World-class music-making in Rzeszów

September 11, 2021

On Friday, September 10, the Subcarpathian Philharmonic Hall reverberated with the first chords of the 2nd Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music. The audience at the auditorium and those following the live stream online listened the performances of the laureates of the 1st edition of the Competition, which took place in 2019, as pianist Pavel Dombrovsky took to the stage with the Polish Violin Duo featuring Marta Gidaszewska and Robert Łaguniak.

- It was a world-class concert. An outright sensation! This, to me, is precisely the task at hand for our jurors: to unearth another group of musicians equally skillful as those who performed tonight, said maestra Lidia Grychtołówna, the doyenne of Polish pianism and a juror in the piano category, in a post-concert interview.

The first part of the night featured a repertoire of Henryk Pachulski?s preludes and Karol Szymanowski?s etudes, performed by Russian pianist Pavel Dombrovsky, another member of this year?s Competition jury.

The second part of the concert saw performances from young, talented and titled violinists Marta Gidaszewska and Robert Łaguniak, who presented pieces by Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz and Henryk Wieniawski, among others, along with a bravura rendition of Two Contrasts for a Duo by young contemporary composer Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk.

- This was a truly amazing concert, top-notch quality in my opinion. Fantastic. A genuine ?wow? performance!, said Gary Guthman, American trumpeter and juror in the chamber ensembles category. 

- The level of the Competition was super high, as expected. I am deeply touched by the level of the inauguration concert and impatiently await the first round auditions. I am sure I will spend a wonderful week here in Rzeszów, enthused Chilean pianist and Competition juror Alexandros Jusakos.

Earlier today marked the start of the first stage in the chamber ensembles category. The contestants? performances can be followed live on the official YouTube Channel of the National Institute of Music and Dance at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-vEE7TX3aIcCR-Q20HVfYeqnCPWfRrN4.

The Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music is organized by the Institute of Music and Dance and the Artur Malawski Podkarpacka Philharmonic in Rzeszów. The Competition is financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, and in partnership with the Marshal of the Podkarpackie Province, under the honorary auspices of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. The Competition is a member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation?s piano competitions network.

Competition Partners: Yamaha, Centrum Medyczne MEDYK, ZAIKS, STOART, Pianist, Ruch Muzyczny.

Media Patrons: TVP Kultura, PAP, culture.pl, polmic.pl.