Interacting with composers across the globe fosters supportive relationships and collaboration throughout the international new music community. This is why we’re excited to presented our guest curator, Polish composer Andrzej Karałow and our August playlist, Polish Waves. As you listen to the 6 pieces in this month’s playlist, we are sure that you will be drawn-in and captivated (as we were) by the work of colleagues from across the globe in Poland! We’ll be putting the spotlight on these composers and their works on our social media throughout August, so stay tuned (or click on the composer profiles below) to learn more about the talent emerging from Poland. Our thanks warmest to Andrzej for introducing our audiences to these incredible works and composers originating from Poland.

A note from our guest curator, Andrzej Karałow:

I would like to thank Lisa for giving me the opportunity to contribute and develop the composers’ community by creating a playlist which includes works written by Polish composers. Polish Waves is focused on Warsaw-based composers and reveals young, emerging artists as well as already recognized professional creators, who are present on the local and international contemporary music scene. While trying to show as much musical diversity as possible, I wanted to introduce different inspirations and streams which Polish music is going through. The contemporary music scene is very diverse here: not only in modern composition but also through different musical streams which are infiltrating and connecting to each other. In the playlist we can discover works written for unusual setups (“Concert for electric guitar and string orchestra” by Wojciech Błażejczyk), works based on contemporary thought (“Hilathi” by Aleksander Kościów performed by world-renowned Kronos Quartet, “Morpheus” for saxophone quartet by Dariusz Przybylski or “Luxe, Calme Et Volupté” for orchestra by Aleksandra Chmielewska) as well as an electroacoustic piece (“Torrent” for alto saxophone, viola, accordion and live electronics by Żaneta Rydzewska) and improvisation-based electroacoustic work (“Fading towards the Sun” for piano, written by me).

P.S. from Making Waves: For the sake of transparency, we insisted that Andrzej include one of his own works in the playlist, and goodness are we glad we did! Check it out below as you enjoy the full playlist!

Soundcloud

Hear something that catches your attention? To find out more about a musical work, click on the track name in the playlist and then again on ‘view track’. To find out more about a particular composer, click on their name in the ‘Details’ section below.

1. Wojciech Błażejczyk, Concert for electric guitar and string orchestra
   performed by Orchestra Wratislavia, conductor: Jan Stanienda, electric guitar: Wojciech Błażejczyk.
2. Żaneta Rydzewska, Torrent
   for alto saxophone, viola, accordion and live electronics.  Performers: Saxophone: Pablo Sanchez Escariche-Gasch; Accordion: Jędrzej Jarocki; Viola: Radosław Jarocki; Sound: Jeremiasz Hendzel, Jakub Niedźwiedź, Szymon Nawrocki; Recording: Katarzyna Rakowiecka.
3. Andrzej Karałow, Fading towards the Sun
   for piano and electronics.  Performed by Andrzej Karałow; Live recording: Wojciech Błażejczyk; Mixing & mastering – Andrzej Puczyński
4. Aleksander Kościów, Hilathi
   Performed by Kronos Quartet. Engineered and mixed by Laura Dean, Assistant Engineer: Alex Spencer, Production Assistant: Reshena Liao, Mixed at Women’s Audio Mission, San Francisco, CA,
   Assistant Mixing Engineers: Pamela Arriera, Madalyn Merkey, EA Allen.
5. Dariusz Przybylski, Morpheus
   for saxophone quartet. Performed by Morpheus Saxophone Quartet.
6. Aleksandra Chmielewska, Luxe, Calme Et Volupté
   for orchestra. Performed by Orkester Slovenske filharmonije, conductor: Simon KREČIČ.

We’d love to hear about your listening experience! Share your thoughts or send messages of support to our featured composers and performers in the comment box below. We also encourage you to click through to Soundcloud to like, comment and subscribe to Making Waves as well as the composers, performers, and presenters featured.

The Polish Special International Edition playlist will be featured throughout August 2018 and will remain on our blog archives for the life of the project.

We’re really excited about the prospect of inspiring some international dialogue, collaborations, and/or fandom.  If you’re an international listener to Making Waves, you might like to propose guest curation of a future Special Edition yourself? Contact us with your ideas.