Paweł Kowalski
(Poland)
Languages: Polish, English
Pawel Kowalski has made his debut in Warsaw playing the Piano Concerto by Witold LutosÅ‚awski with the composer on the conductor’s platform. It was the second performance of the work after the world premiere given by Krystian Zimerman.
PaweÅ‚ studied piano in Cologne, Warsaw and Vancouver on a personal grant from Witold LutosÅ‚awski. He is one of Poland’s most versatile musicians playing works for piano and orchestra by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Paderewski, Saint Saens, Ravel, Poulenc, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Gershwin, Szymanowski, Górecki, Kilar, Panufnik and Szpilman as well as diverse recital programmes, major works of chamber music and jazz.
Pawel Kowalski performed in forty countries on four continents including at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Tonhalle in Zurich, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Royal Conservatory in Brussels, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Musica in Valencia, George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest, Estonia Concert Hall in Tallin, at the BBC Polish Season in London, Europalia International Arts Festival in Brussels, Carinthischer Sommer, Klavierfestival Ruhr, the Budapest Spring Festival, Warsaw Autumn, International Chopin Festivals in Warsaw, Duszniki, Antonin, Marianske Lazne and Gaming and many others. He has made CD recordings with works by Chopin, Beethoven, Brahms, Zarębski and Panufnik as well as recordings for radio and television around Europe. He was invited to the jury of six international piano competitions and gained enormous popularity by working as TV -expert during the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2015 and 2021.
In recent seasons Pawel played recitals at the Palau de la musica catalana in Barcelona, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, at the Chopin au Gardin Festival in Paris, at the Chopin Festival in Geneva, at the Konex Festival in Buenos Aires, he performed concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Gershwin and LutosÅ‚awski with the Polish Orchestra Sinfonia Iuventus, Ravel with Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, Chopin with the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue with Warsaw Philharmonic, the Piano Concerto by Wojciech Kilar with the Polish National Radio Symphony, Szymanowski’s Symphonie concertante at the inauguration of the National Piano Festival as well Prometheus – Poem of Fire and the Piano Concerto by Alexander Scriabin.
‘In Mr. Kowalski I found very a fine performer of my Concerto. He is a very talented pianist and a highly intelligent musician.’
Witold Lutosławski
“I’m strongly impressed by his playing which is charecterized by great musicality, sensitivity and perfect technique”
Andrzej Panufnik
‘I was tremendously impressed and moved by this wonderful pianist and wonderful musician, by his command of the keyboard, his deep insight into the music and his gifts of profound understanding and communication. This marvellous pianist has fulfilled his human and musical potential and his memory is such that he has a very large repertoire at his command.’
Yehudi Menuhin