Grange Park Opera

ACCORDION ∙ BARTOSZ GLOWACKI

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Vivaldi probably wrote the four violin concerti, named the Four Seasons, in 1716-7. The manuscripts were sent to Vivaldi’s Bohemian patron, Count Wenzel von Morzin, whom he served from afar as maestro di musica in Italia.

In 1725, the concerti were sent to Amsterdam for publication by Estienne Roger’s family firm. He would advertise compositions in newspapers and offer a mail-order service across Europe.

It is unknown if the accompanying descriptive sonnets were written before or after the music. They appear as a preface to the solo violin part and in excerpts scattered about the orchestral parts.

Vivaldi wrote around 100 operas. At the time of the Four Seasons his operatic output included Arsilda Regina di Ponto, La costanza trionfante degl’amori e degl’odii, L’incoronazione di Dario, Tieteberga.

AUTUMN

Allegro
The peasant celebrates with songs and dances,
The pleasure of a generous harvest.
And fired up by Bacchus’ liquor,
they end the revelry in sleep.

Adagio molto
Everyone forgets their cares and sings and dances
In the cool pleasing air
The season invites us all
To sweetest slumber to fine enjoyment.

Allegro
The hunters emerge at dawn,
And with horns and dogs and guns
Their prey flees and they follow its trail;
Terrified and tired of the great noise
Of guns and dogs, the beast, wounded, tries to flee,
It struggles and dies.

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Bartosz plays an accordion by Pigini.

Bartosz was born in Brzozow, Poland. He won the 2009 Polish Young Musician of the Year and represented his country in the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Vienna, performing Mikolaj Majkusiak’s Concerto Classico with the ORF Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist Bartosz’ appearances include opera and orchestral repertoire at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Royal Albert Hall – BBC Proms, La Salle Cortot, National Theatre, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House and has played with London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. He has collaborated with many great musicians including Nigel Kennedy, Trevor Pinnock, Rob da Bank, Atom String Quartet, Meccorre String Quartet and Dave Maric.

Bartosz is an active chamber musician and a founding member of Deco Ensemble, featuring on their début album Encuentro of modern tango works. He released his CD Genesis in 2019 and Out of the Depths comes out later in the year featuring contemporary music by Magnus Lindberg, Luciano Berio, Sofia Gubaidulina and Vladislav Zolotaryov.

Bartosz studied with Profs Grzegorz Bednarczyk and Andrzej Smolik, graduating from Royal Academy of Music in 2016. He is a City Music Foundation Artist and was selected for the 2016 Open Space residency at Snape Maltings.

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“The coup de foudre was Bartosz Glowacki. By instinct, a solo accordion is not my top choice for a good night out. Life deals its shocks . . .  the young Pole creates a poignant and distinctive sound world.” Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

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