Tamara Granat

 

The founder and leader of Duo Granat. Over the course of her career, she has recorded 13 albums, 12 DVDs and numerous pieces for the Polish Radio and Television. She has also performed in various European countries, in the USA (Kennedy Center – 1991, Lincoln Center – 2005), in Russia (International Piano Duo Festival in Yekaterinburg – 1991) and Indonesia (2000).

 

Duo Granat hasperformed on several occasions at the National Philharomic in Poland (1996, 2001, 2011, 2013). Together with the NOSPR orchestra in Katowice, the duo recorded Mozart’s E-flat Major concerto and various pieces by 20th century comoposers. The duo has performed alongside conductors from all over the world, including: Jan Krenz, Andriej Boreyko, Wojciech Michniewski, Mika Eichenholz, Wojciech Rajski, Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Adam Klocek, Gerardo Estrada, José Maria Florencio and together with the following international orchestras: Sinfonia Varsovia, Baltic Philharmonic, Olsztyn Philharmonic, Poznań Philharmonic, Lublin Philharmonic, Yekaterinburg Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, Cracow Philharmonic, Częstochowa Philharmonic and Capella Bydgostiensis. For their recording of J.S. Bach’s concertos (DUX 0188), Duo Granat was presented with the Polish music industry award – Fryderyk – in 2000. The following year, the duo was nominated for the same prize for their recording of various pieces by Paderewski.

 

In 2009, Tamara Granat teamed up with Daniel Propper to record two albums – French Music for Piano Duo (awarded with the Connoisseur Choice of Classic FM prize) and Malaguena. In 2012, together with Japanese pianist Eri Iwamoto, Tamara recorded the Wasteland album with music by British composer Andy Harris.

 

In 2014, the duo was commissioned by the Polish Radio to record several pieces by Polish composers (including Filip Scharwenka, Ignacy Friedman, Maurycy Moszkowski, Juliusz Zarębski, Witold Lutosławski, Roman Maciejewski) at the S1 Witold Lutosławski studio in Warsaw. This was a historical first recording of Zarębski’s A Travers Pologne op. 23 and Mazurkas op. 4 as well as Moszkowski’s Polish National Dances op. 55. The duo strongly emphasizes the importance of promoting Polish music – both internally and abroad. Furthermore, Duo Granat was instrumental in editing and publishing Roman Maciejewski’s Negro Spirituals by the Polish Music Publishing House.

 

In December 2014, the duo gave a world premiere performance of Max Bruch’s Concerto for Two Pianos op.88a alongside Venezuelan conductor Gerardo Estrada and the Częstochowa Philharmonic orchestra.

 

Together with Argentinian pianist Adrian Kreda, Duo Granat has recorded the Destiny album featuring Astor Piazzola tangos and Carlos Guastavino's Tres Romances Argentinos. In April 2016, in celebration of Mozart's 260th birthday, the Granat – Kreda duo recorded all 6 of the composer's 4 hands and 1 piano sonatas at the NOSPR chamber hall in Katowice.

 

On the 13th of December 2015, Tamara performed alongside Krzysztof Jablonski during the latter's jubilee concert at the Wrocław National Forum of Music. The artists plan to reunite at the same venue in October 2016 to perform Max Bruch's Concerto for Two Pianos together with conductor Marek Pijarowski.