Polish Music

[markniew]

Link to wikipedia and extremely brief info on Szalowski is available on previous sie of this thread.

more info on his works are available here (only in Polish however):
http://www.polmic.pl/index.php?option=com_mwosoby&id=272&view=czlowiek&litera=21&Itemid=5&lang=pl

[caostotale]

Does anybody have a recording of Alexandre Tansman's oratorio Isaiah?

[markniew]

I have it - off radio. Can upload however after few days when I am back home

[markniew]

Fantazja góralska (Mountaineers Fantasy) by Noskowski


The piece was played by Polish Radio Orchestra under Łukasz Borowicz on 29 Jan. 2012 (Live broadcast from Polish Radio Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio).
It was - as far as I remember - premiere of the orchestral version (at least in modern years).
must check whether I have recorded the comments.

on the website (unfortunately in Polish) you can find the following:

Fantazja góralska (Eine gebirges-Phantasie über 2 Volksmelodien aus Zakopane im Tatra-Gebirge) for piano for 4 hands (1885)

http://www.polmic.pl/index.php?option=com_mwosoby&id=919&view=czlowiek&litera=16&Itemid=5&lang=pl


Perhaps the piano version will be included by Acte Prealable in 2nd CD with piano music by Noskowski

[Martin]

Fantazja Goralska (Eine Gebirges-Phantasie über 2 Volksmelodien aus Zakopane im Tatra-Gebirge) was composed by Z. Noskowski as a score featuring the piano 4 hands. The piece was performed and printed in 1888, and some times later the composer himself orchestrated his music. The Phantasy was never performed however in this version, until 29.01.2012, when the Polish Radio Symphonic Orchestra gave its first public performance.

Noskowski was a prominent person in polish music of his times, the list of his major compositions (including The Phantasy) can be found for example here: http://www.polmic.pl/index.php?option=com_mwosoby&id=919&view=czlowiek&litera=16&Itemid=5&lang=pl

[Amphissa]

Here are the proper notes for the Noskowski Choral Fantasy.

Zygmunt Noskowski
Fantazja Góralska 9'

Polish National Radio Orchestra
Lukasz Borowicz, conductor

Lutyoslawski Concert Studio, Warsaw
29 January 2012

[Sicmu]

WŁADYSŁAW ŻELEŃSKI
"Żyj pieśni" (Long live the Song) - Cantata for Choir and Orchestra (1901)

Orchestra and Choir of the National Philharmonic of Warsaw
cond. Antoni Wit

off radio, live broadcast from the Warsaw Philharmonic, 05.11.2011 of the concert celebrating its 110th anniversary

The Cantata is actually a piece for Cello and Orchestra, could you clarify please ?

[markniew]

that seems to be my mistake. The piece for cello and orchestra is Żeleński's Romance op. 40 that I did not intend to upload as I am not sure the source and performers- it was found in Internet. According to my knowledge the piece has not been commercially published.

Cantata has been correctly uploaded.

[markniew]

Wechowicz Oratorio Romantic is from 1930 0r 1950?

Oratorio for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra to text by Mickiewicz is of 1930.


Koncert staromiejski (Old Town Concerto) is of 1954.
Old Town is a neme of historical part of Warsaw

[markniew]

Juliusz Zarębski (1854-1885) Polish pianist and composer. He composed excusively for piano. He championed and composed for the two-keyboards piano invented by Mangeot.
His most reverred composition is however his Piano Quintet in G minor op. 34 (1885) considered as the best Polish chamber piece after Chopin.
His piano concerto also in G minor was not completed and the scor is most likely stored somewhere in Russia (according to the cover notes of an old LP). Notes on the CD by Selene with his piano pieces say that only scetches of the concerto survived. 

some basic information can be found in wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliusz_Zar%C4%99bski

Only a part of his music was recorded and issued on LPs and CDs. Also archive recordings for Polish Radio do not include the complete of his compositions.
I start with rather surprising thing: orchestral arrangement of 5 Polish Dances by Zarębski. Orchestral version was done by Jan maklakiewicz - well known to the members of our forum.

Some other pieces will follow

[markniew]

And the gem of Zarębski, his Piano Quintet in G minor op. 34 of 1885.

Quintet is dedicated to Liszt with whom Zarębski studied during 1874/5.

In recent years the piece appears in concert halls played by foreign pianists. Last year Martha Argerich played it at the Lugano Festival. Then she repeated it in Warsaw. Her performance I will upload also.
Here we have recording with Jonathan Plowright who persented the piece in 2008 during the 4th Festival of Polish Music.

Myself I consider the old LP recording by Polskie Nagrania (Muza) of 60s as the best performance. It was played by Władysław Szpilman, Bronisław Gimpel, Tadeusz Wroński, Stefan Kamasa and Aleksander Ciechański. That was for decades the only commercial recording of the piece (cannot say available - because the edition was soon out of print and only after long time issued again in small number) .

Quintet is greatly structured, very melodious with dramatic and also melancholic fragments. Piano part is perfect. 

[markniew]

Another orchestral arrangement. Originally it was composed for 4 hands (published Mainz 1882).

JULIUSZ  ZARĘBSKI    (1854-1885)   
Polonaise triomphale in A major op. 11   (1882)

here arranged and orchestrated by Ryszard Daniel Golianek.

As the commenary says it was the world premiere of the newly discovered piece (in orchestral version?), done on 09.11.2006 during the 2nd Festival of Polish Music

[Alan Howe]

Regarding the Zarebski Piano Quintet download, JimL writes:

I don't know if you've listened to the files downloaded, but I may have to delete this from my iTunes.  There are several drops and interruptions in the second movement and, I think the finale.  I don't know if my computer was having issues while I was downloading or if they were in the original files.  Could you check and let me know?  Because it is a rip-roarer of a piece, to be sure!  If it was issues with my computer, I'll delete it and reload it, but if it's your files you may need to reload them.

[markniew]

I will check it. I face from time to time problems when recording from the Polish Radio. The streaming is not always good. It happens that distortions appear and the quality might is not excellent.

[JimL]

I hope that is not the case.