The last dances [REWIEV]

The final day of the Competition finals in the ensemble category began with the performance of Kwintofonia (Jagoda Krawczewska ? flute, Jakub Jackowski ? oboe, Adam Eljasiński ? clarinet, Michał Kanawka ? French horn, Rafał Zason ? bassoon). The artists presented two pieces with clear expression and unwavering composure, performing three- and four-movement quintets by Antoni Szałowski and Wojciech Kilar, respectively. Sitting in an open semi-circle they adeptly passed the leading baton among one another, and the listeners could revel in the successive themes of their dance-like dialogue.

In turn, Lux Aeterna (Mykola Haviuk ? violin, Maria Panchuk ? viola, Oksana Lytvynenko ? cell, Maksym Sasko ? piano) played excerpts from two piano quartet, namely the second and third movement of Józef Elsner?s Piano Quartet in E flat major op. 15 and the second, third, and fourth movement of Władysław Żeleński?s Piano Quartet in C minor op. 61. Żeleński?s piece was marked by a clear communication of the string instruments, however no such connection was to be found between the strings and the piano.

The last day of the Competition audition also saw two violin and piano duos. Karolina Podorska and Mateusz Słowikowski were at their best in their final piece, Stefan Kisielewski?s Capriccio energico, which was distinctly different from their other selections. This difference could have been pinpointed even more strongly if the two toned down their rendition of Władysław Żeleński?s Berceuse F-dur op. 32, but it was nonetheless audible enough. The final chamber ensemble, Sulamita Ślubowska and Maciej Słapiński, gave a transfixing rendition of the final movement of Grażyna Bacewicz?s Sonata no. 4. It was only then that the duo?s performance truly caught fire.

The highlight of the Friday auditions was that by the Popko/Thieu-Quang duo. The two began their performance with Antoni Szałowski?s Sonatina for clarinet and piano, whose character was perfectly tailored to their energy. In the Aria from Piotr Perkowski?s Sonata, Piotr Dinh Thieu-Quang showcased his beautiful, gentle and warm clarinet touches, while his play in the faster movements of the piece featured light and subtle runs, often performed with a zest and humor. Throughout their final audition, the musicians played off each other. For the majority of time, the clarinet was featured as the solo instrument, underlined by Thieu-Quang?s body language, as the clarinetist was visibly animated by music, as if dancing with the instrument. As he shuffled his feet, one could sometimes hear his footsteps, intertwined with music and bringing it closer to the everyday, extra-musical world. However, these sounds were so quiet and natural that it was easy to overlook them. It is my sincere hope that what will not be overlooked is the this fantastic duo of young musicians..

Author: Kalina Kibalska