MENINAS DUO
"Without special expectations, I went there on a rainy winter's evening - and headed home after the concert in an absolutely flabbergasted state of spirit, because such a powerful, profoundly musical, and - If I may add - such a technically brilliant song/guitar duo us is indeed extremely rare to see.
But above all it must be mentioned that an ensemble playing so accurately and with such a unique devotion to the music and generating such a genuinely intense and pure joy of listening for the audience is a true rarity, - in fact I could not recall ever to have attended a finer evening of classical guitar and song."
Peter Strömgren,
director of Copenhagen Guitar Festival &
International Guitar Festival Aarhus
But above all it must be mentioned that an ensemble playing so accurately and with such a unique devotion to the music and generating such a genuinely intense and pure joy of listening for the audience is a true rarity, - in fact I could not recall ever to have attended a finer evening of classical guitar and song."
Peter Strömgren,
director of Copenhagen Guitar Festival &
International Guitar Festival Aarhus
ABOUT ENSEMBLE
Composed of opera singer Ewelina Koniec and guitarist Bianka Szalaty, Meninas Duo was founded in 2015 at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. The duo has performed at such festivals as 5th new Copenhagen Guitar Festival, 16th International Guitar Festival Aarhus, Guitar Academy 2017 Festival, Polish Culture Fest 2017 in Copenhagen, Folk Music Festival 2016 in Gorajec. This year Meninas Duo gave recitals in Moscow at the Russian-Polish Young Artists Festival and at the International Guitar Festival in Brno (Czech Republic). Recently, Meninas Duo has won the 3rd prize at the International Chamber Music Competition "Massimiliano Antonelli" in Latina, Italy. In May of 2019, the duo has been the 1st prize winner of the International Competition “Hommage a Niccolò Paganini” and also has been awarded with the special prize of composer Leo Brouwer. Thanks to that Meninas Duo has given a concert during the Società dei Concerti di Parma concert series “Un pizzico di luna” in Parma (Italy) and will perform also in the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin (Ireland) on 21.06.2020 and in Brescia during Parma OperArt in Castello di Padernello.
Ewelina Koniec graduated from St. Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk in the class of Ewa Marciniec as well as developed her vocal skills at Guidhall School of Music and Drama in London with Janice Chapman. Currently, she is studying with Trine Bastrup Møller in Copenhagen. Bianka Szalaty is an alumna of the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in the guitar class of Łukasz Kuropaczewski and currently is studying the prestigious Konzertexamen studies programme at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen (Germany). Their paths crossed at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where they studied under the tutelage of a member of Scandinavian Guitar Duo - Mr Per Pålsson.
Both artists had given solo recitals among others in Poland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Austria, Italy, Greece, and had been awarded with competition prizes and scholarships. Last year alone, Bianka Szalaty had been a prizewinner of contests in Tokyo, Parma, Antwerpen, Brno, Bratislava, Birštonas, Naples, Thessaloniki and Krynica-Zdrój. In addition to duo concertizing, Ewelina Koniec is an active opera singer performing in various projects with National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Cracow Chamber Opera House, Europa Choir Akademie and Nymphea Vocal Ensemble.
The duo is a combination of warm mezzosoprano tone and traditional classical guitar timbre. Present repertoire comprises classical arrangements of traditional Spanish and Polish folk songs, English renaissance music, American and Cuban contemporary works as well as jazzy standards of Jobim, Sinatra, Armstrong, Stewart. A notable part of the duo repertoire is transcribed by Bianka, which makes their interpretations authentic and personalized.
Ewelina Koniec graduated from St. Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk in the class of Ewa Marciniec as well as developed her vocal skills at Guidhall School of Music and Drama in London with Janice Chapman. Currently, she is studying with Trine Bastrup Møller in Copenhagen. Bianka Szalaty is an alumna of the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in the guitar class of Łukasz Kuropaczewski and currently is studying the prestigious Konzertexamen studies programme at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen (Germany). Their paths crossed at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where they studied under the tutelage of a member of Scandinavian Guitar Duo - Mr Per Pålsson.
Both artists had given solo recitals among others in Poland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Austria, Italy, Greece, and had been awarded with competition prizes and scholarships. Last year alone, Bianka Szalaty had been a prizewinner of contests in Tokyo, Parma, Antwerpen, Brno, Bratislava, Birštonas, Naples, Thessaloniki and Krynica-Zdrój. In addition to duo concertizing, Ewelina Koniec is an active opera singer performing in various projects with National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Cracow Chamber Opera House, Europa Choir Akademie and Nymphea Vocal Ensemble.
The duo is a combination of warm mezzosoprano tone and traditional classical guitar timbre. Present repertoire comprises classical arrangements of traditional Spanish and Polish folk songs, English renaissance music, American and Cuban contemporary works as well as jazzy standards of Jobim, Sinatra, Armstrong, Stewart. A notable part of the duo repertoire is transcribed by Bianka, which makes their interpretations authentic and personalized.
REPERTOIRE
SPANISH & LATINOAMERICAN
- Manuel de Falla: El amor brujo (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Manuel de Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas
- Federico García Lorca: Canciones españolas antiguas
- Fernando Obradors: Canciones clásicas españolas: La mi sola Laureola, Del cabello mas sutil, El Vito (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Joaquin Rodrigo: Tres canciones españolas
- Geronimo Gimenez: Zapateado from La Tempranica (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Fernando Sor: a selection of songs from Seguidillas
- L. Brouwer: El Cantar de los Cantares from Canciones Amatorias
ENGLISH
- John Dowland: a selection of songs from The first and the second book of songs (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Benjamin Britten: Cabaret Songs (tr. Szalaty)
AMERICAN
- L. Bernstein: I hate music! A Cycle of Five Kid Songs (tr. B. Szalaty)
POLISH
- Romuald Twardowski: Seven folk songs (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Stanisław Moniuszko: Kozak, Dumka, Złota rybka, Dalibóg!, Dziad i baba (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Karol Szymanowski: Lecioły zórazie, Uwoz mamo, Zarzyjze kuniu from Kurpian Songs
FRENCH
- Francois Poulenc: Le courte paille (tr. B. Szalaty)
- Georges Bizet: Seguidilla from Carmen (tr. M. Bergstrom)
ITALIAN
- Giacomo Puccini: E l'uccellino, Terra e mare
- Gioacchino Rossini: Anzoleta dopo la regata, La danza. Tarantella, Canzonetta spagnuola
- Vincenzo Bellini: Malinconia ninfa gentile
- Gaetano Donizetti: Me voglio fa'na casa
- Alessandro Parisotti: Se tu m'ami
- Francesco Cavalli: Delizie contente
- Antonio Vivaldi: Qual favellar? Andero, volero, gridero from L'Orlando Finto Pazzo