Discography

The album that we are leaving in your safe hands has recorded music that shows the versatile peculiarities of the cathedral organ in a variety of stylistic and formal faces.

The works include both original pieces for organ, as well as arrangements of other instrumental compositions and vocal-instrumental opuses. With past centuries being represented by the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, without whose presence it is difficult to imagine an organ recital, then its illustrious master from northern Germany Dietrich Buxtehude and the English composer Jeremiah Clark. The songbook of the cantilena and the harmony poles apart from the baroque takes us into our work from the Liechtenstein born organist, composer and teacher Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. Polish organ music, on the other hand, is present through the leading figures in its history of musicians active at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries: Mieczysław Surzyński and Feliks Nowowiejski, in their works that sparkle with a variety of quotations, colors and emotions. They resound with the melodies of well-known songs whose timeless, faithful content is saturated with the walls of the cathedral church in Rzeszów.

With a duo of two such experienced artists deliver a sound that can only be describe as amazing. For many years both Stefanski and Towarnicka have been promoting polish music from the twenith centery, they have masterfully brought it togetther and used it as the main theme of this album . The opening tune is Adaggio from Symphony nr 2 op. 45 by Feliks Nawojowski. Stefanski creats a specific climate for this work with very slow artistic pietism. "Three Passion Songs" on sopran and organs by the composer Juliusz Łuciuk sound exceptional too. Towarnicka does it with unbelievable expression. Her clear and very strong sopran causes thrills of excitement , which are heighten by the accompaniment. Emotions are cooled by a bit lirical organ suit "Witraże" (Stained Glass)  by the unfairly forgotten composer Tadeusz Machal, who died 6 years ago. If  we listen carefully to Stefanski works we are in no dudbt that the artist play each note masterfully ,one by one . It is a brilliant interpretation. as well as works by Lech Skoczylas and Jerzy Kaszycki you will aslo descuver "Passion Impression" - organ-vocal improvisations by Marek Stefanski, which is a proof that, he is not only great organist but also composer and improviser.

Gazeta Wyborcza, 06.02.2010, Tomasz Handzlik

This recording proves for the following time, that the performance of the compositions from the past centuries does not exclude the use of the modern instruments. The baroque masters' repertoire has been performed on the organ built one year ago in the St. Mary's "Szkaplerzna" (Scapular) Church in Szymbark (a small city in south-eastern Poland). The organist, Marek Stefański, had at his disposal an instrument with 30 pipes, two manuals, the pedal, the mechanical tracture and with the electrical registration. It sufficed him to create an interesting integrity with interesting selected registration, underlining the style of the barocque compositions.

Ruch Muzyczny 2004r. Sylwia Makomaska

But this recording has one more advantage: it allows to listen to the beautiful voice of Elżbieta Towarnicka (soprano) and Marek Ozimkowski (bass), who perform their repertoire accompanied by Marek Stefański. It is highly recommended.
Jacek Chodorowski.

...Bach's music recorded by Marek Stefański playing on the 24 - pipe Cracow organ, sounds very well and in style. Compositions selected from the various periods of Bach's activity (Arnstadt, Weimar, Lipsk) are presented in the very interesting set. The kind of buckle make up forceful Preludes and Fugues, "interior"part fill Choral Preludes, various in respect of setting, texture and mood: three Lipsk Preludes and four Preludes from the third part of the Clavier - Übung (in the manual and complete version). A very good recording. Attantion attracts the superb record of the instrument so ungrateful for the producer. 

Ruch Muzyczny 2001r. Sylwia Zaborowska.

...Very good recording. Attantion attracts the superb record of the instrument so ungrateful for the producer. 

Klasyka 2001r. Barbara Tenderenda.

...The latest recording of Marek Stefański, a young organist from Cracow, includes - according to the title - music of the romantic period. A diversified repertoire, a brillant technique and ease of playing predestine the organist to make a great career. With only one reservation: it might be helpful to deepen the interpretation and to look for the more individual and original ideas, instead of nonchalance. Symphonic élan, dynamism and virtuousness are undoubted the trumps of this recording, though for example in melodious cantilena of Adagio Stefański creates also the mood of languor. While commanding sentimalism and grandiloquence characterizing the music of Rheinberger, the artist endowed the whole Sonata with a compact course of musical narration and with the outstanding culmination in the final Ricercare. "Romanticism" interpreted by Marek Stefański has - at it seems - many classical features. 

Ruch Muzyczny, 1 October 2000r. Marta Szoka.

...Interesting, honest and professional - worth listening to! 

Ruch Muzyczny 2000r. Michał Markuszewski.

...The organ music of the Romanticism has been called into being by Marek Stefański. This recording is diversified to the extent, that, though it lasts over 70 minutes, the listener pays his attention to the music all the time. It allows to learn to know the poorly known repertoire and thereby to broaden our musical horizons. 

Meloman Interia.pl Piotr Kuc.

...In October 1999 Marek Stefański recorded a new CD with the music of J.S. Bach performed on the monumental organ in the Bernardines' basilica in Leżajsk (a small town in south-eastern Poland). This recording is a valuable record of the organ's sound before its renovation. After the organ's repair it can be used as a demonstration of the conservation works. The recording of Marek Stefański is an interesting portait of the instrument in Leżajsk and the review of the organ works of J.S. Bach as well. 

Muzyka 21 2001r. Leszek Mateusz Gorecki.

...The recording documents the sound of the famous oragan from Leżajsk (a small city in south-eastern Poland ) before its general overhaul. The Bach's music, its musical, rhytmical, sound and setting reachness is suitable to check all the parameters of the instrument, on condition that this test is carried out by a good organist. This condition has been fulfilled, therefore the Bach's music sounds in any respect remarkable on the Leżajsk organ. The organ form Leżajsk in the good hands are quite fine. As we know, the restoration has already damaged not only one instrument, but we hope, this one will sound still better after its repair.
 
Ruch Muzyczny 2001r. Mieczysław Kominek.

...Marek Stefański reveals the richness of musical imagination in the narrative compositions of Feliks Nowowiejski; in the Fantasias Pasterka na Wawelu (Christmas Midnight Mass on Wawel Castle) and Pasterka w prastarym Kościele Mariackim w Krakowie (Christmas Midnight Mass in the very ancient St. Mary's Church in Cracow). In Oratio brevis of Krystyna Moszumańska - Nazar he managed to create the atmosphere of alarming besetment. 

Hi-Fi i Muzyka 1997r. Hanna Milewska, Andrzej Milewski.

The recording from St. Mary's Church presented by DUX Music Publishing is the best example of how an excellent partner a small trumpet for the colossus such as an organ, a trumpet can be. Maybe it is due to the merit of the performers (Marek Stefański - organ; Marek Skwarczyński - trumpet), maybe due to the choice of repertoire (...) These two intstrumentalists understand the music, they perform, perfectly. The chamber character of the sound of these two sound giants allows to feel their understanding, their desire to construct the compositions together. You can learn a lot from the duet of two Marks and how much fun it gives! 

Dzwięki, słowa, obrazy 2001r.