Multimedia

• Audio

Warsaw Philharmonic records Karol Szymanowski's complete works on NAXOS

The year 2007 was proclaimed Karol Szymanowski's Year. To mark this occasion, NAXOS, a record label well known for its excellent international distribution network, with the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, undertook the recording of Karol Szymanowski's complete orchestral and large-scale vocal-instrumental works, inviting as performers the Warsaw Philharmonic ensembles with their conductor Antoni Wit.

The first CD in this series (released in 2007), containing both Violin Concertos (with Ilya Kaler as soloist) as well as the Nocturne and Tarantella is winning international acclaim, and the prestigious British music monthly Gramophone named it Editor's Choice in the July 2007 issue.

The second CD, presenting Symphony No. 2 op. 19 and Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night" op. 27 for solo tenor, mixed choir and great orchestra (with the tenor Ryszard Minkiewicz as soloist) was released in March 2008, and was likewise selected as Editor's Choice in the May issue of Gramophone.

In August 2008 NAXOS released the third CD, featuring large-scale vocal-instrumental works: Stabat Mater op. 53 - a cantata for soprano, alto, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra (soloists: Iwona Hossa - soprano, Ewa Marciniec - alto, Jarosław Bręk - bass-baritone), Demeter op. 37b - a cantata for solo alto, female choir and orchestra (soloist: Ewa Marciniec - alto), Veni Creator op. 57 for soprano, choir and orchestra (soloist: Iwona Hossa - soprano), Litany of the Virgin Mary op. 59 for soprano, female choir and orchestra (soloist: Iwona Hossa - soprano), and Penthesilea op. 18 for voice and orchestra (soloist: Iwona Hossa - soprano). This CD was named Editor's Choice by BBC Music Magazine in October 2008 and nominated for the Grammy Award, the most prestigious prize in the music industry, in December 2008.

February 2009 saw the release of a CD with music for the ballet-pantomime Harnasie [Highland Robbers] op. 55 for solo tenor, choir and orchestra (with the tenor Wiesław Ochman as soloist), music for the ballet Mandragora op. 43 (soloist: Alexander Pinderak - tenor) and Prince Potyomkin op. 51 (soloist: Ewa Marciniec - alto). This recording was also favourably received by the critics, who selected it as BBC Music Magazine's Editor's Choice and ClassicsToday Editor's Choice in April 2009.

The 5th CD, the last in this series, brought out in early April 2009, contains the following compositions: Symphony No. 1 op. 15, Symphony No. 4 ‘Concertante' op. 60 for piano and orchestra (soloist: Jan Krzysztof Broja - piano), Piano Étude in B Flat Minor op. 4 no. 3 (arranged for orchestra by Grzegorz Fitelberg) and Concert Overture op. 12. Also this recording was named Editor's Choice by ClassicsToday in May 2009.

The recordings will were made in the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall by CD Accord (Andrzej Sasin, Aleksandra Nagórko).