Zelenski and Zarzycki PCs from Hyperion

[Alan Howe]

As has already been reported, Hyperion are planning a recording of the PCs by Zelenski and Zarzycki featuring Jonathan Plowright with the BBC Scottish SO under Lukasz Borowicz. The sessions are due to take place at the end of this month (June).

The Zelenski Piano Concerto in E flat is a late-ish work dating from 1903 and is a serious piece, albeit sounding ferociously difficult to play. Details of Zarzycki's earlier concerto, also in E flat, can be found here:
http://www.pwm.com.pl/Koncert_fortepianowy__szczegoly_128252__a0__gp3__pwd3_279431__grp__spnazwa__g1__ad0.html

I would be grateful if further news and views were posted in this thread. Thanks!

[pianoconcerto]

Thanks for the heads up.  Based on your link, I assume the Zarzycki is the sole Concerto, Op. 17 he wrote (1859-60), an archival recording of which was issued on Selene CD 9905.50 in 1999.  However, that Concerto is in two movements only (A-flat major, f minor), not E-flat.  There also is a Zarzycki Grande Polonaise, Op. 7 (1859-60), which is in E-flat major.  It would be great if they could squeeze that in, too.

[JimL]

From what I could decipher of the description of the Zarzycki concerto, it would appear that it is the 2nd and 3rd movements of a projected 3 movement concerto in F minor.  He must have saved the first movement for last (like Rachmaninoff did with his PC 2) but unlike Rachmaninoff, either never finished it or never got around to composing it at all. 

[eschiss1]

The Zelenski may be the same one (possibly premiered by, but definitely) played by Ignaz Friedman in May 1904 - unless he wrote two in a brief while in the same key. It'll be good to have a commercial recording of it...

[thalbergmad]

This is superb news as the existing performances are reasonably horrid.

Of the two, I am much more excited about the Zelenski. A more sweeping majestic concerto would be difficult to imagine. I once spent a week trying to play it, but I could have spent a year and still got nowhere as it is vicious in parts, especially in the rondo with its octaves and left hand jumps.

Mr Plowright is perfect for this work, but I bet even he had to put some serious hours in.

Thal

[markniew]

Great news! Both concertos deserve new recordings. As far as I know in case of Zelenski two radio archive recordings exist while in case of Zarzycki - only one with Józef Śmidowicz (issued on CD by Selene as indicated earlier, coupled with Melcer's cto no. 2 and some solo piano music by Zarębski, Różycki and Chopin).
From the first hearing of the Zarzycki piece in 70s I had an impression that it starts from the second movement! In the notes to the Selene CD Stanisław Dybowski writes: "The composer probably wanted the piece to have three movements, which the two keys he used may seem to indicate. However, for reasons of his own Zarzycki did not decide to alter the score".
Cto was first performed in Paris in 1860 and its Warsaw premiere took place on 05.05.1880.

In the same note it was mentioned that after WW 2 concerto was played by Śmidowicz and Władysław Kędra but myself I did not hear on radio the latter version.

[markniew]

and one thing: the proper spelling of the conductor's name is : Lukasz (in Polish Łukasz pronounced Wookash) Borowicz (pronounced Bohrohvitch)