SIMON LAKS (1901-1983): Complete Works for Voice and Piano - 5 Songs on Poems by Julian Tuwim, 8 Jewish Folk Songs, 3 Poèmes chantés, 4 Songs on Words by Tadeusz Śliwiak and 24 more miscellaneous songs.

Description: Generally speaking, Laks followed the stylistic tendencies of the French Group des Six and Tansman, Martinu, Tcherepnin, Marcel Mihalovici and Conrad Beck and all but two of these songs set texts of 20th century authors, many of which deal with anti-Semitism with Laks himself referring a few times to Auschwitz (where he was leader of the camp orchestra). Owing to the outstanding quality of the music as well as of the Polish and French texts, but above all against the background of the experiences that flowed into them and make them a testimony to deeply moving humanism, these works deserve a special place in the musical history of the twentieth century. No texts. Ania Vegry (soprano), Katarzyna Wasiak (piano).