Grażyna Bacewicz - Kaprys Polski (Polish Caprice) for Viola Solo

Viola: Kaya Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss
Audio recording, video editing and post: David G Weiss
Camera: Sam Henriques


Grażyna Bacewicz was born in Łódź, Poland. In 1928 she began studying at the Warsaw Conservatory, where she studied violin with Józef Jarzębski and piano with Józef Turczyński, and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski. She continued her education in Paris, having been granted a stipend by Ignacy Jan Paderewski to attend the École Normale de Musique, and studied there with Nadia Boulanger and with the Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.

After completing her studies, Bacewicz took part in numerous events as a soloist, composer, and jury member. From 1936 to 1938 she was the principal violinist of the Polish Radio Orchestra, which was directed then by Grzegorz Fitelberg. This position gave her the chance to hear much of her own music. During World War II, Grażyna Bacewicz lived in Warsaw. She continued to compose, and gave underground secret concerts (premiering her Suite for Two Violins among other works).

After the war, she took up the position of professor at the State Conservatoire of Music in Łódź. At this time she was shifting her musical activity towards composition, drawn by her many awards and commissions. Composition finally became her only occupation from 1954 until 1969 when she died.


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