The Opole String Quartet Quodlibet was formed by graduates of the Academies of Music in Wroclaw and Katowice, musicians from the Józef Elsner State Philharmonic Orchestra in Opole.

Members of the quartet:

Jacek Adamaszek - violin,

Barbara Zwolińska-Kobiela - violin,

Łucja Butor - cello,

Dariusz Stark - viola.

The group has a very wide and varied repertoire. It plays great compositions of classical and light music, including very popular pieces. Since its beginning, it has successfully contributed to many significant and important events for Opole city and the whole Opole region.

Ms. Dorota Simonides, Senator of the Republic of Poland, Prof., PhD, expressed her appreciation: “Whenever I listen to you, each time I enter the magic world of music. It is not only the occasion to calm myself down and a means of escape from hurry-scurries, but it allows me to transfer to a dimension of harmony and beauty, where I restore my strength and revive my spirit for further action. Except my gratitude and wishes of further successes.”  

Class Jam-Quartet merges the beauty of classical music with jazz. Its goal from its conception was to combine everlasting achievements of the past with modern times. Chopin once said: “Bach resembles an astronomer to me - some people seem to notice nothing more but complex algorithms in him, but others, who can feel and understand him, are led by Bach to his huge telescope through which he allows them to admire the stars of his masterpieces. If any generation turns it back on Bach, it will give a sad witness of its shallowness, foolishness and bad taste.”

They start each concert with Bach. Jazz adaptations of classical works are written for the group by Michał Wróblewski.

Members of the quartet:

Weronika Kadłubkiewicz - violin,

Michał Wróblewski - violin,

Adam Wróblewski - cello,

Juliette Ciesla - piano.

Their first concert was in May 2008, in Paris, and it received an enthusiastic reception.

Juliette Ciesla A French pianist, Juliette Ciesla, born in 1971 graduated from Conservatoire National de Region de Lyon in 1990 with a gold medal. In that same year she was accepted at Conservatoire Superieur de Musique (CNSM) in Paris, to the Dominique Merlet’s class. She is a CNSM prize winner in piano (Georges Pludermacher’s class), chamber music (Christian Ivaldi’s and Alain Planes’ class), as well as in accompanying the singing, which she later perfected under such Lieder masters as Hartmut Holl, Mitsuko Shirai, Gerard Souzay, and Kurt Moll. She worked on the piano repertoire in Clive Britton’s class, a former student of Claudio Arrau and continues her education under the supervision of Marie-Francoise Bucquet and Jorge Chamine in Paris and in Italy. As a soloist, Juliette Ciesla regularly gives concerts in Paris (”les journees du Vaisseau Fantome,” Sala Cortot, Saint Merry Church, Cercle Bernard Lazard) and throughout France. In 2001 she had a tour in France for Yamaha pianos. In 2003, during the International Miłosz Magin Competition, she received a reward for the best performance of Frédéric Chopin’s Mazurka op. posthume. In 2005, supported by Paris association “Jeunes Talents” and France Musique radio, she was invited to de Gaelle Le Gallic “Dans la Cour des Grands” program.Apart from France, Juliette Ciesla gave concerts as a soloist in the 2nd Frédéric Chopin Piano Concert in Italy and Germany, and in recital programs. With her brother Alexis Ciesla (clarinet, CNSM First Prize in Geneva) she performs duet “Paris-Varsovie,” promoting Polish and French music (their father is a Pole, and mother a Frenchwoman). Currently Juliette Ciesla divides her time between Paris and Annecy, where she teaches at the CRR Conservatory.

Veronica Kadlubkiewicz graduated with highest honors of the Warsaw Academy of Music in Poland and continued her studies in the USA with Henryk Szeryng, Roman Totenberg and Paul Zukofsky. Finalist of the Alberto Curci Competition in Naples, Italy, she received a special award from the Rockefeller Competition for Excellence in American Music in Washington D.C. Ms. Kadlubkiewicz has appeared as soloist with orchestras in the USA, Poland, Italy and Spain. She has also frequently performed at such festivals as Marlboro Music, Bach Aria Festival, Monadnock Music, Estatedi Radicondoli, Musica Electronica Nova and Warsaw Autumn Festival. An avid performer of solo violin recitals sought out for her interpretations of contemporary music, each year she premieres new compositions written for her. She was a participant in the Sommerkurs fur Neue Musik in Darmstadt and a member of Creative Associates in Buffalo, NY.Formerly concertmaster of the Polish Chamber Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and the New Hampshire Symphony, Veronica Kadlubkiewicz has also played with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Camerata. She taught violin and chamber music at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Smith College and Amherst College.Ms. Kadlubkiewicz now resides in Paris, France where she has appeared at Salle Cortot; Ecole Normale Supérieure, rue d’Ulm; St. Julien le Pauvre; and Eglise de Trinité among others. Last season she performed in Italy, the USA, Poland, France and premiered compositions by Francois Nicolas, Salvatore Macchia and Beatriz Ferreyra, all written for her. The season 08/09 will see her giving many “all Bach” presentations of his solo violin works, the Concerto by Philip Glass as well as piano-violin recitals.Ms. Kadlubkiewicz has recorded for Gasparo and CRI labels, Polish Radio, and WDR in Germany. 

Adam Wróblewski is a student of the Academy of Music in Poznań in Eugeniusz Zboralski’s cello class. He started his musical education at the age of 7, learning in music schools in Wrocław and Poznań. He cultivated his artistic skills by attending international cello courses, perfecting performance with such masters as, among others, Prof. R. Jabłoński (Spain), Prof. K. Michalik, Prof. S. Firlej and by attending modern music courses conducted by Prof. B. Schaeffer and Prof. S. Esztenyi. A winner of chamber music competitions, he has been involved in this music for many years. As a member of the groups “Wróblewski - Trio,” “Musica Poetica Nova,” he took part in many festivals (among others “Wratislavia Cantans,” “Where the Fountains Play”) and his performance was often recorded for the needs of the radio, television, movie industry and theater. From 2001 to 2003 he cooperated with the Sachsen-Anhalt Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2002 Wróblewski took part in the Visegrád Youth Philharmonic tour through Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Michał Wróblewski is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Wrocław, Prof. Marek Pijarowski’s conductor’s class. He started his musical education at the age of 7 in the State Music School of the 1st grade in Wrocław, learning to play the violin. He earned his Professional Instrumentalist Diploma specializing in violin playing, studying under the supervision of an excellent violinist Prof. Michał Grabarczyk in Poznań. He cultivated his skills by attending international violin competitions with such masters as, among others, Prof. R. Totenberg (USA), R. Szreder (The Netherlands), K. Węgrzyn (Germany) and a conducting course under the guidance of Maestro Kurt Masur. As participant of modern music courses, he learned from Prof. S. Esztenyi and Prof. H. Fiore. Michał Wróblewski has been involved in chamber music for many years (winner of chamber music competitions). Being a member of the groups “Wróblewski - Trio,” “Musica Poetica Nova,” he took part in many festivals (among others “Wratislavia Cantans,” “Where the Fountains Play”) and his performance was often recorded for the needs of the radio, television, and movie industry. He conducted music workshops with theatrical groups from Poland and Germany (including graduates of Kolleg für dramatische Kunst in Bremen). His debut as a conductor took place in March 2004, in “Oratorium Marianum” Hall of the University of Wrocław, during the “Classic Premiere” festival. Wróblewski’s repertoire includes works of each kind of music, from classical to rock music.  

The String Quartet Angelus was formed in 2002. Four women from Opole were responsible for its inception: Agata Wacowska, Agnieszka Newiger, Sabina Sułkowska, and Anna Makos.

Agata Wacowska is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. She studied in the Prof. Irena Żarnowska’s class (violin). Agnieszka Newiger graduated from the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz under the supervision of Prof. Maria Suwara. Sabina Sułkowska, a graduate of the Academy of Music in Łódź, studied under Jolanta Kukuła-Kopczyńska in the viola class. Anna Makos is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Kraków. She studied in the cello class under the direction of assistant professor Teresa Kamińska.

Initially Angelus specialized in baroque music, giving concerts mainly in the churches of Opole. Currently, the quartet has broadened its repertoire and offers music from baroque, through classicism and romanticism, to film score and light music arrangements.

Today, the members of the quartet are:

Agata Wacowska - 1st violin,

Agnieszka Newiger - 2nd violin,

Sabina Sułkowska - viola,

Mirosław Makowski - cello.

Mirosław Makowski graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice in Prof. Paweł Głombik’s class. He continued his education in Scuola Superiore di Musica da Camera del Trio di Trieste and Hochschule für Musik Und Darstellende Kunst In Wien. He attended master courses conducted by I. Stern, J. Laredo, Yo-Yo Ma, W. Pleeth, T. Tsutsumi, H.E. Deckert, Y. Bronfman, E. Ax, P. Frank, La Salle Quartett. He is the winner of competitions in Katowice, Chorzów and Gdańsk. Mirosław Makowski was a lecturer of the Academy of Music in Katowice, member of the Silesian String Quartet and the Lutosławski Trio, concertmaster of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and Orquestra do Norte in Portugal. He has been entrusted with many first performances, among others of R. Augustyn, Z. Bargielski, W. Cienciała, J. W. Hawel. His recordings were made by the Muza company, Polish Radio, SFB, ORF, 3SAT, Greek Radio, Polish Television, and Israeli Television. As a soloist and chamber musician, he gave concerts both in Poland and abroad, in such countries as Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, Israel, former Yugoslavia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. Currently he is a concertmaster of the cello group of the Opole Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Quartet cooperates with the clarinetist Sebastian Uronek, a graduate of the Academy of Music in Wrocław from Prof. Mieczysław Stachura’s class, and with the double bassist Tobiasz Michna, a graduate of the Academy of Music in Katowice from Prof. Czesław Ząbek’s class.

All musicians are artists of the Józef Elsner Philharmonic Orchestra in Opole.

 I. Z tańcem przez świat - około 60 minut muzyki

V. Monti - Czardasz

F. Kreisler - Piękny Rozmaryn

J. Strauss - Życie artysty

A. Dvořák - Dwa walczyki

J. Strauss - Lekka krew

C. Mahr - Hiszpański szkic

A. Piazzolla - Libertango

A. Piazzolla - Adios Nonino

H. Mancini - Speedy Gonzales

II. Koncert muzyki klasycznej - około 45 minut muzyki

W.A. Mozart - Kwartet B-dur KV 458 „Polowanie”

przerwa 5 minut

F. Kreisler - Piękny Rozmaryn

A. Dvořák - Dwa walczyki

G. Bizet - Intermezzo

G. Bizet - Menuet

III. Koncert muzyki klasycznej (kwartet Angelus z klarnecistą)- około 45 minut muzyki

W.A. Mozart - Kwintet klarnetowy A-dur KV 581

przerwa 5 minut

J. Strauss - Lekka krew

V. Monti - Czardasz

W. Plée - W cygańskiej piwnicy

C. Mahr - Hiszpański szkic

A. Piazzolla - Libertango

IV. Ogniste tańce świata

W. Plée - W cygańskiej piwnicy (czardasz)

J. Lindsay-Theimer - Aisha (taniec indiański)

H. Stahlberg - Ach Olga (taniec rosyjski)

C. Mahr - Hiszpański szkic (passo double)

H. Mancini - Speedy Gonzales (samba)

V. Monti - Czardasz

A. Piazzolla - Milonga del Angel (milonga)

A. Piazzolla - La muerte del Angel (tango)

A. Piazzolla - Libertango (tango)

  translation will be soon

Pianista Andrea Passigli studiował we Włoszech i USA. Ukonczyl  z najwyzszym odznaczeniem  Konserwatorium L. Cherubini we Florencji w klasie Marii Tipo. Na zaproszenie Rudolfa Serkina uczestniczył w Marlboro Music Festival. Rudolf  Serkin miał duży wpływ na muzyczny rozwój artysty i jego szczegolne zainteresowanie wiedeńskim klasycyzmem. Silny wpływ na osobowość artysty mieli również Pablo Casals i Nikita Magaloff, z którymi spotykał się od dzieciństwa. Andrea Passigli jest solistą, kameralistą i posiada glebka znajomosc repertuaru Lieder. Grał recitale i koncerty we Włoszech, USA, Austrii, Angli, Holandii, Rosji, Rumunii, Jugosławii, na Węgrzech i w Polsce. Nagrał podwójny album z muzyką na fortepian solo Schuberta wydany przez “foné” oraz  CD “Ema Records” z flecistą Alexandrem Duisbergiem, poświęcony francuskiemu impresjonizmowi, jak również CD z barytonem Leonardo Wolovsky z Lieder do tekstow Heinego. Andrea Passigli jest profesorem fortepianu w Konserwatorium G. Frescobaldi w Ferrarze we Włoszech.

Skrzypaczka Weronika Kadłubkiewicz jest absolwentką Wyższej Szkoły Muzycznej w Warszawie w klasie Krzysztofa Jakowicza. Kontynuowała studia z Henrykiem Szeryngiem i Romanem Totenbergiem w USA. Solistka wielu orkiestr w Polsce, USA i Europie, koncertmistrz New Hampshire Symphony, Orchesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria i Polskiej Orkiestry Kameralnej. Grała również z Boston Symphony i Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Dwukrotnie uczestniczyła w Sommerkurse w Darmstadt, a na zaproszenie Lejarena Hillera była rezydentką Creative Associates w Buffalo NY. Występowała na scenach w Polsce, Hiszpanii, Włoszech, Szwecji, Francji, Niemczech, Szwajcarii, Kanadzie i USA. Utalentowana wykonawczyni skrzypcowej muzyki współczesnej ma na swoim koncie prawykonania utworów, z których wiele zostało napisanych specjalnie dla niej. Weronika Kadłubkiewicz brała udział w festiwalach: Warszwska Jesień, Marlboro Music Festival, Bach Aria, Monadnock Music i inne. Prowadziła klasę skrzypiec i muzyki kameralnej w Amherst College, University of Massachusetts i w Smith College. Nagrała płyty dla firm Gasparo i CRI. Po dwudziestu latach pobytu w Stanach Zjednoczonych przeniosła się do Paryża.

They seem to have been cast in the same mould, very much like two beans in a sackful of coffee. It should be added - an exceptionally strong and aromatic coffee. Quite simply - “Doppio Espresso”.

They heard someone ordering a ‘doppio espresso’ in a bar and fell under the spell of the drink’s strength. The fact that this is what they decided to call their duo tells us much about the kind of impact they want to make on listeners. Surely, their performances are not luke-warm.Interestingly enough, they became friends long before the duo saw the light of day. They were in secondary school at the time. They first met at the Piano Festival in Nałęczów and the masterclasses given there by Micha³’s father, the prominent pianist Marek Drewnowski.Daniel attended at that time the Secondary Music School in Krosno, studying in the piano class of Dorota Skibicka. He subsequently studied with Marek Drewnowski. Before he became his student, he once moved his future professor to tears with his playing of Chopin’s music. These were tears of emotion, to which the professor himself admitted. Daniel was already then a very sensitive and reflective man. He read a lot. He made much effort to strike a balance between emotion and intellect in his playing. Michał, for his part, drove to tears another outstanding pianist, Naum Shtarkman, to whom he presented his interpretation of Scarlatti’s Sonata in F minor in the same venue the previous year. Michał had always wanted to play an ambitious repertoire (Liszt, Rachmaninov) and he could listen passionately to his beloved Vladimir Horovitz, from whom he derived his musical inspiration.Studying together, Daniel and Michał continued to be close friends, even though the nature of their profession would rather provoke stiff competition between them. During their studies at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva (where they both went after graduating from the Music Academy in Łódź), they decided to set up a duo. They made their debut in the prestigious Victoria Hall in Geneva, with a programme including works by Leonard Bernstein and Astor Piazzolla. Right now, with Michał back in Łódź and Daniel in Krosno, their duo continues to perform and record. This debut CD is a discovery of the New World, for themselves and for music lovers. In Europe, the music of both Americas, and of South America in particular, is something new and somewhat exotic. These days it is simply fashionable, with almost all people easily recognizing the tune of Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango or the themes of Bernstein’s West Side Story. In addition to these two great masters, the CD contains miniatures by Piazolla’s artistic followers, Pablo Ziegler and José Bragato, as well as Brazilian Dance by the Canadian composer Roger Matton. This last piece is a like a symbolic blend of the CD’s two parts - the music of North and South America. It should be hoped that the great passion and commitment of the duo “Doppio Espresso” will help all listeners gain better insights into this music and fall in love with it.

Ewa Cisowska

Michał Drewnowski was born in Warsaw in 1977. He started learning to play the piano in Italy, when he was 8, under the supervision of his father, an excellent pianist Marek Drewnowski. After his return to Poland at the age of 14, he continued his musical education, at Karol Szymanowski Secondary Music School in Warsaw in the class of professor Bronisława Kawalla and Professor Ewa Pobłocka. In 2001 he graduated with honours from Bacewicz Music Academy in Łódź, where he studied under the guidance of his father, professor Marek Drewnowski. He also developed his skills in Genf Conservatory of Music with such distinguished teachers as Dominique Merlet and Pascal Devoyon; there he also obtained a diploma with distinction. He took part in many master courses given by such eminent pianists as Nauma Shtarkmann, Miłosz Magin, Fou T’song, Rudolf Kehrer and Eugen Indjic.

He is a prize-winer in the following competitions: Special Prize at the 1st Aleksander Tansman International Festival and Competition of Musical Personalities in Łódź (1996), First Prize at 13th Grażyna Bacewicz All-Polish Chamber Music Competition in Łódź (1998), at 32th Polish Piano Festival in Słupsk (1998), Second Prize at M.Masin International Piano Festival in Sangemini (Italy, 2000), Second Prize at Piano Competition A.GI.MUS in Rome (2005).

Michał Drewnowski gives concerts, both as a soloist and a chamber musician, in Poland, Italy, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, England, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. He has performed with many renowned orchestras in Poland and abroad with leading conductors such as Piotr Wijatkowski, Janusz Powolny, Tadeusz Kozłowski, Vladimir Kiradjev and Stanislav Oushev. He participated in many prestigious festivals, such as Passage in Warsaw, Salon of Arts in Sofia, Festival Musicale di Norcia (Italy), Varna Summer Festival (Bulgaria), Cracow Spring Music Festival, Warsaw Music Encounter, Chopin Geneve Festival, Keminklavier in Kemi (Finland).

He also gave concerts in: Concerti Gianicolo in Rome, Steinway Kammersal in Kopenhaga, Kunstmuseum in Silkeborg (Denmark), Sala Bulgaria in Sofia, Wigmore Hall in London. In the period of 2000-2001 he participated as a pianist and also an actor at Teatr Nowy in Warsaw in a play of Adam Hanuszkiewicz “Chopin, his life, his love, his music”. He perfomed the main character - Frederic Chopin.

Michał Drewnowski is a cofounder of Voland Quartet, with which he gave concerts in many countries of Europe. They also made recordings for GEGA NEW company where they play the music of B.Bartok, A.Aroutunian, A.ben Shabetai, J.Bauer, G.Arnaoudov, H.Yotzov for two pianos and percussion. He is also a cofounder of piano duet Doppio Espresso, that specialises in music of American and Latinoamerican composeres, such as L.Bernstein, A.Piazzolla, P.Ziegler, and J.Bragato.

Daniel Eibin graduated from the Music Academy in Łódź, where he studied with Marek Drewnowski (a diploma with distinction), and the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, with Elizabeth Athanassova. His honours include First Prizes at the International Chamber Music Competition in Łódź (2001), the Chopin International Piano Competition in Antonin (1996) and the National Competition of Chamber Ensembles in Wrocław (1994). He is also a prizewinner of the Józef Hofmann and Ignacy Jan Paderewski Competition in Nałęczów (1997). He gave several concerts during the “Festival du Printemps - Sacre de la Musique” in France (1997). He held grants from the Minister of Culture (1996, 2001) and the Fondation Norbert Schenkel in Geneva (2004).

He perfected his skills attending masterclasses given by Janusz Olejniczak, Lee Kum Sing, Ivana Klansky, Alfonso Montecino and Eugene Indjic. He has made recordings for Polish Radio and Polish Television.

He is a co-founder of the piano duo “Doppio Espresso” which performs modern classical music. He developed a fine career, with regular performances in Poland and many European countries, both in recitals and in chamber ensembles performing music of various periods. In 2002 he began a teaching career. 

Libertango

Milongueta

Guarania y Galopa Paraguaya

Danse Bresilienne
 

DUX 2007

For 2 piano

Astor Piazzolla : Libertango ( 6′)

                            Suite Porteña de ballet (12′)

                            Le Grand Tango (12′)

                            Milonga del Ángel (6′)

Leonard Bernstein : Symphonic Dances to WEST SIDE STORY (23′)

Pablo Ziegler : Milongueta (11′)

                         Asfalto (7′)                         

                        Sandunga (5′)

José Bragato : Guarania y Galopa Paraguaya (5′)

Roger Matton : Danse brésilienne (5′)

George Gershwin : Amerykanin w Paryzu (18′)                                 

                                 Błekitna Rapsodia (18′)                                 

                                 Koncert fortepianowy (16′)

****

Witold Lutoslawski : Wariacje na temat Paganiniego (7′)Francis Poulenc : Sonata na 2 fortepiany (15′)

Fryderyk Chopin : Rondo na 2 fortepiany (6′)

Maurice Ravel : Ma Mère l’Oye (15′)

La Valse (12′)

For Four-Hands

Astor Piazzolla : Cztery Pory Roku (20′)

George Gershwin : Summertime (4′)

                                 I love you Porgy (5′)

****

George Bizet : Zabawy dziecięce (Jeux d’enfants) (28′)

Maurice Ravel : Ma mère l’Oye (15′)

La Valse (12′)

Gabriel Fauré : Suita DOLLY (16′)

Maurycy Moszkowski : Tance Hiszpańskie op. 21 (14′)

Tance Polskie op. 55 (12′)

Erik Satie : Trois morceaux en forme de poire (10′)

En habit de cheval (6′)