Bomsori Kim & Rafal Blechacz

Rafał Blechacz and Bomsori Kim are eminent artists enjoying great popularity, who do not need to be introduced to the Polish public. A pass to fame was for the pianist to win a gold medal at the Chopin Competition in 2005, and the South Korean violinist gained recognition thanks to her participation in the Wieniawski Competition in 2016. Soon after, the musicians began a collaboration that resulted in numerous concerts and a well-received album released by Deutsche Grammophon.

The concert will open with a short Sonata in G minor, a late work by Claude Debussy, completed in 1917. Although the author was initially proud of her, he quickly changed his mind. In a letter to a friend, he even wrote that the sonata is “a document and an example of what a sick person can create in a time of war.” History has shown, however, that these words were unfair. The work with subtle colors and flickering texture quickly won the hearts of performers and the audience. Then we will listen to the works of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Although he is remembered primarily as a virtuoso of the piano, as a composer he did not limit himself to creating for his instrument. A perfect example of its versatility is the Sonata in A minor, Op. 13, composed in the 1880s and dedicated to the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. Many researchers consider it to be the most outstanding piece from the early period of Paderewski's activity. It is kept in a romantic style, full of singing melodies and strong emotions.

César Franck's sonata in A major, in turn, is one of the most popular examples representing this genre in the history of music. It was composed in 1886 as a wedding gift to the Belgian virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe. Its creator did not attend the ceremony that took place in September of the same year in Arlon, but engaged a mutual friend, Charles Bordeaux, to deliver the manuscript to the groom. The delighted violinist got acquainted with the score and asked Bordeaux's brother-in-law, pianist Marie-Léontine Bordes-Pène, to accompany it in the performance. The sonata sounded the same evening at the wedding reception, and its public premiere took place in December. It was met with an enthusiastic reception, and Ysaÿe remained an ardent propagator of the piece for the rest of his life. The last work in the program will be Nocturne and Tarantella op. 28 by Karol Szymanowski. The artist wrote them in the spring and summer of 1915 during stays in the estates of friends in Zarudj and Ryzhavka. It is light, full of grace and humor, in a pastis way referring to the tradition of salon virtuosity. The first link suggests associations with Spanish and gypsy music, while the second is a spectacular stylization of a passionate Italian dance, which, according to popular beliefs, was performed after being bitten by a tarantula.