November 16, 2025 (Sunday) 7:00 p.m.

Pianoforte vs. Harpsichord – a concert on historical keyboard instruments

The Aula Magna of the Branicki Palace

Watch on-line:

Performers:

Katarzyna Drogosz (pianoforte),
The Period Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera Capella Regia Polona,
Krzysztof Garstka — Harpsichord/Conductor

Schedule (.pdf)

Event description:

The "Pianoforte vs. Harpsichord" concert is a unique encounter with 18th-century music performed by distinguished artists specializing in interpretation on period keyboard instruments. Katarzyna Drogosz will perform on stage at the period piano, and Capella Regia Polona – the Period Instrument Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera, under the direction of Krzysztof Garstka, will lead the harpsichord orchestra.

The evening's program showcases the fascinating evolution of the galant style and early classicism, presenting works by masters of the era – Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – as well as the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It also juxtaposes the sounds of two historical instruments – harpsichord and fortepiano. The concert will open with J. Ch. Bach's Concerto in F minor, full of elegance and virtuosity, showcasing the harpsichord as a solo instrument. This will be followed by the expressive Sinfonia in B minor by C. Ph. E. Bach, in which drama and subtlety coexist in a harmonious dialogue. The next highlight will be Mozart's Concerto in D major, KV 107, inspired by the work of Johann Christian Bach and capturing the spirit of youthful classicism. This will be followed by another sinfonia by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – this time in the key of B flat major, characterized by extraordinary lightness and finesse. The highlight of the evening will be the rarely performed Concerto in E-flat major, Wq. 47 for harpsichord, pianoforte and orchestra, which will allow you to hear the dialogue of two historical instruments in a brilliant concert form.

"Pianoforte vs. Harpsichord" is not just a duel of sounds, but also a fascinating journey through time, showcasing the richness and diversity of 18th-century music. This concert will be a true treat for lovers of early music and a unique experience for all who long to hear its original sound.

Program:

J. Ch. Bach – Koncert na klawesyn I orkiestrę f-moll, W. C73 –
Allegro di molto | Andante | Prestissimo
C. Ph. E. Bach – Sinfonia h-moll, Wq. 182/5 – Allegretto | Larghetto | Presto
W. A. Mozart – Koncert na pianoforte I orkiestrę D-dur, KV. 107 (na podstawie koncertu J. Ch. Bacha) – Allegro | Andante | Tempo di Minuetto
C. Ph. E. Bach – Sinfonia B-dur, Wq. 182/2 – Allegro di molto | Poco adagio | Presto
C. Ph. E. Bach – Koncert na klawesyn, pianoforte I orkiestrę Es-dur, Wq. 47 – Allegro di molto | Larghetto | Presto

DILETTO - Early Music Ensemble

Katarzyna Drogosz

A native of Warsaw, she has been associated with southern Poland since 2010, teaching at music academies in Katowice and Krakow. Vintage pianos have accompanied her artistic journey since her studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she began after graduating from the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw in 2001. Since then, she has been performing continuously, promoting knowledge of vintage pianos and historical performance practice, and curating a constantly growing collection of historical keyboard instruments. In her artistic work, she particularly values chamber music. She collaborates with the Arte dei Suonatori ensemble and co-founds the Trio Laflamme and Compass Trio. She also accompanies vocalists in song recitals, having collaborated with Marta Boberska (soprano), Jan van Elsacker (tenor), Karol Kozłowski (tenor), and Dawid Biwo (bass), among others. She has given solo recitals with, among others, at the Bach Festival in Świdnica, the Early Music Festival in Stary Sącz, and the Chopiniana festival. Her chamber music work has taken her to the International Early Music Festival in Herne, the Mozartfest in Würzburg, the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, the Schlessische Musikfeste in Görlitz and Jawor, and the Trigonale festival in Klagenfurt. As a soloist with orchestra, she has performed numerous times in Warsaw at the Mozart Festival, in concerts in Krakow with Capella Cracoviensis, in Olomouc and Kalisz with Conventus Quator, and in Wrocław with the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. Throughout her career, she was accompanied by her own pianos, but she also values contact with original historical instruments preserved in museums and collections. Performances at the Neumeyer-Junghanns-Tracey Collection in Bad Krozingen, the Gerstlhaus Museum in Schenkenfelden, and the "Musik in der Praxis" series in Vienna were particularly rewarding. She also counts recordings as important experiences. The result is two albums nominated for "Fryderyk" awards: solo music by Franz Xaver Mozart and music for cello and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven in a duet with Jarosław Thiel (CD Accord). Other chamber recordings include the complete Songs of Fryderyk Chopin with Hana Blazikova (NIFC), the trios of Weber, Czerny, and Kuhlau with Trio Laflamme (Coviello Classics) and the "Warsaw Music Salon" with the Arte dei Suonatori Piano Quartet (CD Accord).

He conducts workshops in music schools and also teaches at master classes – in the past, among others, at the Varmia Musica Academia in Lidzbark Warmiński, and more recently at the Arte dei Suonatori Masterclasses in Radziejowice and at the International Music Course in Opole.

Krzysztof Garstka

A harpsichordist and teacher, he is both passionate and professionally involved with the world of early opera and 17th- and 18th-century vocal-instrumental music. Fascinated by opera since his student days, he developed his passion for vocal music through contact and collaboration with leading Polish vocalists – Olga Pasiecznik, Anna Radziejewska, Jadwiga Rappé, and Artur Stefanowicz. He took his first steps in conducting ensembles with the period instrument orchestra Gradus ad Parnassum, which he founded, and with which he has produced opera productions such as La Serva Padrona Giovanniego Battisty Pergolesiego, Il Coronazione di Poppea Claudio Monteverdi and Aci, Galatea e Polifemo George Frideric Handel. As a founding member of the association Dramma per Musica Every year he takes an active part in subsequent editions of the Baroque Opera Festival in Warsaw.

In 2018, he earned his doctorate from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, where he works as an assistant professor in the Department of Organ and Harpsichord. He also completed harpsichord studies at the Warsaw university, where he studied with Alina Ratkowska and Leszek Kędracki. He also completed postgraduate studies with Andrea Marcon at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland) and received an Erasmus-Socrates scholarship, which included six months of study under the supervision of Eva Maria Polerus and Michael Hell at the University of Music and Darstellende Kunst in Graz, Austria. He has participated in master classes led by Jesper Christensen, Marieke Spaans, and Nicholas Parle.

He has received several awards at harpsichord competitions, including first prize at the 1st National Academic Harpsichord Competition in Poznań (2009), a distinction at the Prague Spring competition (Prazskie Jaro, 2017), and third prize at the 17th Paola Bernardi Harpsichord Competition in Bologna (2017).

In 2018, he took up the position of music director of the Period Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera Capella Regia Polona. With this ensemble, he conducted, among others, a number of opera performances (Rodelinda Georga Friedricha Händla, L’Orfeo Claudio Monteverdiego, Scene Buffe Alessandro Scarlattiego, Dido and Aeneas Henry’ego Purcella) oraz koncertów oratoryjno-kantatowych i instrumentalnych.

The Period Instruments Ensemble of the Polish Royal Opera Capella Regia Polona

It was established in September 2018. The ensemble's repertoire encompasses Polish and European Baroque music – oratorios, cantatas, operas, and instrumental music. The ensemble comprises young and talented instrumentalists specializing in early music performance, playing on period instruments or their replicas. The musicians collaborate with both leading Polish and international ensembles. Harpsichordist Krzysztof Garstka serves as the ensemble's musical director.