The Friends of Chopin Australia is very proud to present the return visit to Canberra of exceptional Polish pianist Rafał Łuszczewski.
On the occasion of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU, Rafał is delighting us with a rousing program celebrating Polish virtuosity.
This distinguished performer and educator will astound us with the technical brilliance and the beauty of Chopin’s etudes, two of Ignaz Friedman’s pieces from his Suite “The Masks”, and Paderewski’s famous “Minuet in G”.
But the crowning glory of this recital is a performance for solo piano of Richard Addinsall’s Warsaw Concerto (this version written by Rafał himself).
Written for the 1941 British war film ‘Dangerous Moonlight’ which is about the Polish struggle against the 1939 invasion by Nazi Germany, this piece very quickly became a popular hit and sold in the millions. The concerto is written in imitation of the style of Sergei Rachmaninoff, and it initiated a trend for similar short piano concertos in the Romantic style, which have been dubbed “tabloid concertos” written for performance in movies. One commentator has suggested that the Warsaw Concerto is the most significant instrumental work written in Britain during the war, still conjuring up a time and place better than any other piece. In his 1994 appearance on Desert Island Discs, Guy Gibson, the leader of the Dambusters raid, asked for it as his first choice.
Join us for this now seldom played nostalgic favourite, and many more memorable and virtuosic show-stoppers.
‘Virtuoso Poland’
WHAT: Rafał Łuszczewski in Recital
WHEN: Thursday, 1 May 2025, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
LOCATION: Wesley Music Centre, Forrest ACT 2603
To Book Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/virtuoso-poland-rafal-luszczewski-in-recit-tickets-214844
BOOK TICKETS NOW
Don’t delay — Tickets are limited.
Artist Biography
Rafał Łuszczewski’s international carreer commenced at the age of 16, with his successful debut alongside the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Since 2003, he has been listed as a Steinway Artist on the “Steinway & Sons Artists’ Roster” in NYC. A roster which features the world’s finest pianists.
His notable activity spanning over 25 years has taken him to many of the world’s premium venues, such as Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), the UN Palace of the Nations (Geneva), National Philharmonic (Warsaw), the Palau da Musica (Barcelona), the Victoria Concert Hall (Singapore), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Sala Cecilia Meirelles (Rio de Janeiro), Teatro Solis (Montevideo), Linder Auditorium (Johannesburg), to name just a few. He has also performed in Australia prime theatres, such as Verbrugghen Hall, Melba Hall, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canberra.
He has also starred in many renowned music festivals around the world, including: Lucerne Festival (Switzerland); Chopin and his Europe (Poland); Oraniensteiner (Germany); Primavera Viseu (Portugal), l’Octobre Musicale (Tunisia); Cervantino (Mexico), Chopiniana (Buenos Aires) and more.
Rafał holds the MD in Arts from “Szymanowski” Music University in Poland and the DMA from “F.Liszt” Music University in Germany. He is also a prize winner of numerous international competitions including: Clara Schumann (Duesseldorf), Maria Canals (Barcelona), Luis Sigall (Chile) and the UNESCO Dinu Lipatti (Bucharest).
Rafał is regarded as a genuine interpreter of Chopin’s works. His discography features 10 CDs released by Polish Radio, Montblanc GmbH, Canyon Classics, DUX Recording Producers. He also recorded for NPR, Australian Broadcast Corporation, Fujisankei Group (Japan). The last CD featuring the Chopin Complete Ballades received laudations from music authorities and critics in professional music magazines in Luxembourg and Great Britain.
Rafał possesses a versatile repertoire of more than 30 concertos for piano and orchestra. He has appeared with leading symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and RSA.
Rafał was appointed Honorary Professor to the National University of Costa Rica, and has been a guest professor at universities in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China and throughout Latin America.
Rafał is also founder and Juror of Chopin piano competitions in Peru and Ecuador.
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