Press
46th International Festival of Contemporary Music Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna (Poznań, 3.04.2017)
(…) Barbara Borowicz not only mastered the Harlequin which is filled to the brim with breakneck figures. First and foremost she managed to achieve an organic unity of sound and gesture with its difficult choreography. This, Harlequin’s dance, was natural, graceful, coquettish and passionate. (…)
Monika Pasiecznik, ODRA, June 2017
46th International Festival of Contemporary Music Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna (Poznań, 3.04.2017)
(…) Excellent musicianship, as well as acting skills, were presented by Barbara Borowicz in Harlekin by Karlheinz Stockhausen. The artist, dressed in a Harlequin costume, moved around on the stage, only accompanied by a small spotlight, and the sound of the clarinet, repeated formulas and ritual phrases of Stockhausen’s music mesmerized. Although the performance somewhat emphasized the humorous aspects of the work, this Harlequin did not turn into a clown for even a moment. Every movement of the artist was soft, and her mime-skills were convincingly natural.(…)
Krzysztof Stefański, Ruch Muzyczny, May 2017
46th International Festival of Contemporary Music Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna (Poznań, 3.04.2017)
(…)Harlekin by Karlheinz Stockhausen is a 45-minute piece for a dancing clarinetist, which we could hear on the penultimate day of the festival. […] The performer, Barbara Borowicz, turned out to be a perfectionist in every sense of the word, giving the audience a show of excellent acting in the style of the commedia dell’arte and ballet, without losing anything of her beautiful sound.(…)
Ewa Chorościan, Glissando, May 2017
International Clarinet Festival ClarinetFest 2016, Lawrence (Kansas, USA) (03.08.2016)
(…) The concert continued with clarinetist Barbara Borowicz and percussionist Bartosz Saldan. They performed The Soul of Seul for clarinet and vibraphone by Ewa Fabiańska-Jelińska. The combination of clarinet and vibraphone in The Soul of Seul was unique in timbre and character. Borowicz’s beautifully haunting clarinet sound spun out of the vibraphone’s sustained chords and hung in the hall. Borowicz next performed Fragment H for clarinet and piano by composer Zbigniew A. Lampart followed by Marcel Chyrzyński’s Haiku No. 2 for clarinet and piano. She too was accompanied by Ellen Sommer on piano. They concluded Borowicz’s portion of the Eastern European Souvenir concert with Krysztof Penderecki’s Minatures for clarinet and piano. This capricious piece contains three contrasting movements: “Allegro,” “Andante cantabile” and “Allegro ma non troppo.” The exciting virtuosity of the fast movements contrasted with the plaintive second movement and brought the audience to their feet at the end of Borowicz’s performance. Anna Roach, International Clarinet Association, August 2016
27th International Festival of Krakow Composers (25.04.2015)
(…) The misty moodiness of Hosokawa’s music started to shine in the performance of young artists from Krakow (Jan Kalinowski – cello, Marek Szlezer – piano, Brabara Borowicz – clarinet, Agnieszka Bugla – violin). Their interpretation of Vertical Time Study I and the final Stunden Blumen (partially inspired by Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time) brought out the characteristics of the idiom of a stylistic composer clashing Western sophistication of structures and timbres against the specific, Far East understanding of the flow of time and sound oscillating at the verge of audibility, reminiscent of calligraphing oriental signs on a palette of silence. It was definitely one of the best concert evenings of the festival. (…)
Barbara Bogunia, Ruch Muzyczny, May 2015
The premiere of Intui by M.J. Papara for clarinet, piano, percussion and string orchestra accompanied by the Opole Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (13.12.2014)
(…) The composition began with powerful strokes on the drums separated by intense silence from which an angelic sound of the clarinet emerged. It started a dialogue with the piano, vibraphone and the strings. But it was only an intriguing presage to this tempestuous composition. Soloist Barbara Borowicz from the first note surprised the audience with the ethereal timber of the clarinet. Her perfect technique, sound sensitivity and scenic charisma attracted the listeners’ attention. In her performance, I found the beauty of this woodwind instrument, multitude of timbres, effect, as well as extraordinary dynamic range. The clarinet part, fraught with manual difficulties and colour effects, was performed by the soloist naturally, in line with the shape and emotions of the piece. (…)
Twoja Muza, February-May 2015
Concert in Opole Philharmonic, soloists: Gabor Varga and Barbara Borowicz (28.11.2014)
(…) Franz Krammer’s Double Clarinet Concerto E flat major op.35 written in 1802 is an example of a typical classical form of concerto. The piece is adorable not only the listeners but also for the performers. It was possible to experience this in Barbara Borowicz’s and Gabor Varga playing. Their gracious interpretation seemed to be fun or more precisely – cheerful chat, where sometimes they interrupt each other and the other time they complement each other. At the same time, the soloists kept coherent and full, round timbre as well as an excellent technique thanks to which even the most virtuosic fragments sounded light and elegant. (…)
Maria Sotor, Muzyka21, January 2015
Unpretentious and full of charm, Concerto for two clarinets Eb major op.35 by Franz Krommer (28.11.2014)
(…) Unpretentious, full of charm and very gallant – though with some echoes of baroque gestures – was a Concerto for two clarinets Eb major op.35 by Franz Krommer. It is a piece of a remarkably virtuous character, the orchestral part is limited to a discrete accompaniment adding some space and background for the soloists who gave an excellent account of themselves. Barbara Borowicz –clarinetist from Cracow and a Hungarian clarinetist Gabor Varga sounded like a single musician playing one instrument. Warm colours – lighter in the higher part of Varga, and darker, deep (beautiful!)colours in the lower Borowicz’s part completely dovetailed. The excerpts inspired by the style of danced folk music (obviously adequate to XVIII and XIX century filtered by the sensitiveness of salon culture) sounded exceptionally fresh. Krommer surprisingly recreated a usually energetic figure of “ munich rocket” starts the second, slow part (Adagio). The clarinet parts begin to separate from unison giving a feeling of lament. A subtle sadness filling this movement seemed to be for the instrumentalist as natural as the previous elegant happiness. However, Adagio is lighting up being finished in the major key. The last movement (Rondo) is again filled with racings in the passages – precision and full apprehension made it sound like a great fun. The soloists kept great playing even the fastest tempo and the tiniest, quickest notes. Their performance was so full of freedom that Krommer’s Concerto sounded like the easiest musical piece in the world. (…) Dominika Micał, Polska Muza
Concert in Sydney Opera House (02.09.2013)
(…) The bravura passages and fantastic technique of Barbara Borowicz show solid instrument control. It is clearly heard that she can perform perfectly the contemporary music techniques, such as multiphones, frulato and quarter-tones. We could admire the diversity of her articulation from magnificent, passionate legato in melodious parts like in the composition Andante doloroso from Duo by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński to short staccato in Three pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki. Engrossed listeners succumbed to the artist’s as well as the instrument’s charms. They were bewitched by her unusually warm and soft sound, well-balances in the whole range of the instrument. It put a listener in different emotional states from extreme sadness to euphoric happiness. (…)
Marianna Łacek, Puls Polonii (Australia)
Concert in Sydney Opera House (02.09.2013)
(…) She intrigued the listeners with unbelievable lightness of craft, bravura, the phrase full of emotions, rich diversity of shades sounds as well as very warm and pleasant sound of clarinet. (…)
Krzysztof Bajkowski, Bumerang Polski – Polish Internet Magazine in Australia