10.10.2023: Smoczynski & Stockhausen
2025-05-19
Mateusz Smoczynski Trio @ Belgrade Jazz Festival
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Ora Jazz Festival, Romania, 2024
Within the framework of the Poland-Romania 2024-2025 Cultural Season, the foreign preview of Zbigniew Seifert's concert and the first foreign performance of Mateusz Smoczynski's "Adam's Apple" concert took place in Oradea on November 14, 2024.
Seifert's concerto was heard again outside Poland 50 years after its premiere in 1974.
Concert program:
Zbigniew Seifert - Jazz Concerto for violin, symphony orchestra and rhythm group
Matthew Smoczynski - Adam's Apple
Performers of the Zbigniew Seifert Concert:
Mateusz Smoczyński - violin
Dominik Wania - piano
Slawomir Kurkiewicz - double bass
Michal Miśkiewicz - drums
Barbara Dragan - conductor
Oradea Philharmonic Orchestra
Performers of the Matthew Smoczynski Concert - Adam's Apple:
Matthew Smoczynski - violin
Barbara Dragan - conductor
Oradea Philharmonic Orchestra
About the Seifert concert:
About the Seifert concert: Aneta Norek in her book Zbigniew Seifert. Man of the Light described the behind-the-scenes creation of the concert. Zbigniew Seifert regularly worked with the NDR radio station, recording both his own compositions and those of other musicians in Hanover. During one conversation with producer Wolfgang Kunert, the idea of creating a jazz violin concerto was born.
The only guideline Seifert was given was a list of available instruments. The Jazz Concerto for Violin, Symphony Orchestra and Rhythm Group (Jazz-Konzert für Violine, Sinfonieorchester und Rhythmusgruppe) was recorded on August 26-30, 1974.
Seifert recalled: "I wrote this 25-minute composition for two months - day and night. In the recording, which took place in Hanover, (...) I played the improvised part against the arranged parts. The composition was played on the air."
In his music one can hear Slavic influences, characteristic scales and intervals evoking associations with the works of Szymanowski and Karłowicz. Joachim-Ernst Berendt, a German journalist, producer and expert on Polish jazz, said of Seifert's work: "Zbigniew Seifert's music is universal, it can be listened to and understood all over the world. For those familiar with Polish jazz and Polish music in general, the undeniably Polish elements in his compositions and improvisations have an additional charm." When asked about these inspirations, Seifert admitted: "I don't hear it so clearly myself, but there is certainly something Slavic, something lyrical in my music - also when I think of Coltrane. The only thing I hear actually is that my music is different from the music played in Western Europe."
About Smoczynski's concert:
Adam's Apple is a landmark project in Matthew Smoczynski's career - his first symphonic music album, presenting the two poles of his inspiration: the works of John Adams and Zbigniew Seifert. "From the beginning of my career, I was considered by many critics as a continuation of the path set by Seifert," Smoczynski said.
His debut album Inspirations was dedicated specifically to Seifert and Coltrane. The violinist has performed Seifert's concerto on several occasions - including being the soloist at the Polish premiere of the work in 2009 at the Krakow Philharmonic and in 2018 at the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra.
"Despite his great fascination with Seifert's game, composing Adam's Apple, I wanted to go in a completely different direction." - he explained.
The concerto is stylistically inspired by the music of John Adams, in particular the Violin Concerto, Harmonielehre, Naive and Sentimental Music and Piano Concerto. A meeting with Adams in Zurich in 2022 resulted in the handing over of the score and recording to him. A few months later, Adams himself approached Smoczynski in Reykjavik and said: "Wonderful composition."
The concert's title is a play on words - instead of Adams' Apple (Adams' Apple), it appears Adam's Apple, which brings to mind biblical connotations and the jazz classic by Wayne Shorter.
Mateusz Smoczynski is one of the most frequently touring Polish musicians abroad, co-founder of the Atom String Quartet, former member of the Turtle Island Quartet (winners of two Grammy awards). In May 2024, he signed a contract with Warner Music Poland.
The album with the Seifert and Smoczynski concert was released on July 5, 2024 by Warner Music Poland on LP and SACD/hybrid. The recording was made with the Chopin University Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Rafal Janiak and with the participation of outstanding jazzmen Dominik Wani, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miśkiewicz.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute was a partner of the Ora Jazz Festival concert. The event was organized as part of the Poland-Romania 2024-2025 Cultural Season.
