Polish Music

[markniew]

Elroel has uploded the piece by Michał Spisak noting that he is not well known outside Poland.
Yes, in fact he is not. Even here in Poland he is not very popular despite his music is really interesting and enjoying. Not many pieces were released on LPs or CDs. I think it is worth to start new thread and present a number of his pieces taken off radio.

[eschiss1]

According to Paciorkiewicz.pl belatedly the movements of Paciorkiewicz's 1988 viola sonata (posted awhile ago by Marek) are Allegro - Sostenuto - Vivo.  (This work was not on the Acte Préalable CD of works for Violin and Viola by Paciorkiewicz released a few years back, would seem ) It was a request by his son, who performs the work and has commercially recorded works by some rather well-known modern Polish composers, I notice (Artur's name comes up more often than his father's in a Google search, I think. Yay violists, I say as someone who used to play- er, accidentally mangle- the instrument.)

The same site (different page) has information on his earlier Concerto alla barocco (1978) (Moderato - Andante cantabile - Con moto), commissioned by the same Julit(t?)a Sleńdzińska who performs in the broadcast.

[ttle]

Elroel has uploded the piece by Michał Spisak noting that he is not well known outside Poland.
Yes, in fact he is not. Even here in Poland he is not very popular despite his music is really interesting and enjoying. Not many pieces were released on LPs or CDs. I think it is worth to start new thread and present a number of his pieces taken off radio.

Sadly, in many countries, composers who were household names in the 1950s or 1960s are now scarcely performed and recorded. Spisak was regularly mentioned alongside Grażyna Bacewicz in music history books as one of the main "Neo-Classical" composers in Poland after WWII. The second of his three Symphonies concertantes was often praised. Ironically, G. Bacewicz resented being called a Neo-Classical composer. Spisak definitely was so, at least in a 1930's- or 1940's- Stravinsky sort of way. It is interesting to note that while many composers in Central and Eastern Europe either fell silent, went in exile or wrote some of their weaker scores during the post-Jdanov era (1949-1956), most of the ones who managed to maintain their compositional quality were those whose natural musical temper was either classical or deeply optimistic / energetic. Spisak is such a case, as were Arnič, Bjelinski, Hanuš or Šulek.

[eschiss1]

Speaking of Bacewicz, thanks to those who have uploaded the cello concertos and piano concerto broadcasts - I know I've admired most of her music I've heard (except maybe for a brief "dip" in her output's quality, in my honest opinion, and not all of it, just some works) around the time of the 2-piano concerto, and even then, back up again with the last quartets and concertos which I think if anything are maybe her best works, integrating the best of all that preceded ? ... ).

[markniew]

Oooh! Thank you for mentioning also Paciorkiewicz. He is the next case of the composers not pampered (perhaps I use the wrong word, sorry) by Polish phonography. Most of his music I have got off Polish Radio. I do have his Concerto alla barocco. In fact I have had relatively many of his compositions - both pf ctos, ctos for violin, 2 violins, viola, harp, oboe and a number of chamber music.
He deserves to have his thread here but I am afraid to be the main source of uploads. Perhaps you can assist me, it's hard job to transfer the waves into mp3s and then uplod it

[markniew]

Rather lighter music - suite from the ballet "Złota kaczka" (Golden duck) based on a local legend. Złota kaczka is a legendary creature popular in Warsaw's urban legends.

see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C5%82ota_kaczka


JAN  MAKLAKIEWICZ   (1899-1955)
"Złota kaczka" (Golden Duck) – Suite from the Ballet  (1950)
1. Introduction to Act 1
2. Mazurek
3. Oberek
4. Mother's Dance
5. Little Frog
6. Folk Dance – Polka
7. Shoemaker Dance

[JimL]

Oooh! Thank you for mentioning also Paciorkiewicz. He is the next case of the composers not pampered (perhaps I use the wrong word, sorry) by Polish phonography. Most of his music I have got off Polish Radio. I do have his Concerto alla barocco. In fact I have had relatively many of his compositions - both pf ctos, ctos for violin, 2 violins, viola, harp, oboe and a number of chamber music.
He deserves to have his thread here but I am afraid to be the main source of uploads. Perhaps you can assist me, it's hard job to transfer the waves into mp3s and then uplod it

It's not that hard if you have iTunes, Marek.  If you transfer a WAV file into iTunes to play it, it automatically converts it to an MP3.  If you copy that you have an MP3 ready for upload!

[eschiss1]

well, depending on your settings...

[markniew]

In the Dowloads there is more by Maklakiewicz - for those who like songs with orchestra.
I am not a fan of such a music but I present it.

JAN  MAKLAKIEWICZ   (1899-1954)
Japanese Songs op. 25 (1930)

In track 2 you can find titles of the songs (four) however in Polish - if there is an interest I can try to translate them.
or someone can find it somewhere in the Internet

[markniew]

Interesting that some Polish composers did write songs to texts taken from the Japanese poetry.
Here we have:

ALEKSANDER  TANSMAN   (1897-1986)
8 Japanese Songs for Soprano and Orchestra      (1918)
(texts in paraphrase by Remigiusz Kwiatkowski)

After the biography of the composer (by Janusz Cegiełła) I quote the original title:
Huit melodies japanaises Kai-Kai, dedicated "a Madame Maria Freund" (soprano whe premiered both versions: with orchestra on 02.02.1922 and with piano (with Tansman himself) on 19.11.1922.
Titles:
1. Tejakakja: Allegro molto
2. Dame Ise: Andante espressivo
3. Samma sammi: Andante cantabile
4. Oczikoczi-no-micune: Andante espressivo
5. Saruwaru-taju: Adagio
6. Fudziwara-no-tesziuki-ason: Moderato
7. Bunja-no-asajasu: Adagio
8. Banja rjosen: Lento

according to the book this recording was made in 1972

[markniew]

Composer rather unknown and not played even in Poland, however his outup was quite impressive.
I can remember that in some books it was mentioned that his Piano concerto (no. 1 ) was highly valued by Max Reger.
During many years of gathering Polish music I heard only this sonata and some songs, no symphonic works or concertos. Perhaps I missed something what is be possible but in any case not many of his compositions were ever recorded .

some information on him can be found on PWM website:

=364544&sortuj=sattr_83&grupuj=&przedm=118606&strona=2&change_lang=1&change_skin=103374]http://www.pwm.com.pl/szczegoly.php?&Friemann_Witold&aukcja=0&grupa_p=6&grp=&pwd[6]=364544&sortuj=sattr_83&grupuj=&przedm=118606&strona=2&change_lang=1&change_skin=103374

WITOLD  FRIEMANN   (1889-1977)   
Sonata for Violin and Piano op. 15
1.   Allegro
2.   Presto
3.   Andante
4.   Finale. Presto ala mazurka     
Krzysztof Jakowicz, Violin
Andrzej Stefański, Piano

[markniew]

Has anyone  Paciorkiewicz's First symphony? Reading his webpage it seems had been recorded.

I never heard his 1st symphony on radio. Interesting is that his symphony no. 2 was not recorded in Poland but was issued in early 60s by the Soviet Melodiya taken live from the concert done in Moscow during the Days of Polish Music - if I remember correctly. It was included in the 2LP set with, among others, Witold Rudziński's Concertante Music for piano and Orchestra (not available in other recordings).

[markniew]

Thanks to fr8nks for uploading 2 Violins Concerto by Paciorkiewicz. In next days I will upload some other pieces by him. 

[eschiss1]

So far as Friemann is concerned (misspelling his name as Friedmann gives a very few more hits but nothing as useful as I'd hoped ) there is one 78-rpm recording coupling a work of his - Cudne oczy I think, if I'm reading correctly- with a Chopin etude (op.10/3) - and that is all Worldcat turns up, anyhow, by way of released recordings (that I know of etc.)

MusicSack spells his name Withold Friemann and has August 20 1889 or 1899 in Konin near Kalisz, died 1977. (With Witold as an alternate- Withold may be a typo- and this among MS' sources:
Mitscha, Adam. "Witold Friemann. Zycie i tworczosc.
(Leben und Werk 1889-1977)
Katowice: Akademia Muzyczna 1980. 190 S.
       Mit Abb. u. Werkeverz.
      (Series: Zeszyty Naukowe; 17)" as a source- a 190-page book on the composer? Hrm. If that can be found, it would hopefully add substantially to what one -does- know about Friemann.)

[jerfilm]

I've uploaded to mediafire the Concerto Symphonique for piano and orchestra by Joseph Rosenstock (1895-1985).   His opus 4 of

Rosenstock was born in Poland, eventually wound up conducting in Nazi Germany.  Because he was Jewish, he luckily left before his number came up.  He moved to Japan (!) and conducted until the war started and emigrated to the United States.  He probably made his biggest splash as one of the conducting staff at the Met starting in 1961 where he stayed for I think the end of his career.

Rosenstock has never, to my knowledge, been know as a composer.   He is not listed in either the 50s Grove or the 1980 New Grove.  The Wikipedia article does not make any mention of compositions at all.  The Concerto was composed in 1919-20 and premiered in 1920 with Rosentock himself at the piano.  It's a late Romantic piece, fairly tuneful and quite interesting.

If you'll indulge an old man, I remember Rosenstock when he was with the Met and they were doing their annual tour on the road - actually almost exactly this time of year in Minneapolis.  He always seem like kind of a grumpy old man.  I saw him conduct several operas in the 1960s but one incident I remember well.  And, no, I don't remember what opera it was.  Rosenstock appeared inthe pit, took his bow, raised his baton and they weren't more than two or three measures into the overture, when some poor soul in the middle section at Northrup Auditoreum suffered a severe coughing spell.  Rosenstock immediately stopped the orchestra, turned and glared in the general direction of the embarassed offender, waiting until the spasm subsided and then very clearly said "Are you quite through??"   At which point he turned back to the band and resumed the performance. 

Hope you like his concerto.

Jerry