With Farewells, Warsaw-born countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski, joined by pianist Michal Biel, offers a panorama of Polish song. Often nostalgic in spirit, the program of the album spans 150 frequently turbulent years. “Michal and I started exploring the Polish art song repertoire when we were at the Juilliard School in New York,” explains Orlinski, whose recordings until now have focused on the baroque era. “As a Polish duo we love to present Polish music to our public. I know that no language can present a barrier when it’s set to music. I believe that music builds bridges and I am sure that those songs will get under the listener’s skin.” The album takes its name from a triptych of songs written in 1948 by Henryk Czyz, who joins five other composers on the program: Stanislaw Moniuszko (known as the 19th century’s father of Polish opera), Karol Szymanowski (recognized around the world as a major post-Romantic composer), Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, Tadeusz Baird and Pawel Lukaszewski, a leading figure in contemporary Polish music.

Vitezslava Kaprálová captivates with her imaginative and courageous compositional style, a depth and maturity already in her early works, which do not suggest a young woman, but one who looks back on a long and experienced life and sums it up. For all her maturity, she never loses a certain twinkle in her eye, her youthful enthusiasm, a moment of lightness and confidence that transcends any suffering. It is worth dedicating not only one CD to this composer but many years of digging deeper and deeper, in the desire to be able to contemplate her cosmos of colors in all its complexity.