Violinist Kinga Augustyn's New Album, "Grażyna Bacewicz: A Portrait"

Released on Centaur Records, the album contains two world premiere recordings

 

Polish-American violinist Kinga Augustyn recently released her latest album, "Grażyna Bacewicz: A Portrait," on Centaur Records. The disc pairs all of Bacewicz's works for solo violin alongside several works for violin and piano, plus two works that have never been recorded before.

With the release of this album, Augustyn has become the first violinist to record a complete set of Bacewicz's works for solo violin — an honor that she takes very seriously.

"It is certainly a privilege and it makes me happy to bring to light this wonderful music by a great composer," she told The Violin Channel.

The works chosen for the album encompass a range of moods, scenes, and colors: the solo works frequently show off the violin's heroic virtuosity, while the violin-piano works are often more reflective and impressionistic.

Augustyn describes some of the solo works as "pretty 'masculine,' composed by a woman who did not have it easy (partially due to her gender and the political situation in Poland) and who fought for her place in society that would match the level of her ability and artistry."

She, therefore, chose to juxtapose the virtuosic solo works with more tender violin-piano duos, such as the evocative "Stained Glass" and the lilting "Lullaby."

"[Bacewicz's solo works] are so unique, creative and interesting that it just surprises me that they have not been played or heard much before," Augustyn told The Violin Channel.

"On the other hand, I have to admit that despite being born and raised in Poland I also hadn’t known much about Grażyna Bacewicz until about three years ago when I discovered her amazing musical world through the Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 (included on my previous album “Turning in Time”)."

"My goal for this album is to help bring more awareness to Grażyna Bacewicz’s music and to inspire others to explore and program her awesome works in concerts," she continued.

"I would love to see the content of this album (as well as many other of her works) become a part of frequently performed, standard repertoire. If my recording can play any part in stirring such an interest, I will be truly honored, as I am just very passionate about this music."

The album is available on all platforms, including Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify.