Agnieszka Duczmal

The transcription on this CD was prepared by the eminent Polish-Jewish composer from Lvov, Józef Koffler, who arranged the Variations for a chamber orchestra (flute, oboe, English horn, bassoon and string quintet). This transcription, completely unknown until only recently, is undoubtedly one of the best 20th-century transcriptions of Bach's music.

Second Life' is the first-ever album featuring both acoustic guitar and string orchestra on each track. Acoustic guitarist Adam Palma is accompanied by one of the greatest European orchestras, The Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio AMADEUS, led by famous conductor, Agnieszka Duczmal. This album is a very personal record, an intimate look at music and life from the perspective of a man who "regained" his life after waking from a long coma. Recovering gave Adam time to reflect, to review his own musical roots, and to view his life deeply from a new perspective. We hear the songs that the soloist grew up listening to: folk melodies, a scout song, a song belonging to the patriotic trend of music, known film themes, Chopin's compositions (never before performed on the guitar), and Adam's own compositions that show what he himself describes as his Polish soul. All the arrangements have been written by Adam Palma and orchestrated by the outstanding Polish film score composer Krzesimir Debski. On this album, classical music and jazz are intertwined. All this against a background of the characteristic harmony of Polish songs, combining the sound of acoustic guitar and string orchestra!

For some years the extensive and highly significant oeuvre of the Polish-Russian composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg has been recognized in the West – a process documented on internationally renowned cpo recordings. The Symphony No. 10 is the most stylistically advanced and experimental composition among his purely instrumental works. The Polish violinist and composer on the disc, Evelina Novicka, has recorded several premieres of his works, including the Concertino op. 42 and Rhapsody op. 47 heard on this most recent CD. She herself has arranged the lost version of the Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes for violin and orchestra.

Ewelina Novicka came across Weinberg's traces while researching Shostakovich, and Laks was brought to her attention by pianist friend Milena Antoniewicz, with whom she recorded her own composition Kaddish in the version for violin and piano in 2011. The Polish-born violinist Ewelina Novicka was not only deeply touched by the fact that Laks and Weinberg had escaped the Shoah, but above all by the connection with the fate of her own family, which gave rise to her desire to place her artistic work in the service of the works of these two composers.

In 2018, the musicians of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, together with the founder of the ensemble, Agnieszka Duczmal, celebrated the golden 50th anniversary of its artistic activity. For many years, the ensemble has been a recognizable showcase promoting musical culture in Poland and across the world. The new album, including three orchestral transcripts performed by Agnieszka Duczmal and Jacek Kowalewski, prompts us to take a closer look at numerous achievements of this outstanding ensemble together with its artistic director. It is worth underlining that the Amadeus Orchestra owes its undisputed world position in the chamber ensemble rankings due to numerous recordings and public performances of this kind of arrangements.