Polish Music

[jerfilm]

During Skrowaczewski's tenure with the Minnesota, he fine tuned it into the world class ensemble that it is today; no doubt about it.  His interpretations were always crisp, sharp and often on the brisk side.  He had a huge penchant for avant-garde music and programmed something new every single subscription concert.  And of course, never at the end.......  He premiered a couple of his compositions while here.  They were not to my taste either.   

He annually makes guest appearances with the orchestra and is always greeted with great warmth and respect by audiences and musicians alike.  At nearly 90 he still wields a wicked baton.

His recording of Bruckner 9 mentioned above,  was recorded after a concert which memorialized the first anniversary of President Kennedy's death and is one of those performances that I'll never forget.....

Jerry

[markniew]

Il Piffero della notte - Fantasy for Flute and Orchestra  (2007) by Skrowaczewski available in the Downloads/Polish Music

[markniew]

Thank you very much for such interesting music!!
Ludomir Rozycki's piano quintet seems to be dead. Can you repost it?

Thanks

Didier,

here is the renewed link to Różycki's Piano Quintet

http://www.mediafire.com/?ova2yd3oa6d6j6d

[jowcol]

I've uploaded the 4th Symphony by Polish Composer Kazimierz Sikorski  in the downloads section.







A little about the Kazmierz: -- pulled from the web

Sikorski studied in Warsaw, first music at the Warsaw Conservatory and then philosophy at the University of Warsaw. He then studied in Lwów, which was Polish at the time, and Paris.[2] In 1926, he became a teacher of composition at the Conservatory of Poznań. From 1927 to 1945, he taught at the Warsaw Conservatory. He was rector of the State Higher School of Music in Łódź. From 1951 to 1966, he taught music theory and composition at the Music Academy Warsaw. During this time, he was president of the Polish Composers' Union. He is the father of the composer, Tomasz Sikorski.[3]

Sikorski composed four symphonies, a symphonic allegro, two overtures (1945, 1954), some instrumental concertos, of which the clarinet concerto (1947) is the most important, a string sextet, three string quartets, choral and film music, including the music for the film Warsaw Premiere (Polish: Warszawska premiera), for which he won a State Award.[2]

I'm curious if there are any works by his son Tomacz floating around—I gather he was type of  minimalist, and I'd like to hear some of his work.

[Dundonnell]

The Glinowski link appears to have some glitch or problem; it will not connect to Mediafire.

[Dundonnell]

Looking forward to hearing the Sikorski 4th symphony. The Symphony No.3 *Concerto grosso" posted on here some days ago is a most excellent and truly delightful piece, very old-fashioned no doubt but nevertheless highly enjoyable

[markniew]

Thank you jowcol for the Sikorski's 4th.
I do have in my archive movements 1 and 2 - such it was broadcast few years go.
I'll see the work in its entirety.

Do you have also others? I do the 6th

[markniew]

Hi Jowcol,

yes, Kazimierz Sikorski's son Tomasz was in fact more modern composer with rather contemporary and difficult musical language. I do have a number of his works - if there is an interest I can upload them somewhen.

[jowcol]

Hi Jowcol,

yes, Kazimierz Sikorski's son Tomasz was in fact more modern composer with rather contemporary and difficult musical language. I do have a number of his works - if there is an interest I can upload them somewhen.

I would appreciate listening to one or two works you may feel either have better sound or are more approachable, whenever it is convenient to you.  But I would not upload the whole collection at once.

No matter what, I've really enjoyed  your uploads-- I have a lot I still need to listen to  But it is better to have too much music than too lilttle.

[Latvian]

Any more Kazimierz Sikorski works that anyone can upload will be more than welcome by me! I like what I've heard.

[jowcol]

Any more Kazimierz Sikorski works that anyone can upload will be more than welcome by me! I like what I've heard.

I don't have them-- but I will check around....

[Dundonnell]

Many thanks to markniew for the Panufnik Symphony of Peace As a great admirer of Panufnik's music this was one work I had been hoping to hear for a long time.

Now all that is needed is for CPO to get round to issuing the Metasinfonia(Symphony No.7) on cd

[jowcol]

I'm in the last movement of the Symphony of Peace by Panufnik.  It is gorgeous!  Thank you  for sharing!

[markniew]

another piece compoesed during the so called Socialist Realism era.
once again the question appears: should we forget about such pieces?

Of course the problem regards mainly the post-comunist countries. Composers of the "free world" were more lucky.
they were not instructed or pressed to create music that had to support particular ideology.


STANISŁAW  SKROWACZEWSKI   (1923)
Cantata on Peace   (1951) to the text of "Poem on Stalin" by Władysław Broniewski
1. Andante
2. Allegro molto
3. Lagio  (?)
4. Andante maestoso 
Lidia Skowron, soprano
Choir and the Symphony Orchestra of the Krakow Philharomics
cond. Bohdan Wodiczko


Broniewski - author of the text was very interesting and complex poet
his short biogram can be found in wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Broniewski

[Dundonnell]

To answer your question, personally I have absolutely no difficulty with listening to and appreciating the music written by composers like Panufnik and Skrowaczewski during the era of Socialist Realism.

If we did indeed forget about their music then by the same token we would have to dismiss virtually all the Rumanian and Bulgarian music which has been so generously uploaded for us here, not to mention the Russian/Soviet music.

The Panufnik Symphony of Peace is a gorgeously beautiful work and, it is my understanding, that Panufnik withdrew it, partly at least, because he thought it too long (this despite the protests of Leopold Stokowski who had given the work its western premiere in Detroit). What I have heard so far of the Skrowaczewski Cantata may not necessarily have much in kin with later Skrowaczewski but it seems nevertheless a work of emotional conviction.