Karol Rathaus: Chamber Works

Featuring

Aleksandra Hałat
Damian Lipień
Paweł Cal
Piotr Lato
Piotr Nowak
Marcin Hałat

Roksana Wardenga
Marcin Mączyński
Karol Rathaus Ensemble
Karol Rathaus

Did you know?

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Performer Biography

The Karol Rathaus Ensemble, which performs on this album, was granted special permission by the Rathaus family to use the composer's name.

Historical Context

Karol Rathaus's promising career in Berlin was cut short by the rise of the National Socialists, forcing him to leave Germany and eventually settle in the United States.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Karol Rathaus's broad horizons and thorough education are evident in his choice of diverse poets for his songs, including William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Emily Dickinson, and T.S. Eliot.

Recording & Production

Some of the compositions on this album, including Eine kleine Serenade, Op. 23, and Five Moods After American Poets, Op. 57, are world premiere recordings.

Historical Context

The music of 20th-century Polish exile composers, like Karol Rathaus, was marginalized for decades under communist rule in Poland, which suppressed information about art created outside the country.

Composer Biography

Karol Rathaus, a Polish composer of Jewish origin, was born in Ternopil when it was part of the Austrian Partition and studied in Vienna, leading to a blend of Central and Eastern European traditions in his music.