Leśmian Couplets

for baritone and piano (2022)

A cycle of songs to chosen poems by Bolesław Leśmian. All the texts have a two-verse structure, which seems to have a deeper meaning. Ambiguity is a theme in itself.
Chosen poems are: Śmiercie (Deaths), Goryl (Gorilla), Dookoła klombu (Around the Bush), Gad (Reptile), Niewidzialni (Invisibles).

The piece was written for bass-bariton Tomasz Konieczny, on commission by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in 2022.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY:
PREMIERE: 9/11/2022 Festsaal Neues Schloss, Bad Muskau; Lausitz Festival; performers: Tomasz Konieczny, Lech Napierała
12/17/2022 Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera (Redutowe Rooms); performers: Tomasz Konieczny, Lech Napierała (Polish premiere. Performance was a part of the recital on the ocassion of Tomasz Konieczny's 25 years of operatic career)