"Professor Wanda Wi³komirska was our inspiration throughout our music lives. We knew about her listening to her extraordinary performances countless times in Poland. I personally had the pleasure to play with Wanda as a young student working in the orchestra. Fantastic memories from these times and full of expectations and inspirations for musicians are countles."

Stan continued: "A very modest Maestra Wi³komirska has always been extremely friendly with other musicians, always opened for any music ideas and suggestions, and has an extraordinary lovely human touch for everyone. Each performance, chamber music or solo concertos with orchestra, has left an impact on everyone. The impact on me – was to go home and immediately practice on my fiddle. Wanda also taught us to love the music of Szymanowski. Today, if any musician talks about Szymanowski, Wanda’s name comes naturaly into the conversation. As well, the name Wi³komirska conjures us to think about Szymanowski. It is like an unseperatable pair for the last six decades!"

Stan talked then how his wife Monika was inspired by Wanda. "Although, my wife’s parents are not musicians the name Wi³komirska was heard in her family home from her early years. Before attending any concert of Wanda or listening on the radio, Monika would always hear about the Maestra and her whole musical family, siblings – all great musicians. Monika's piano teacher at the Conservatorium of Music in Poland, was herself an ex-student of Wanda’s sister – Maria Wi³komirska, a great pianist. This teacher also introduced Monika to Szymanowski’s piano works. A published music book by Wanda’s brother – Kazimierz Wi³komirski – was received by Monika as an award during her music studies at the Conservatorium."

Stan also said that his friend Nigel Kenenedy is also a big fan of Wanda. "Once we started to talk about Wanda as a extraordinary violinist virtuoso and an exceptionally warm person, we found ourselves carrying on about her persona till early morning hours. She inspired him in his early twenties with recordings of Wanda and Barbiroli, Kletzki, etc."

Stan Kornel with Maestra Wanda Wilkomirska. Photo Zbig Brodka

And then he concluded: "As you can hear, we had a long and spiritual journey with Wanda in our music making life. Coming to Australia, facing a new and very different busy life – jugling between kids, nappies and practicing, playing in the orchestra, we lost contact with the Polish music scene and Polish musicians. One day, my great friend and conductor from Atlanta in the USA visited us and as a gift he brought me a book published in the USA in 1997 written by another violinist, Henry Roth called Violin Virtuosos - From Paganini to the 21st Century. It is a fantastic collection about all great violinists, with their photos, biographies and achievements with a chapter devoted to women violin virtuoso."

And be prepared for a shocking surprise. As Stan said: " My first quick look was to find Wanda and to our huge astonishment we found the wrong date of her birth and .....her death in 1992! We looked with sadness at each other to find out how very isolated we are here from the rest of the world and to miss out on this horrible news! A few years later we met personally Wanda here in Australia, very much alive and full of her typical vibrant energy and lovely character. By the way, the author did appologise for his mistake and promised to fix this in the new edition, but unfortunately he himself...died."

After the speeches and a short concert of music played by Monika and Stan Kornel & Hans-Dieter Michatz we had been invited to a little party with red and white wine, happy to chat on that rainy night... And then drove home to listen to "Baroquen Path" and enjoying it all tremendously. All. From Bach to Piazzolla.

(ESK)

Jubileusz legendarnej skrzypaczki

Listen to this lively sample of the "Ground after the Scotch Humor" by N. Matteis

Listen to a sample of "Cafe" by A. Piazzolla... and then buy yourself the Baroquen Path CD