Joanna Mądroszkiewicz
M ą D R O S T K A
VIOLIN
"Bach--heart and soul"... German Magazine Der Spiegel on Joanna Mądroszkiewicz’s recording of the complete solo violin sonatas.
Joanna Mądroszkiewicz was a phenomenon as a child in her native Poland where she was described as "absolutely exceptional and a violin virtuoso of unlimited talent". She made her debut with the National Philharmonic Warsaw in 1977 and a spectacular career followed, marked by formal recognition (Grand Prize as Poland’s best young artist in 1977, several competition prizes, including "Paganini-Genoa", "Wienawski-Lublin", "Concertino-Prague") and performances in all the leading concert halls in Poland. This came to an abrupt end in 1981 when she emigrated to Austria only months before the imposition of martial law. She made her Austrian debut in the Vienna "Konzerthaus" on 14 December 1981 to an enthusiastic reception. This was followed by engagements throughout Austria, appearances in major halls across Europe and overseas as well as collaborations with outstanding orchestras, conductors and pianists.
Joanna Mądroszkiewicz studied with Zygmunt Walter and Stefan Herman in Poland, Günter Pichler in Vienna and Arthur Grumiaux in Belgium. From them she has synthesized her own unique style in which virtuoso playing is not merely brilliant technique, but the basis for reconciling the apparent opposites of passionate emotion and rich poetic colour with the structures of chamber music. She also employs the legendary Bronsilaw Hubermann’s fascinating and characteristic techniques transmitted through Stefan Herman, one of Hubermann’s rare students. This style has enabled her to develop an enormously broad and growing repertoire. Thus, for instance, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1998 with the Vienna Philharmonic playing Kurt Weill’s Violin Concerto, an exceptional rarity in the concert hall. Die Presse (11August 1998) commented, "...sensitive string playing, a poetic dialogue with the wonderful accompanying orchestra, sparkling, and witty virtuosity."
Her commitment to making Polish violin literature better known throughout the world and to showing rarely performed violin works in a new and unusual light led to her being called an "icon among the violin virtuoso of our time". Thus her interpretation of the violin works of Karol Szymanowski (most recently with Vienna Symphony Orchestra) was regarded by music connoisseurs as exemplary.
In 1992 she began a series of programs which she calls "Dialogue" designed to use music as bridge towards intercultural understanding and bring Polish music to a wider world. A significant example was her dialogue with the musical richness of Judaism (one of her Dialogue programs was presented at the B’nai B’rith Festival in London). "Against cultural one-sightedness", said Fono Forum 2/93 (EMI Classics "Dialog" 7 54639-2), while the Illustrierte Neue Welt of February 1994 added, "an excellent musical performance together with a constant effort to use music as a means of understanding among peoples from different cultures."
This activity on behalf of Polish music and international understanding aroused interest outside the music world and in 1994 led to awarding her the Officer ’s Cross for Services to the Republic of Poland.
Cultural understanding between Germany and Poland has also been consistent theme in her work. For instance, she performed for the German and Polish presidents during their goodwill meeting in Darmstadt in June 2005.
Joanna Mądroszkiewicz’s commitment to Polish music is exemplified in several of her recordings.
Her CD of the works of Henryk Wieniawski ("Wieniawski-Polonaise brillante" MDG 603 0863-2) remains today the "class act in violin virtuosity" (Klassik heute 6/99) and her 2005 CD is also devoted to a Polish theme: transcriptions for violin and piano of some of Chopin’s most beautiful compositions (Chopin arrangements by MDG 603 1296-2). They constitute another addition to her mosaic of unusual ideas in repertoire. Karl Löbl wrote of this recording (Kurier, 01 May 2005), "A valuable encounter! This excellent violinist interprets the waltzes and mazurkas with virtuosic elegance, the nocturnes, so to speak, as shadowed, gloomy night pieces...". The recording is also recommended by Central German Radio (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk).
But for all her love of the music of her native land, Joanna Mądroszkiewicz has made the great classics of music and the discoveries of the moderns the core of her repertoire. Her 2005 live recording with pianist Barbara Moser "Hommage to Mozart" (Gramola 987 51) earned her the "Wiener Flötenuhr" and her newest live recording is devoted to the violin works of the Austrian composer Egon Wellesz.