Polish Music

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for this very important background information to the composition of Malawski's 2nd Symphony, Marek.

[markniew]

Artur Malawski (1904-1957)

"Hungaria 1956" (1957)
1. Allagro barbaro
2. Improvisazione. Andante
3. Quasi rondo. Allegro moderato
4. Notturno. Andante
5. Appassionato

Polish Radio Orchestra of Krakow/Cracow
cond. Janusz Przybylski

Malawski died on 23 Dec. 1957, and Hungaria was premiered in 1958. Then after not long time, due new changes in political line in Poland (end of so called "thaw"), it disapeared from the repertire of orchestras for years.     

/off Polish Radio, Sep. 2003/
/partitions done by myself based on announcement/

link in the Downloads section

[markniew]

Another composition by Artur Malawski - of 1947, i.e. - according to the biography posted by Allan - dated from Malawski's third creative period:

In the third period Malawski wrote his finest, most effective and most audacious pieces, including the Toccata for small orchestra, the Etiudy symfoniczne for piano and orchestra, the Overture, the Toccata i fuga w formie wariacji [Toccata and Fugue in a form of variations] for piano and orchestra and the new version of The Peaks. These represented a total retreat from the late Romanticism which had survived in Polish music, even under the direct influence of Szymanowski, until after World War II.

link available at the Downloads section/Polish symphonics

ARTUR  MALAWSKI  (1904-1957)
Symphonic Etudes for Piano and Orchestra    (1947)   
Beata Bilińska, piano
Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna PR  (Polish Radio National SO)/ cond. Tadeusz Wojciechowski

/off-radio recording, Oct. 2005/

as to recordings - the piece was in 60s issued by the Polish Muza (Polskie Nagrania) on LP with Regina Smendzianka, piano and Warsaw NationalPhilharmonic SO under Stanislaw Wislocki.
There is also another Polish Radio archive recording by Karol Radziwonowicz with Polish Radio Great SO (previous name of the PRNSO) under Marcin Nałecz-Niesiolowski

[markniew]

ARTUR  MALAWSKI    (1904-1957)
Wariacje na orkiestrę symfoniczną /Variations for Symphony Orchestra/    (1938)
Wielka Orkiestra Symfoniczna (PR&TV  Polish Radio & TV Great SO) /  cond. Janusz Przybylski

link available in the Downloads?Polish Symphonics

/off radio recording, 14.11.2005/

[markniew]

One piece for request by Greg
Kazimierz Wilkomirski was a half-brother by Wanda Wilkomirska, famous Polish violinist.

KAZIMIERZ  WIŁKOMIRSKI  (1900-1995)
Symphony concertante for Cello and Orchestra  (1950)     
1.     Largamente. Maestoso ma non troppo   
2.     Andante         
3.     Vivace               
Cecylia Barczyk, Cello
Orkiestra Symfoniczna PR w Krakowie  (Polish Radio SO of Krakow/Cracow/ cond.  Kazimierz Wiłkomirski

/off Polish Radio, May 2005/

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks very much for Rozycki's Piano Quintet, Mark, I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

[eschiss1]

likewise here, and - well, speaking for myself I don't know if the thread title was optimally chosen- Rozycki may have written only symphonic poems rather than symphonies (and the quintet is neither unless and until someone comes along and orchestrates it ) but again speaking only for myself I shouldn't worry too much about putting it in the thread.

[markniew]

and what do you think about the Piano Quintet by Juliusz Zarebski (1854-1885)?
It is considered here as the best chamber music after Chopin.
There are several commercial recordings available.
I like very much an old LP recording with Wladyslaw Szpilman and Bronislaw Gimpel, Tadeusz Wronski, Stefan Kamasa and Aleksander Ciechanski.
There is also Polish Radio archive recording of the arrangement for piano and chamber/string orchestra. Very interesting from my point of view - as a fan of piano concertos.

[markniew]

I continue with Malawski's music

On the Dowloads you can find the link to:

ARTUR  MALAWSKI  (1904-1957)
Tryptyk góralski na  małą orkiestrę  /Mountaineers Triptych for Small Orchestra/ (1949)   
1.   Andante. Allegro con brio   3:40      2.   Andante   3:17      3.   Vivo   3:49
Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna PR /Polish Radio National SO / cond. Maciej Żółtowski


The piece is based on tuneful melodies of the Tatra/Podhale region - often employed by Polish comosers, e.g. Paderewski (his Tatra Album for piano), Zelenski, Noskowski, Szymanowski, and recently Gorecki, Kilar (in October there was prepiered here his 2nd Piano concerto with the finale based on one of let say mountaineers mofives) and many others.

There is also a Piano version of the Malawski's Triptych - issed a dozen years ago by DUX.

/off radio recording of Nov.2008/

[markniew]

A.S. - one correction in name: OPIENSKI :-)
 
Even in Poland his music is rather forgotten, but in 2004 Acte Prealable release a CD with his songs and a number of violin and piano music.
Zygmunt August and Barbara is - as far as I know - the only?? orchestral piece by Opienski recorded for radio archives.
Title reminds the true story of deep love of our King Zygmunt August (the last one from the Yagiellonian Dynasty) who fell in love to Barbara, woman of not aristocratic roots what was considered as scandal and caused serious protests among noblemen.

[eschiss1]

Thanks for the Statkowski quartet no.5! Looking forward to hearing it.  (pub.1929, so the score is probably not PD-US and probably won't be able to download it too - though I may be able to find a library that has it.)

[lechner1110]

   Thanks Marek,  I modified composer's name

[semloh]

A.S. - thank you for the Opienski symphonic poem! 

It's an utterly gorgeous piece, and if I didn't know the composer I could have easily been persuaded that it was a newly discovered work by Stanford. Opienski - yet another amazing unsung talent - unknown outside Poland at least!

Markniew - The Różycki piano quintet is also a little gem - as one would expect from such a fine composer.  Much appreciated 

[markniew]

In the Dowloads you can find:

Ludomir Różycki (1884-1953)
Cello Sonata in A Minor op. 10 (1906)

Tomasz Strahl, cello
Edward Wolanin, Piano

/off radio recording, July 2004/

[markniew]

return to Artur Malawski

Wierchy (Peaks) - Ballet-pantomine for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Choir and Orchestra (version of 1950)

libretto by Artur Malawski based on poetry of Jan Mazur (poet from the Tatra/Podhale region)

Colourful composition also emloying folklore of Tatra/Podhale region, with its tunes and melodies - of course not quoted literally but developed, elaborated. It can bo, to some extent, a follow-up of Harnasie by Szymanowski.

tracks do not correspond to the real parts of the bellet. In fact they are 6, each consisting of a number (from 2 to 5) sub-parts - descripted (unfortunately only in Polish) in track 6. If there is interest I will try to give more details.


ARTUR  MALAWSKI   (1904-1957)
Wierchy - balet pantomima (1944-50)
1.         6:41   2.   7:04   3.   10:15   4.   19:29   
Barbara Harasimowicz-Has, soprano / Ryszard Minkiewicz, tenor
Marcin Bronikowski, baritone
Choir of the Polish Radio of Krakow
Polish Radio National SO (of Katowice)
cond.  Tadeusz Wojciechowski

/off Polish Radio, 21.09.2008/