9/10
Małgorzata Zalewska, harp; Łukasz Długosz, flute; Kaja Mianowana, soprano; and Tomasz Strahl, cello. Orphee Classics, 2022.
The album takes its name from Guthman’s chamber suite The Traveler. Based on poems the composer wrote at the brink of middle age and at a time he was constantly on the road, the words reflect something deeper than a personal travelogue, instead taking cues from ancient philosophical texts. It’s a 13-part through-composed journey that touches down on all nine planets including earth, and offers words of wisdom and comfort like this from Mercury:
Be thou sure of what thee say
For what’s said once will be the day
To know thy thoughts, that they be gold
For they will land on young and old.
Zalewska is joined by a magnificent ensemble in flutist Łukasz Długosz with a gloriously glossy and luminous tone even during acrobatic shows of virtuosity, and cellist Tomasz Strahl who plays with a lyrical quality to die for, or at the very least, to cause even the toughest amongst us to weep. Soprano Kaja Mianowana sparkles as our vocal guide and as expected, Zalewska herself shepherds the ensemble in consummate storytelling. The only drawback is to not see the group live in action playing percussion. It’s a splendid journey with this traveler.
Also on the disc are two works for solo harp, Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz’s Triptych and Improvisation. Zalewska charms us with a flowing yet exacting cascade of arpeggios.
