Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska – Viola, Wojciech Pyrć – Piano

During the war, remaining in hiding was a necessity; after the war, it became a survival strategy. Concealing oneself under a different identity, seeking refuge in another country, and severing all ties with the past offered a chance for a new beginning. In this new life, it was possible to start over and escape the shadow cast by the past. Such escapes are the subject of the album “Escape from the Shadows” by Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska and Wojciech Pyrć.

Since 2019, the artists have been engaged in musicological research focused on 19th- and 20th-century Polish musical literature. As a result, they uncovered editions and manuscripts of works by composers who, for various reasons, were unable to continue their artistic paths in Poland but who remained connected to the country. By restoring forgotten and rarely performed works of Polish viola literature by Jewish composers to the concert repertoire, Aleksandra Demowska-Madejska also arranged for viola compositions previously known only in cello or violin versions.

The album features works by Aleksandr Weprik, Mieczysław Weinberg, Karol Rathaus, Jerzy Fitelberg, and Ignacy Friedman. Alongside them is the remarkable “Sonata for Viola and Piano” by Eta Tyrmand — a Jewish woman born in Warsaw, a Pole, a student of the Warsaw Conservatory, considered the first Belarusian female composer. The piece, in its original version, was discovered in Minsk, and its release on “Escape from the Shadows” marks its world premiere recording.
The album “Escape from the Shadows” was released by the Warsaw Branch of the Polish Artists’ Association and Orphée Classics, with the support of a grant from ZAIKS. It is available on the most popular streaming platforms and on YouTube.

Eta Tyrmand – Sonata for Viola and Piano (1967)
I Andante
II Andante non troppo
III Allegro ma non troppo

Aleksander Weprik – Kaddish op. 6 (1925)

Mieczysław Wajnberg – Sonata for Viola and Piano op. 28 (1945/2008)
I Allegro
II Allegretto
III Adagio

Karol Rathaus – Rapsodia Notturna op. 66 (1950) (arr.: A. Demowska-Madejska)

Jerzy Fitelberg – Serenada (1943)

Ignacy Friedman – Romance op. 32 (1910) (arr.: A. Demowska-Madejska)

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Financial support and patrons:
Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Muzyków
POLMIC.PL – Polskie Centrum Informacji Muzycznej
POLIN – Museum of History of Polish Jews
Instytut Mieczysława Wajnberga
Yidisher Kunst-Institut

Cat. No OC250501
Recording producer – Michał Bereza

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