The Viva Polonia! programme by the German-Polish musicians Ania Vegry (soprano), Roman Ohem (violin) and Oskar Jezior (piano) tells the story of the rich history of Poland. Songs and character pieces by nine Polish composers represent the arduous journey of the Polish people – from 1795 when the country vanished from maps until they regained independence in 1918. Spanning from the traditional to the modern, Viva Polonia! paints a musical portrait of Polish culture.

The programme of the album "Bajgelman. Get to Tango" intersperses pieces from the interwar period with music from the Łódź Ghetto. The story of Dawid Bajgelman’s life and work is told in the characteristic style and sound of Bester Quartet, made up of the leader’s (Jarek Bester’s) accordion, Dawid Lubowicz’s violin, Maciej Adamczak’s bass, and Ryszard Pałka’s percussion, and complemented by contributions from such eminent guest musicians as Krzysztof Lenczowski (cello), Michał Bylica (trumpet), and, perhaps most importantly, of leading Polishjazz singers: Grażyna Auguścik, Dorota Miśkiewicz, and Jorgos Skolias.

Early 1980s Polish hard rock, one of Poland's most important bands … the combination of straight up hard rock (kinda' like a Polish AC/DC) … to tinges of slightly darker material. For those who like native tongued rock TSA is the band…

Das SWR Vokalensemble gehört zu den besten Chören der Welt. Ein weiterer Baustein in der Serie mit Chorwerken aus verschiedenen Ländern. Sehr selten aufgeführte Werke von Szymanowski, Gorecki, Haubenstock-Ramati und Lutoslawski, den bedeutendsten polnischen Komponisten. Dass Polen besonders im 20. Jahrhundert so viele und so herausragende Komponisten hervorgebracht hat, ist angesichts der politischen Geschichte des Landes sehr überraschend. Nach dem 2. Weltkrieg und nach Stalins Tod brach sich auf dem Musikfestival 'Warschauer Herbst' 1956 die aufgestaute Kreativität Bahn und es präsentierte sich das ungeheure musikalische Potential des Landes einer erstaunten Weltöffentlichkeit.

Five centuries, seven languages, and six singers with 35 years of remarkable experience inform this rare collection of choral music. In the world-renowned King's Singers resplendent voices, ancient and modern choral music comes to life with all the blazing immediacy and timeliness of the gospel of the nativity. With 25 pieces of music–ranging from familiar works such as "Coventry Carol" to the obscure Tchaikovsky piece "The Crown of Roses"–the King's Singers move through this hallowed and festive set with the vocal mastery that only three-and-a-half decades of accomplished work together is capable of creating. A number of contemporary carols written in the last century by composers such as John McCabe, Philip Lawson, John Rutter, and others are balanced by pieces by Bach and a host of traditional works. Lawson's "You Are the New Day," performed with a string quartet, stands out as one of the more notable performances. Like most of their music throughout Christmas, it reminds listeners that the art of music often interprets divine aspects gladly realized here on Earth.

It took a few years for the members of Collage, Poland's neo-progressive rock bandwagon, to pick themselves up after the group's breakup in the mid-'90s. A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset can be considered as the group's rightful heir. Written almost completely by drummer Wojtek Szadkowski (who used to be Collage's main songwriter), the album is performed by a cast of ex-Collage musicians (some of them appearing as guests). Lead singer Robert Amirian plays the soft card, aiming for the dreamy seduction of Pendragon instead of the lung-heavy theatrics of Fish. It serves the songs right, as they tend to be on the unassertive side of things.

The concert recorded at the "Pop Session '77" festival in Sopot on July 26, 1977 is a real treat! After all, SBB is a trio (although in history, of course, the line-up has been expanded to include additional musicians, for example Sławek Piwowar), but SBB in… duo is not only a phenomenon, but an amazing challenge. This tape was found almost miraculously (hence, perhaps in the fragments of the recordings, the quality is slightly worse, but it is the only surviving recording of SBB as a duo).

This concert recorded on July 22, 1978 offers around 90 minutes of SBB at its best. Although you know a large part of the material and its presentation mainly from other appearances from the same year, anyone who deals more intensively with the Polish progressive rockers knows that there is always room for extensive improvisations. The trio Józef Skrzek (vocals, keyboards), Apostolis Anthimos (guitar, drums) and Jerzy Piotrowski (drums) relies above all on an extensive keyboard arsenal, a lot of atmosphere and sometimes fast-paced play, even the grandiose introduction with the indestructible instrumental "Walkin' Around The Stormy Bay" is picking up speed. 70s classics or longtracks such as "Ze Słowem Biegnę Do Ciebie", "Going Away" or "Follow My Dream" are presented on stage with much more energetic and playful passion…

Three of Szymanowski’s most important works show Rattle’s ability to energise music in which he believes. Sensuality and cogency blend in refined sound.