Prog Notes

‘excellent programme notes’ – John Allison, The Daily Telegraph (4 October 2015) 

…….

Among the organisations for which I have written programme notes are the Almeida Festival, Aspen Festival, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC PO, BBC Proms, BBC SO, Chicago SO, City of Birmingham SO, Edinburgh Festival, Haifa SO, Holland Festival, Huddersfield Festival, ISCM/Gaudeamus Festival, London PO, London SO, Los Angeles PO, Polish Radio Choir, Polish Radio National SO, Porto SO, Sydney SO, Ulster Orchestra, Vale of Glamorgan Festival, ‘Warsaw Autumn’ Festival, Wigmore Hall and ‘Wratislavia Cantans’.

As with the CD NOTES, these programme notes are offered as a resource to anyone interested in Polish music. Repertoire is listed by composer and then chronologically.  Alternatively, please scroll down the PROG NOTES tab above.

If you wish to quote from any of the notes or essays, please acknowledge the author and the url.  

I have also written brochure and programme essays and profiles, including:
• Muzyka Polska (BBC Scottish SO brochure, 2012)
• Szymanowski (London SO brochure, 2012)
• Szymanowski the Outsider (London SO programme, 2012-13)
• Lutosławski and Polish Music (BBC Proms Guide, 2013)
• Szymanowski (BBC Proms, 2014).

If you are interested in commissioning new programme notes, or would like to use part or all of an existing note for a concert programme, please get in touch via the CONTACT tab above.

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010)
• Four Preludes (1955)  Emiko Edwards
• Piano Sonata (1956/1984/1990)  Emiko Edwards
• Old Polish Music (1969)  BBC SO
• Symphony no.2 (1972)  BBC SO & Chorus
• Amen (1975)  Polish Radio Choir
• Harpsichord Concerto (1980)  BBC SO
• Marian Songs, nos 2 & 3 (1985)  Polish Radio Choir
• Marian Songs, complete (1985)  BBC Singers
• Church Songs, no. 21 ‘Audi clamantes, audi plorantes’ (1986)  BBC Singers
• Totus Tuus (1987)  Polish Radio Choir 
• ” (Totus Tuus)  BBC Singers
• Come, Holy Spirit (1988)  Polish Radio Choir
• String Quartet no.1 (1988)  Silesian String Quartet
• String Quartet no.2 (1991)  Silesian String Quartet
• Sanctus Adalbertus (1997)  Polish Radio Choir, Kraków P Choir, NOSPR  (WP**, 2015)
• Salve, sidus Polonorum (2000)  BBC Symphony Chorus
• Five Kurpian Songs (2003)  Polish Radio Choir
• Three Lullabies (2004)  Polish Radio Choir
• Song of the Katyń Families (2004)  Polish Radio Choir
• Kyrie (2005)  BBC SO & Chorus  (UK*, 2015)
• Symphony no.4, ‘Tansman Episodes’ (2006)  London PO  (WP**, 2014)

Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876-1909)
• Violin Concerto (1902)  Polish Radio National SO (NOSPR)
• Eternal Songs (1906)  Polish Radio National SO (NOSPR)

Wojciech Kilar (b.1932)
• Krzesany (1974)  Porto SO

Witold Lutosławski (1913-94)
• Concerto for Orchestra (1954)  Polish Radio National SO (NOSPR)
• Dance Preludes (1954)  Queen’s University
• Five Songs (1957)  Queen’s University
• Funeral Music (1958)  BBC NOW
• Cello Concerto (1970)  Porto SO
• Preludes and Fugue (1972)  Ulster Orchestra
• Sacher Variation (1975)  Queen’s University
• Epitaph (1979)  Queen’s University
• Grave (1981)  Queen’s University
• Partita (1984)  Queen’s University
• Partita-Interlude-Chain 2 (1984/88-1989-1985)  BBC NOW
• Piano Concerto (1988)  BBC NOW
• Chantefleurs et Chantefables (1990)  BBC NOW
• Symphony no.4 (1992)  BBC NOW

Andrzej Panufnik (1914-91)
• Heroic Overture (1950/52/69)  Polish Radio National SO (NOSPR)

Krzysztof Penderecki (b.1933)
• The Awakening of Jacob (1974)  Porto SO
• Agnus Dei from Polish Requiem (1981)  Polish Radio Choir
• Cello Concerto no.2 (1982)  London SO
• Symphony no.5 (1992)  London SO
• O Gloriosa Virginum (2009)  Polish Radio Choir
• Missa Brevis (1992-2012)  Polish Radio Choir

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
• Concert Overture (1905)  BBC PO
• Symphony no.1 (1907)  London SO
• Symphony no.2 (1910)  BBC PO
• ” (Symphony no.2)  London SO
•  Symphony no.3 (1916)  London SO
• Violin Concerto no.1 (1916)  BBC PO
• ” (Violin Concerto no.1)  London SO
• Stabat Mater (1926)  London SO
• Symphony no.4 (1932)  London SO
• Violin Concerto no.2 (1933)  London SO

Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986)
• Stèle in memoriam Igor Stravinsky (1972)  London PO