Chopin University Press - À Kalergis (2023) Hi-Res

The album À Kalergis is Monika Quinn's original idea. It presents piano compositions by 19th-century composers (Theodor Kullak, Carl Tausig, Ferenc Liszt, Józef Nowakowski, Kazimierz Lubomirski and Alexander Dreyschock) dedicated to Countess Maria Kalergis - a talented student of Chopin, one of the most important figures of 19th-century art salons in Europe, a generous patron of art. Her Paris salon gathered famous artists and influential figures from the world of politics. When she moved to Warsaw, she promoted Polish composers and local musical institutions.

Most of the songs on the album are premiere phonographic recordings. In this respect, the album fits into the idea of popularizing forgotten music of the Romantic era.

“Monika Quinn's interpretation of piano compositions from the 19th century and collecting them on CD is an absolutely successful undertaking. The collection of works perpetuates the memory of outstanding pianists of the Romantic era, their technique and playing style, but also proves their compositional skills. The anthology of musical dedications also recalls the fascinating, magnetic personality of a lady of the Romantic era, around whom outstanding artists of that time gathered. By writing "for Kalergis" on the scores of their virtuoso and lyrical works, they not only commemorated the achievements and merits of artists' patronage. However, today's music recipients were given the opportunity to be transported to an artistic salon from the 19th century, so that they could hear the reverberations of the past years" (Mieczysława Demska-Trębacz).