Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959)
Variations sur un thème de Rossini, H 290

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Vocalise, op. 34 n° 14

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Salut d'amour, op. 12

Zygmunt Stojowski (1870-1946)
Romance sans paroles

Ludomir Rózycki (1883-1953)
Nocturne en fa dièse mineur, op. 30 n° 2

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Le Cygne, extrait de "Le Carnaval des Animaux", R 125

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Song of the Black Swan, W 122

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)/Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Prélude en si mineur, op. 1 n° 1

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Adagio & Allegro, op. 70

José Bragato (1915-2017)
Milontan

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Le Grand Tango
Ave Maria

Wladyslaw Zelenski (1837-1921)
Berceuse, op. 32

Cracow Duo

Jan Kalinowski, violoncelle
Marek Szlezer, piano

The album we present to you is a collection of instrumental miniatures and fragments of larger works, some of which are more widely known, while others are still waiting to be discovered. They come from different traditions, musical periods and countries. The common denominator is the flair and melodic invention of the composers, which makes the pieces easy to remember, associate them with a specific mood and then hum or listen for pure pleasure and relax. All of the pieces were performed on a cello accompanied by a piano in refreshing, interesting arrangements. Among the composers we will find various names. Apparently, they do not have much in common. Robert Schumann adjoins Astor Piazzola, Sergei Rachmaninoff – Bohuslav Martinu, Edward Elgar – Zygmunt Stojowski. We are dealing here with light miniatures as well as with the Adagio and Allegro, which is more serious, the stylised Tango by Astor Piazzola and a transcription of Karol Szymanowski’s work. Maybe this is the charm of this album – an encounter of artistic personalities and melodies created by them, immersed in various aesthetics. It is the beauty of the melody that is certainly common to them, expressed by various means, but always appealing to emotions, referring to the imagination, moving memories, evoking dreams. We owe the performance to two wonderful musicians associated with the Academy of Music in Cracow. Jan Kalinowski is an outstanding cellist, a graduate of higher education facilities in Poland, France and Germany, frequently performing under the direction of famous conductors and co-operating with world-renowned orchestras. Marek Szlezer plays the piano – a well-known and respected Polish pianist, also a graduate of higher education music institutions in Poland and abroad (France and Belgium). He has worked with numerous orchestras, recorded albums for various labels. Both artists perform music all over the world as the Cracow Duo, gaining international recognition.