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Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa's Il Tempo Passa Released by ANAKLASIS

May. 31, 2024

Time passes constantly, changing the world and its soundscape around us. The title of Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa's Il Tempo Passa may be both a reflection on the impermanence of life, the world, and everything around us, as well as a sage advisory to enjoy the moment. This latest album, released by ANAKLASIS as part of their "PORTRAITS" series, presents Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa’s chamber and symphonic works from recent years and was released on May 28, 2024, the composer’s 75th birthday.

After retiring in 2018 following many years of hard work on behalf of Polish musical culture, Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa undertook composing. Her work does not express despair, rebellion against fate, or the passing of time. Rather, for Wnuk-Nazarowa, music becomes a pretext to express consent to the inevitable and to fondly remember what has happened in life so far. The album’s title perfectly reflects the moods present in the songs and the attitude of its author – full of respect for tradition, with a note of nostalgia, looking at her own life and musical experiences.

Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa’s professional life has consisted of a long series of challenges and successes, and she is well-known for her achievements in the fields of education, management, and politics. Wnuk-Nazarowa was, among other things, the head of the Kracow Philharmonic, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) in Katowice, and (in 1997–1999) Minister of Culture. Thus, it is all the more surprising that she has still found time and energy for creative work – for she is, first and foremost, an outstanding composer and conductor.

The album Il Tempo Passa comprises a selection of works for chamber and symphony orchestras, primarily her most recent compositions. These include the Skylark Concerto for amplified harpsichord and chamber orchestra, dedicated to the memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (first performed in September 2023), the only slightly earlier Il tempo passa, Passacaglia for large symphony orchestra (a birthday present for Elżbieta Penderecka and at the same time a tribute to her husband), as well as the diptych Don’t Look Back! Orpheus and Euridice and Lot and Lot’s Wife for two solo flutes and chamber orchestra. Only one piece in the album’s program, Goodbye to the Mediterranean. An Attempt at a Reconstruction for two guitars and orchestra, dates back to the year 1986.

Well-known soloists and ensembles were engaged to record the album: The Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yaroslav Shemet, The Silesian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Piotr Pławner and soloists: harpsichordist Aleksandra Gajecka-Antosiewicz, harpist Agnieszka Kaczmarek-Bialic, flautists Łukasz Długosz and Agata Kielar-Długosz, child soprano Bartłomiej Duda, and guitarists Marek Nosal and Jakub Moroziński.

The album’s premiere took place during a birthday gala with the composer at the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice. PWM Edition was the co-organizer of the event and is the publisher of Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa’s compositions. Click here to learn more and order the album.

To learn more about Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa, visit pwm.com.pl.

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