Muzyka u Czartoryskich - Cracow Duo, Czarakcziew / Kowal Duo
Performers:
Cracow Duo
Jan Kalinowski – cello
Marek Szlezer - piano
Czarakcziew / Kowal Duo
Paweł Czarakcziew – cello
Piotr Kowal - piano
Program:
Cracow Duo
- Aleksander Tansman - Fantasia for Cello and Piano (1936)
- Astor Piazzolla - Le Grand Tango
Czarakcziew / Kowal Duo
- Frederick Katz - Progy and Bess
- Diego Santamaria - Three Improvisations after Django Reinhardt
Cracow Duo & Czarakcziew / Kowal Duo
- Frederick Katz - Aleph for Two Cellos and Piano
Biographies:
Czarakcziew/Kowal Duo is associated with the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, specializing in discovering outstanding yet unknown music from the 20th and 21st centuries. Paweł Czarakcziew and Piotr Kowal are laureates of international cello and piano competitions, actively performing solo and chamber music in Poland and abroad. In 2020, the musicians decided to collaborate artistically. During the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's death, they performed at the Days of Music festival, dedicating a concert to all of Beethoven's cello sonatas. Since then, they have continued to collaborate and expand their repertoire, focusing mainly on 20th and 21st-century chamber music literature. In 2021, the duo won second place at the International Instrumental Competition Golden Strings organized by the European Association of Folklore Festivals, the Excellence Award at The Sound of Music ORADEA International Competition, and second place and a special award for exceptional artistic potential at the first International Viennese Spring Music Competition. In February 2023, they released their debut album, "Bruzdowicz: Works for Piano and Cello," under the DUX label, for which they received a Silver Diploma at the 3rd International Competition "Musical Eagles" in November 2023. They have presented Joanna Bruzdowicz's works on stages in Poland and during a tour in the United States, performing "The Song of Hope and Love" and a jazz-inspired program with works by American composer Frederick Katz, which were the subject of Paweł Czarakcziew's doctoral research in Los Angeles during his Fulbright scholarship. Less than a year later, the duo released another monographic album dedicated to the works of Krakow composer Jerzy Gablenz, "Aurora. Jerzy Gablenz: works for cello and piano" (DUX / 2046).
Cracow Duo "The Strad" magazine wrote about them: "Kalinowski and Szlezer, childhood friends, possess an exceptionally natural gift of mutual understanding, and their performance is characterized by an attention-grabbing quality that brings the music to life." The artists are connected not only by friendship but also by their education in Krakow and Paris. The official name – Cracow Duo – was adopted over fifteen years ago. During this time, they have gained recognition from audiences and critics in Poland and abroad, including Program 2 PR, Slovak Radio, Radio Suddeutsche Rundfunk, ClassiqueInfo Classical Music Review, Res Musica, American Record Guide, Ruch Muzyczny, Twoja Muzyka, The Strad, and Gramophone. The musicians have performed on the world's most prestigious stages, including the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul, Alfred Newman Hall in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall in New York, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Salle Cortot in Paris, St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. They have conducted several weeks-long tours promoting Polish music in various countries and regions, including the Middle East (2006), the Caucasus (2013), Georgia (2014), the USA and South Korea (2015), Mexico (2015, 2016), Brazil and Argentina (2016, 2017), the USA (2017), and China (2018). In 2010, they represented their hometown at the Krakow Days in Nanjing (China). The artists' fascination with Polish music has led them to actively promote native culture both domestically and internationally, presenting works for cello and piano by Fryderyk Chopin, Aleksander Tansman, Karol Szymanowski, Zygmunt Stojowski, Szymon Laks, Ludomir Różycki, and Tadeusz Majerski, as well as numerous contemporary pieces written especially for them by Polish and foreign authors. Since 2009, Cracow Duo has regularly recorded and released albums. Their albums have received numerous awards and distinctions: Aleksander Tansman – works for cello and piano (DUX 2009), Fryderyk Chopin – chamber works (DUX 2010; featuring Bartłomiej Nizioł; French critics' award La Clef de ResMusica and nomination for the Polish Music Lovers Program 3 PR Award), Krzysztof Penderecki – chamber works vol. I (DUX 2014, Gramophone Editor's Choice award). The musicians also participated in the recording of Joanna Freszel's album "real life song" (DUX 2015, Prix de la SACD award). They also published the album "Dedications" (DUX 2013), featuring works written for Cracow Duo by Krakow composers. To mark fifteen years of artistic activity, a book titled "From Under the Stage," an interview with the artists by Mateusz Borkowski, and the album "Dedications" (DUX 2016) were released. In 2018, Warner Classics released the album "Polish Music Experience," recorded with the Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra of the Capital City of Krakow, conducted by Jurek Dybał. The musicians' recordings have received numerous positive reviews and nominations for the Polish Phonographic Awards "Fryderyk."
