folkloristic themes. The pieces are quite different from each other, which makes listening to the album and adventure and avoiding the danger of falling asleep, which is often associated with listening to albums with Classical music. Of course I strongly recommend to listeners to get acquainted with more works by these three composers, all quite different, but all brilliant. The importance of albums like this one is presenting lesser known and often young composers and their works, which often find it very difficult to find exposure in the repertoire performed by big Philharmonic Orchestras, which often stick to “the obvious” crowd pleasing material and avoid “adventurous” material, making themselves almost obsolete in time. Overall, this is a wonderful presentation of fresh Polish Classical repertoire, which is definitely worthy of being performed and listened to by music lovers the world over. These three relatively short pieces are a breath of fresh air, and a delightful listening experience.

Updated: 31/01/2025Posted: 31/01/2025

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