Agnieszka Podłucka / Andrzej Karałow
fot. Zuza Gąsiorowska / Kuba Zawadzki
VIOLA-PIANO DUO focused on XX and XXI-century and unknown polish music
OUR REPERTOIRE
Robert Schumann – Märchenbilder op. 113
Dmitri Shostakovich – Sonata for viola and piano op. 147
Haflidi Hallgrimsson – Notes from a Diary (2005) for viola and piano
Andrzej Czajkowski – Sonata (1954-55) for viola and piano
Paweł Szymański – Sonata (2015) for viola and piano
Jan Astriab – Sonata for viola and piano
Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz – Sonata for viola and piano
Andrzej Karałow – Sonata (2021) for viola and piano
Aleksander Kościów – Noumen III (2022) for viola and piano (dedicated to duo)
Benjamin Britten – Lachrymae for viola and piano
Valentin Silvestrov – Epitaph (version for viola and piano)
fot. Magda Pawluczuk / Festiwal Trzy-Czte-Ry
WHO ARE WE
fot. Karolina Wybraniec
Agnieszka Podłucka – violinist and violist. She is a graduate from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (diploma with distinction) where she studied in Jan Stanienda violin class and in professor Piotr Reichert viola class. Currently she is an assistant in the viola and chamber music class at her maternal University. She has the position in National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice as Principal violist. Since 2020 Agnieszka studies the baroque violin with dr Martyna Pastuszka at Academy of Music in Katowice.
Agnieszka has been already awared at many national and international violin, viola and chamber music competitions: Primuz International Strings Competition (2021, 1st prize), 67. ARD International Music Competition in Munich (2018, second round), Michał Spisak XI International Music Competition (2017, 1st prize), I Intercollegiate Viola Competition (2017, 1st prize), II Baltic Competition for String Duos (2016, 1st prize), II Chamber Music Competition in students category (2015, 1st prize), XX International Johannes Brahms Competition (2012, semifinal); IV Tadeusz Wronski Young Solo Violin Competition (2012, distinction).
She has attended master classes and festivals (violin, viola, chamber music, orchestra) such as International Summer Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna; Musethica International Chamber Music Festival in Spain, Sweden and Germany; International Chamber Music Festival Ensemble in Wałbrzych; International Chamber Music Festival Quarto Mondi in Poznań; Singer’s Warsaw Festival; Summer Academy of Music with Scharoun Ensemble from Berliner Philharmoniker; iPalpiti Festival in United States.
She has worked with Tabea Zimmerman, Jerzy Kosamala, Stefan Kamasa, Wolfgang Boettcher, Peter Riegelbauer, Micha Afkham, Wolfram Brandl, Christoph Horak, Jose Gallardo, Avri Levitan, Agata Szymczewska, Marcin Zdunik, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Jakub Jakowicz, Marcin Baranowski, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Danuta Głowacka-Pitet.
Agnieszka Podłucka has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in her native Poland in such halls as the National Philharmonic Hall, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Łańcut Castle, National Forum of Music in Breslau, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Książ Castle in Wałbrzych, as well as in different parts of Europe, Germany, Holland, Spain, Japan, South Korea, United States. She was a member of Sinfonia Varsovia Academy as a violist. She took part in orchestra tours with European Union Youth Orchestra and Baltic Sea Philharmonic.
She was awarded the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage scholarship.
fot. Zuza Gąsiorowska / Kuba Zawadzki
ANDRZEJ KARAŁOW is a Polish pianist, composer and improviser based in Warsaw. He is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the composition class of Prof. Stanisław Moryto and the piano class of Prof. Bronisława Kawalla. Doctor of musical arts. Since 2016 he is an assistant professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He trained hi interpretive skills on piano masterclasses, among others, in Oxford, Montreal, Valencia, Bergen, Imola, Leipzig, Nice, Duszniki Zdrój, under the tutelage of professors such as Beat Furrer, Toshio Hosokawa, Chaya Czernowin, Zygmunt Krauze, Stefano Gervasoni, Mikhail Vosskresensky, Boris Petrushansky, Arie Vardi, Gary Graffman and others.
He is a laureate of many Polish and international piano (i.a. in Paris, Athens, and Warsaw) and composition (Katowice, Warszawa, Poznań, Miskolc) competitions.
In 2020 he released his metaopera/mystery De invitatione mortis (Chopin University Press) which was nominated to the Fryderyk 2021 Award in Oratorio and Opera cathegory. Earlier he released two free-improvised albums: in 2020 Pedestal’s Complement (Bocian Records, live concert) and, in 2018, Wir (Requiem Records) in electroacoustic duo collaboration with Jerzy Przeździecki. In 2019, along with saxophonist Pablo Sánchez Escariche Gasch, he released a CD album After All (Requiem Records) with music by Szymanowski, Hindemith, Albright, Rydzewska, and by himself. He also released his monographic album Through with chamber works released by renowned label DUX. Recordings of his works and performances were released on over a dozen albums by Ablaze Records, DUX Records, Requiem Records, Chronicles of Warsaw Autumn – Festival of Contemporary Music and others.
His works are performed in country and abroad during concerts and festivals in the USA, Australia, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Estonia and Hungary. For 2018/19 season he was selected to work with London Philharmonic Orchestra during LPO Young Composers mentoring program, which resulted in premiere performance of his orchestral work Veins in Southbank Centre in London under direction of Sir James MacMillan.
He is a laureate of several scholarships, including prestigious Young Poland Scholarship, Pro Polonia Society Scholarship (twice), Ministry of Science and Higher Education Scholarship, as well as some university scholarships. In 2014 he received Prize of of Culture and National Heritage.
