Opinions and impressions
about the first organ recitals in Kuwait
performed by Maestro Valentina Maria Baginska
in Al-Maidan Cultural Centre during 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Cultural Seasons of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah
in 2006-2010

listeners

2010

Your concert "Music Rainbow between East and West" was, as usual, marvelous. My favorites were Charles Marie Widor, such a happy music! And Isaac Albéniz, of course. Not to talk about Felix Mendelssohn. Thank you again for your marvelous art, which makes us spend unforgettable evenings hearing you.

H.E. Manuel Gomez de Valenzuela, Ambassador of Spain in Kuwait
April 2010

Dear Maestro Valentina,
The night of your Organ Recital "Music Rainbow between East and West" was really attractive and impressive, and my wife Sook and I fully enjoyed the Music Circle night... Your organ recital reminded me of my young ages, attending the small church of the town and listening to the hymns played by the old organ. I still remember it always gave me spiritual courageousness as well as calmness. Your performance was most beautiful and especially, the presentation of your good looking son, Karol, much helped us to understand the music? We were happy at that night, and thank you for your kind invitation and look forward to seeing you more often. I wish you are in good health, big success in your professionalism and may God bless.

H.E. Moon, Young - Han, Ambassador of South Korea in Kuwait
April 2010

Concerning your concert "Music Rainbow between East and West", we found it very interesting as it was an opportunity to hear completely new (to our ears) pieces from composers outside the usual big names. It is a very wise choice as there are some limitations in rendering with an electronic organ – however sophisticated it is – the feeling of a performance in a cathedral and it will be more noticed in familiar pieces. So let us enjoy discoveries!

Mr. Mrs. Pierre & Kimiyo Daignières
Counselor Commercial of Embassy of France in Kuwait
April 2010

Great concert. Thanks, it was a good variety of styles and periods. Lovely.

Mrs. Harriet Bushman, British , Musician
April 2010

2009

Dear Maestro Baginska,
Both me and my husband were very happy to take part in your concert "Organ in Orchestral Colors" yesterday at the Maidan Hall. We were pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the sound of your electrical Organ and, thanks to your personal touch, how it can harmoniously accompany the sound of the Violoncello (and that of the Trumpet, as well). We believe in fact that the Organ can have a great role to play in any suitable occasion, in the future, both in Al-Maidan Cultural Centre, and elsewhere in Kuwait.

Madam Federica Granara
and H.E. Enrico Granara, Ambassador of Italy in Kuwait
December 2009

I was very much pleased with your concert. Via Dolorosa impressed me: it was really GREAT MUSIC FOR ORGAN. Sulaiman Al-Dikan was pleasant end gay and de Polish old dances in spite of its "popular" appearance were also very good music. Liszt, Handel, etc. also wonderful. Thank you for a most agreeable evening, I hope to be able to hear and see you soon.

H.E. Ambassador of Spain in Kuwait Manuel Gomez de Valenzuela,
March 2009

We did, indeed, surrendered our souls to your night of music. It was sheer delight! What a beautiful gift you bring to Kuwait. Know that the responses from others matched our own, and your success was a crowning achievement. We look forward to another night of beautiful music, and watching your fingers fly across the keyboards, and your magical feet dancing across the organ floor. You have two loyal followers.

Drs. Mike & Bonnie Green, Americans,
March 2009

Your recital was so so impressive... You are really a professional player. I think that Organ can play Arabic music especially if you feel the soul of that kind of music. Arabic music becomes more international today. I hope one day you can share/mix your recital with a touch of Arabic music.

Mr. Tarek Mufti, Syrian, Architect,
March 2009

How much I do appreciate your dedication towards music, its unbelievable. Your music made me unconscious and I was little flying in the air with the music

Mr. Rafi Nassar, Palestinian, Engineer,
March 2009

2008

I am the one who has to be grateful to you, yesterday's concert was a treat and I enjoyed it immensely. Your interpretation of Sarasate was beautiful, full of brio and Spanish energy. I enjoyed specially the oboe concerto, a joyful divertimento in which you proved your incredible skill in playing the soloist with one hand and the orchestra with the other and also Franck's Grande Finale. I am looking for a new concert...

H.E. Ambassador of Spain in Kuwait Manuel Gomez de Valenzuela,
April 2008

It was indeed a pleasure to hear you play and to briefly meet you that evening. It was a wonderful evening and I congratulate you on your initiative to experiment wit Mahmoud Al-Kuwaiti's piece. I believe that when East meets West in music, the sky is the limit. I lived in Kuwait for a few years earlier and I know how important your concert was to the community as a whole, but as you were trying to show it is important to bring our cultures closer together. Most importantly such concerts like yours will also help to bring peace to this war torn world.

Dr. John Peacock, British, Scientist,
April 2008

Dear Maestro,
I'm just writing to tell you once again how much we enjoyed your recital on October 15th2008. I'm only now getting round to listening to your CD and writing to you. The organ is an endlessly fascinating instrument, and the Viscount instrument in Kuwait, as I am reminded by the CD, has a wonderfully "luminous" sound. The "spinet" effect was a very nice touch... Perhaps one day we'll meet in Paris to listen to some of the great instruments here".

Ms. Hilda and Mr. Chris Bamford, French, Financial Analyst,
October 2008

We had a great time at this very unusual concert. We liked very much this combination of traditional music themes with our western style of orchestral version. What wonderful sounds with all the instruments together, the piano, the organ and all the wind players, it made us happy and enthusiastic!

Ms. Barbara and Mr. Matrin Buxtorf, Swiss,
April 2008

Firstly congratulations for the music recital on 21 April 2008- it was an enjoyable evening and all appreciated the music, especially the Arabic and Spanish! Thank you very much

Ms. Helena D 'Souza, Indian, Program Coordinator,
April 2008

I thoroughly enjoyed spending evening at DAI last week 21 April 2008; you played beautiful-if complex-pieces on a very fine instrument. I'm looking forward to more of the same soon

Mr. Simon Balsom, Editor & Publisher,
April 2008

Thank you for tonight's concert in the DAI Al-Maidan Centre. My favorite piece was in fact the Sulaiman Al-Dikan piece "Al-Boushiya". Taking to others afterwards, I am not alone in that opinion. Modern "Western" instruments are very precise and consistently tuned there days that the organ playing for example a flute is to my ears an organ playing a flute and not a flute.. With the Arabic sounds and instruments in "AL Boushiya" I felt that they could be the real instruments and the sounds were more authentic. The great flexibility of the organ seemed to be an advantage for these Arabic sounds. I wish you well and much success in bring the instrument to more Arabic music"

Mr. Andrew Shaw, British, Pilot-Instructor,
April 2008

2007

I wish to express my appreciation for your coherent and definitely impressive organ recital, which was given on the occasion of the constituent meeting of the DAI Musical Circle .Your masterly interpretation ,including your elegancy arrangement for organ, depicted thoroughly the possibilities -and ,in fact, the rich, multi-faceted sound of the organ. I should also like to praise the decision that was taken by Her Excellency Sheikha Hussah Salem Al-Sabah, Director-General of DAI, to buy a classical organ for benefit of DAI, namely of its musical activities.

H.E Ambassador of Greece in Kuwait Evangelos Denaxas,
January 2007

The Inaugural Meeting of the DAI Music Circle at 28 January2007 "having concluded, those present were entertained to five organ pieces, commencing with J. S. Bach's Toccata in D-minor, performed by the inimitable Prof. Baginska

Dr. Usameh Jamali, American, DMC Interim Coordinator,
January 2007

I heard you played the organ twice (26.12.2006; 28.01.2007), and both were mesmerizing. It is about time to have an organ such as this in Kuwait and we are lucky to listen to you playing. I hope with new Dar Music Circle will be able to hear you play more often and I would love to have you play the piano in my house again. I wish you the best

Mr. Sabah Al-Rayes, Kuwaiti, Architect, Sponsor of DAI,
January 2007

2006

Excellent organ concert, which I very enjoyed.

H. E. British Ambassador in Kuwait Stuart Laing,
December 2006

It was an hors d'oeuvre, I needed more! On the plus side it was a well-balanced programme that gave a good overview of the instrument and left me uplifted

Mr.Harvey Pincis, British/Latvian, Creative Director, Editor,
December 2006

I was impressed with Valentina's performance. She displayed a vast knowledge of the music and composers which she presented, and her interpretations were moving emotionally, as well as founded on a solid technique. It was very satisfying and refreshing to hear such a unique performance in Kuwait.

Dr. David Miller, American, Music Professor,
December 2006

Very impressive. It was surprising for me to hear such a various music played on the organ

Mr. Robert Zaremba, Polish, Engineer , Manager,
December 2006

...Let me tell you that your struggle to distribute organ music (in Kuwait) is an aspiration and you are great organist. I love music (all the good music) especially the ones that contains piano sound. It is my first time that I hear organ without other instruments sharing its greatness. You made me fall in love it, thank you. …Finally, I wish that your little gentleman Carlo will be as great as his genius mother. By the way, when will your next concert be? God bless your mind!

Mohammad Diab, Kuwaiti, Student,
December 2006

It was the first time I had listened to organ music, so did my son, a college student. We both enjoyed a lot the recital, particularly the pieces of Bach and Schubert. Thank you very much for your performance, looking forward to another concert

Sheikha Hind Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti,
December 2006

Very good performance. Well chosen pieces of music. A pleasant atmosphere and a good audience reaction

Mrs. Tersa Halska, Polish, Teacher, Engineer,
December 2006

Beautiful concert. I felt I was in beautiful cathedral

Mrs. Margaret Bosworth, American, Teacher,
December 2006

Very enjoyable, romantic and marvellous

Mrs. Sakina Himmo, Lebanese, University Teacher
I liked everything from programme

Mrs. Olga Al-Abdulrazzaq, Mexican, American, teacher,
December 2006/

I enjoyed too much this concert. The performance was very interesting

Mrs. Jolanta Lokasto Zaremba, Polish,
December 2006

press

Her way of taming the most diverging musical forms into a unity, of molding the most widely varying expressions, her way of reclaiming even more tonal nuances from this already extremely colorful piece, and of enriching its parts by additional acoustic features; all of which based on an utter virtuosity of performance, it was simply extraordinary.

"Neue Wurttembergische Zeitung", 22.10.1985 - Germany

As if cast in the same mould with the composer, Valentina Maria Baginska bestows upon her artistic liberty an individual seal of a mature and serious character in her technique and coloring; a serene relaxed mood adds a genuinely compensating element.

"Badische Zeitung", 2/3.09.1989 - Germany

The listener was quite unexpectedly exposed to an encounter with a supreme form of modem musicallanguage. A minute of silence and minutes of a torrential, explosive applause prove the liberating effectiveness of contemporary expression, still suffering from unjustified aversions.

"Badische Zeitung", 5/6.01.1989-Germany

The Polish artist's performance excelled by perfect technique and a variety oftone colors...

"Kibitz", Effretikon near Zurich, 31.03.1985 - Switzerland

In this concert Valentina Maria Baginska proved her superiority in the art of organ play; she did justice to the various style period and composers. Her art of registering showed the coloring as well as the variety of pieces she performed to the best of their advantage; she mastered the dynamie shadings and contrasts with utmost musicality.

"Siidkurier", Schwarzwald, 22.07.1987- Germany

The improvisation on the Polish sacral hymn "Holy God" by Mieczyslaw Surzynski is an extreme challenge for the organist. She mastered it with her supreme skill - first of aUin the pedal -and her compassionate interpretation.

"Neue Wiirttembergische Zeitung", 18.10.1986- Germany