• Although he left the merest handful of compositions at his seemingly accidental death in an avalanche while skiing, Mieczyslaw Karlowicz ranks among the most important Polish composers of his generation.

• Described by Gramophone as a ‘magician, bewitching our ears’, Russian-born American based violinist Ilya Kaler has won 1st Prizes and Gold Medals at the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and the Paganini Competitions and made many acclaimed Naxos recordings. He is an ideal soloist in Mieczyslaw Karlowicz’s attractive and spirited Violin Concerto.

• The Serenade, Karlowicz’s first orchestral work, signals the young composer’s extraordinary command of expressive ideas and opulent harmonies. Karlowicz’s Symphonic Poems Volumes 1 (8.570452) and 2 (8.570295) also conducted by Antoni Wit are also available.