Marta Ptaszyńska - Double Concerto; Concerto grosso; SE-TA (Mariusz Smolij)

Information

Composer: Marta Ptaszyńska

• La novella d'inverno for String Orchestra
• Concerto grosso for 2 Violins & Chamber Orchestra
• Mancala for 2 Violins
• Double Concerto for Flute, Harp & Orchestra
• Sogno d'Euridice for 2 Harps
• SE-TA (Sequenza e tarantella) [Version for 2 Accordions, Percussion & String Orchestra]

Chopin University Chamber Orchestra

Mariusz Smolij, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naxos

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The Polish-born composer, Marta Ptaszyńska (b. 1943), studied under Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen, and since 1972 has worked in the United States where she forged cultural links between the two countries. Ptaszyńska has composed in all major genres and has worked with many leading musicians and ensembles. Her harmonic writing is often refined and translucent, with an expressive intensity generated through contrasts. The orchestral works in this album illustrate her gifts for creating evocative atmospheres. Dedicated to and premiered by Yehudi Menuhin, the Concerto Grosso explores Baroque archetypes.

Polish conductor Mariusz Smolij (b. 1962) has led over 150 orchestras across four continents, performing in major venues such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. In North America, he has collaborated with the Houston Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, and others. A founding member of the Penderecki Quartet, he has held key roles with the NFM Lutosławski Philharmonic, Wratislavia Cantans Festival, and currently leads the Riverside Symphonia in New Jersey. His Bacewicz recording won a 2015 Fryderyk Award, and in 2019 he received Poland’s Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit for cultural contributions.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz