Outlook

Coming from a musical family, Nadia and Lili Boulanger already revealed their undoubted compositional talent as children. The premature death of the younger of them, unfortunately, interrupted the close relationship of the artists. The works of both of these representatives of the generation debuting in the first years of the 20th century will be heard in the context of Gabriel Fauré's I Quartet in C minor, created even before the birth of the sisters. We will get acquainted with the unique pieces thanks to an international ensemble consisting of violinist Usha Kapoor, violinist Emma Werning, cellist Tatu Kauppinen and pianist Anna Han.

The name of Nadia Boulanger is certainly not alien to most people interested in the history of Polish music. Grażyna Bacewicz, Wojciech Kilar, Kazimierz Serocki and many others went to Paris to explore the secrets of composition under her wings. Less known than her, Lili, due to her poor health, lived only twenty-four years. Despite this, in 1913 she became the first woman to be awarded the famous Prix de Rome in the field of music. Soon after her departure in 1918, Nadia, who considered the laureate of the prestigious award to be more talented than herself, abandoned her work. As a teacher, throughout her long life, she promoted the achievements of her sister who was too quickly lost.

The duets Nocturne and Cortège, or Two Pieces by Lili Boulanger, are light works, painted in pastel colors characteristic of late French romanticism. The two more harmonically daring compositions of this author that we will hear were, on the other hand, some of the last ones she wrote. The mesmerizing D'un soir sombre is an evening meditation. Time passes, and thoughts run in strange directions and unexpectedly thicken. For a change, D'un matin de printemps seems to evoke a crisp, rainy morning. Contrasting this music Nadia's Three Songs are small gems that give a huge space for expression. They do not reveal that Boulanger was to become an oracle for young neoclassicals in a few years. Gabriel Fauré's unforgettable Quartet fits into this program like a charm — perhaps because the author of Requiem was the teacher of the legendary mentor. Will the perspectives of the three artists converge?