Poland’s Katowice to host int’l music gala

Among the recipients will be several Polish musicians and ensembles.

The award in the choral works category will be presented to the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra and the Choir of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic from the eastern city of Białystok for a two-CD album featuring the Quo Vadis oratorio by Polish composer Feliks Nowowiejski (1887-1946).

World-famous pianist Krystian Zimerman has been named the winner of the award in the solo instrument category for his CD with Schubert sonatas recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.

Conductor Krzysztof Urbański is to be honoured in the concertos category for a recording of Martinu’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with Sol Gabetta and the Berlin Philharmonic released by Sony Classical.

The “special achievements” category winners include the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre in Lusławice, southern Poland, and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.

Pianist Szymon Nehring, winner of the 2017 Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, has been named as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Polish Artist Award.

The gala concert will include works by Antonin Dvořák, Georg Philipp Telemann and Polish composers Karol Szymanowski and Witold Lutosławski, performed by the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Liebreich and Manfred Honeck.

The International Classical Music Awards were launched in 2010. The selection panel is made up of music critics representing 17 musical journals and radio stations in 14 countries.

(mk/pk)