Sławomir Zubrzycki, Lilianna Stawarz - Viola Organista: Monologues & Dialogues (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Modo Hypodorico
02. Lachrimae Antiquae
03. La Rêveuse
04. Rondeau le Bijou
05. Les folies d'Espagne
06. Praeludium in D Minor
07. 12 Fantasias and 4 Pieces for Keyboard: No. 16, Carillon
08. Sonata No. 5 in G Major for 2 Keyboards, Op. 15 No. 5, W.A 21: I. Allegro
09. Sonata No. 5 in G Major for 2 Keyboards, Op. 15 No. 5, W.A 21: II. Tempo di minuetto
10. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: I. Allegro
11. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: II. Larghetto
12. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: III. Allegro ma non tanto

Polish pianist, claviolinist, composer, and instrument builder Sławomir Zubrzycki shares his new album 'Viola Organista: Monologues & Dialogues', a landmark recording that brings to life one of the most enigmatic inventions in the history of music: the viola organista, a long-forgotten bowed keyboard instrument originally sketched by Leonardo da Vinci. Produced by Nils Frahm at LEITER’s Funkhaus studio in Berlin, the album will be released on CD and across all digital platforms on October 24, 2025.
The album spans an ambitious cross-section of music from the 17th to 18th centuries, selected by Zubrzycki and Frahm to explore the full expressive and technical range of the viola organista. Highlights include Athanasius Kircher’s ‘Modo Hypodorico,’ written in the melancholic Hypodorian mode; John Dowland’s haunting ‘Lachrimae Antiquae;’ and Marin Marais’ lyrical ‘La Rêveuse’ and dazzling ‘Les folies d’Espagne.’ Works by Handel, Johann Christian Bach, and a mysterious Polish composer, Jan Podbielski, expand the sonic palette. The album closes with two prominent works: Johann Christian Bach’s ‘Sonata in G Major for 2 Keyboards’ and Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major,’ performed with renowned Polish harpsichordist Lilianna Stawarz. Her long-time artistic partnership with Zubrzycki brings warmth, precision, and spontaneity to this lively musical dialogue. These pieces reveal the viola organista not merely as a historical curiosity, but as a living, breathing instrument capable of complex expression.

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