Agata Chrysite

One of the most fascinating challenges that any violinist can face is the repertoire for solo violin. In this genre of music, both the musician and the listener can encounter polyphonic masterpieces performed with minimal means - with only four strings. These pieces often carry as much emotional and musical meaning as works composed for a large orchestra. This rarely represented category in musical literature has always excited the artist Agata-Maria Raatz. She wondered how Bach managed to create such a remarkably complex and demanding harmonic as well as formal structure in his sonatas and partitas for solo violin, which are considered timeless masterpieces of extraordinary brilliance in every detail.

The Witold Lutosławski Chamber Philharmonic in Łomża was established in 1977 as the Łomża Chamber Orchestra. During its 40 years of existence, it has given almost two thousand concerts in Poland and abroad. It has received a number of awards for its activity and contribution to the development of musical culture, including the Podlasie Brand of the Year 2018 and Łomża Business Angel 2019.

In Genoa, Agata runs her bookstore and, without meaning to, causes light bulbs and appliances to burn out. At the same time that a younger man declares his attraction to her, her brother Gustav, a morose architect, a distant husband, and an indifferent father, discovers that he was adopted and has a half-brother in the Po Valley. To Agata's great pain, she sees her young man with another woman - plus, Gustav cuts himself off from her and from his wife and son. Agata goes to the Po Valley, meets Gustav's brother and the brother's wife, and tries to reconnect by letting life wash over her. Wisdom comes from traditional Chinese medicine and from good literature.

This new release presents selected works of Karol Szymanowski, transcribed for flute and piano, performed here by Polish flautist, Agata Igras and pianist Mariusz Rutkowski.