Francesca Dego / Francesca Leonardi IL CANNONE

 

IL CANNONE

 

Dominika Przech / Adam Mikołaj Goździewski MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

 

MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

 

Małgorzata Wasiucionek / Sylwia Michalik ENESCU / PROKOFIEV / SZYMANOWSKI

 

ENESCU / PROKOFIEV / SZYMANOWSKI

 

Violina Petrychenko SLAVIC ROMANCE

SLAVIC ROMANCE

Violetta Khachikyan FUGENPASSION

FUGENPASSION

Franziska Pietsch / Detlev Eisinger SZYMANOWSKI & FRANCK Works for Violin & Piano

WORKS FOR VIOLIN & PIANO

Miyako Arishima TAKEMITSU - SZYMANOWSKI - CHOPIN - SEROCKI Works for Solo Piano

Steinway & Sons releases the debut album from up-and-coming Japanese pianist Miyako Arishima. The album blends two vastly different, yet kindred worlds: the Romantic, embodied by the music of Frédéric Chopin, and the twentieth century, represented by the works of Toru Takemitsu, Karol Szymanowski, and Kazimierz Serocki. 

Although the record heavily features Polish repertoire, Rain Tree Sketch by Toru Takemitsu, arguably the greatest Japanese composer of the twentieth century, kicks off the album. This piece, written in 1982, reflects the essence of Takemitsu’s composition style, blending Western themes with Japanese cultural roots. Although the piece is short, it focuses on the relationship between meticulously produced notes and silence.

There are two pieces by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski featured on this record: Métopes, Op. 29: Nausicaa, and 2 Mazurkas, Op. 62. The first of the two, Nausicaa, was written while the composer was under the sway of aesthetic impressions from Doric temple friezes at the Palermo museum, and as a result was heavily inspired by Greek mythology. The second, 2 Mazurkas, are later works which form the final opus of Szymanowski, and are distinct from the composer’s earlier works in their softer rhythmic contours and distinct arabesque character.

Three works by Frédéric Chopin, including 4 Mazurkas, Op. 33, the sixth of the composer’s mazurka sets, showcases the signature liveliness of the mazurka, a traditional Polish dance set in triple time, through nostalgic, popular melodies and elaborate minor-mode settings.

Rounding out the recording is the seven-part Suite of Preludes by Kazimierz Serocki, who would later become a radical representative of the Polish avant-garde. This piece is notable for its unorthodox incorporation of Arnold Schönberg’s famous twelve-tone serialism, and its blend of the Chopin-era and post-Chopin musical traditions.

Rosanne Philippens MYTH

What a surprise it was when my friend the pianist Julien Quentin introduced me to the music of Szymanowski several years ago. A world full of myths opened up, a landscape with fast streaming rivers where frightened nymphs timidly glanced back at lascivious satyrs with goat hooves. And full of colourful stories about the shepherd’s boy seduced by a princess, and the firebird hiding in the bushes. In the three myths I recognised Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I managed to track down the poems of Szymanowski’s countryman Tadeusz Micinski, which inspired him. In pursuit of the composer’s roots, I visited his villa Atma, where I heard the wonderful music of the mountains of Zakopane, which had moved him as well. And so ‘Myth’ came into being, an issue imbued with the Polish soul, and including, from further afield, some Russian myths as well.

Rafał Blechacz / Bomsori Kim FAURÉ - DEBUSSY - SZYMANOWSKI - CHOPIN

Bomsori Kim and Rafał Blechacz present their first recording as new duo partners with works by Fauré, Debussy, Chopin and Szymanowski.

New duo partners decided to explore French and Polish repertoire on their first album together, showcasing the enthralling combination of Blechacz’s structural vision and Bomsori's lyrical music-making.

Radosław Sobczak SZYMANOWSKI

Piano works by Karol Szymanowski pose a considerable challenge to their performers. Although the composer himself was an active instrumentalist, he never thought about his works in a purely pianistic way. This work is full of textural complexities which, in combination with numerous compositional indications, regulating tempo and dynamics, do not facilitate interpretation. A recording of a pianist who earned a reputation as promoter of Polish music, Radosław Sobczak , shows that even the most difficult textural traps do not pose any difficulty for this artist. The album programme consists of: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major. Op. 21 , 2 Mazurkas from Op. 50 , Etude in B flat minor, Op. 4 No. 3 , and rarely performed Preludes, Op. 1.

Anna Szałucka A CENTURY OF POLISH PIANO MINIATURES

“‘A century of Polish Piano Miniatures' summarizes years of work and research just as Poland comes to its 100th anniversary of independence. My goal was to explore and present to the audience the real jewels of Polish piano literature from the post-Chopin era. Every piece covers a historically significant moment taking the listener on a fascinating journey through wars, conflicts and victories. Leaving Poland myself over five years ago it was very important for me to see how the new generation of composers take over both inside and (mostly) outside the country. It was also crucial for me to include works written by female composers. I am pleased to share this music with a wider international audience.” (Anna Szałucka)

Lilit Grigoryan VARIATIONS SÉRIEUSES

Award-winning Armenian pianist Lilit Grigoryan explores the art of the variation in her new recording with Orchid Classics entitled Variations Serieuses. In stunning interpretations combining both virtuosity and integrity, Lilit Grigoryan takes the listener on a journey through this art form, from Busoni’s breathtaking re-imagining of the majestic Chaconne from J.S. Bach’s D minor violin Partita, to Beethoven’s 32 Variations, which range between extreme technical difficulty and expressive moments of quiet simplicity, to Mendelssohn’s grand Variations sérieuses. Alongside these giants of the repertoire are some more rarely-heard gems: Bizet’s sinuous and innovative chromatic variations, and youthful late-Romantic colour from Polish composer Szymanowski. 

Born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1985, Lilit Grigoryan started to play piano at the age of seven at the Al. Spendiaryan Music School. She was a student at the Komitas Yerevan State Conservatory before she entered the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock in the class of Prof. Matthias Kirschnereit in April 2014. She graduated in Rostock with the highest distinction. From 2012 to 2016 Lilit Grigoryan was also Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.

Wojciech Pyrć EKIER - SZYMANOWSKI Piano Music

The composers presented on the CD – Jan Ekier and Karol Szymanowski - were united by fascination with Chopin’s music, as well as inspiration from folk music, particularly the highlander folklore. Szymanowski’s influence on the entirety of the Polish music was not to be overestimated and it also left its mark on the artistic sensitivity of young Ekier. He also occupies a particular place on the artistic path of a young pianist, Wojciech Pyrć, a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, laureate of numerous Polish and international competitions. He interprets piano miniatures by Ekier, as well as Szymanowski’s works, including the daunting and rarely performed Fantasy in C major.

Matthias Roth MIROIRS

The two composers on this Genuin Classics recording represent their country as figureheads of colour and sound: The Pole Karol Szymanowski and the Frenchman Maurice Ravel. The Swiss pianist Matthias Roth has put together an exquisite programme for his GENUIN debut CD, which he has recorded with a crystal-clear sound and lively articulation that is unrivaled in terms of quality. You don't know what to admire more: the great works of Ravel that one knows well but experiences anew, or the unexplored beauty of Szymanowski's works, which are worth the exciting voyage of discovery in every moment!

Jiyoon Lee / Henry Kramer MYTHES

As part of her prize for winning the Windsor Festival International Strings Competition in 2015, South Korean violinist Jiyoon Lee makes her debut recording on Champs Hill Records with duo partner Henry Kramer in a recital of Stravinsky, Wieniawski, Bartok, Szymanowski and Ravel. · Winning the David Oistrakh competition in 2013, Jiyoon Lee subsequently won prizes in the Indianapolis, Queen Elizabeth and Carl Nielsen competitions, in addition to Windsor, and is now performing around the world. Henry Kramer has similarly won prizes in the Queen Elizabeth and Montreal competitions and an award winner at the Julliard School.

Pöntinen plays SZYMANOWSKI

Roland Pöntinen’s recital illustrates graphically three distinct sides of Szymanowski’s multifaceted genius. First, a selection from the 22 Mazurkas which are like Chopin seen through a distorting mirror while at the same time reflecting the composer’s love of the Tatra district of his native Poland. Second, his turning away from heavy German influences to an ornate impressionism capturing his devotion to Mediterranean myths and legends (Métopes and Masques). And finally, in the Third Sonata, a close amalgam of influences, notably Scriabin (the more problematic Sonatas Nos 6-10) and Stravinsky. All this is a far cry from Szymanowski’s first style in, say, his Op 1 Preludes or Op 4 Etudes, or in the massive Second Sonata (sufficiently daunting to have alarmed Arthur Rubinstein who gave its world premiere). Here the influences remain but are fragmented into a kaleidoscope of glancing lights and colours, creating ferocious aural and technical demands. Certainly it needs a very special pianist to embrace fully such intricacy, and Pöntinen is more than equal to his task. He is as memorably lucid and evocative in the Sonata’s central Adagio mesto as he is commanding in the finale’s formidably long fugal subject. Try the concluding Vivace assai in Masques and you will hear a total assurance repeated in the Mazurkas – never more so than in the other-wordly quality of Op 62. Piotr Anderszewski’s Award-winning disc of much of the same repertoire (Virgin, 9/05) and Marc-André Hamelin’s complete set of the Mazurkas (Hyperion, 9/03) provide dazzling competition and if Pöntinen is not quite their equal he runs them remarkably close on this finely recorded album. (Bryce Morrison / Gramophone)

Anne Akiko Meyers FANTASIA

Last December I travelled to Finland to play Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra, written by the great composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara, which I will be premiering with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony this upcoming season. Sadly with Rautavaara’s recent death, this will be a posthumous world premiere. 

Rautavaara was a legendary Finnish composer who wrote eight symphonies, 14 concertos, and numerous other works for chamber ensembles and choir. He was a protégé of Sibelius, active until age 87, and was best known for writing Symphony No 7, Angel of Light and the beautifully haunting work, Cantus Arcticus: concerto for birds and orchestra, a piece that took my breath away the first time I heard it.

In my early twenties, I regularly went to record and sheet-music stores, looking through items one at a time in the hope of discovering music that would make the hairs on my neck stand up. It was then I first discovered Rautavaara’s music, and for years, dreamed of commissioning him to compose more music for violin. In 2014, I inquired if Rautavaara, with the wonderful support of Boosey & Hawkes, would be interested in writing a fantasy for violin and orchestra. I was beyond elated when he responded that indeed he would and worked quickly. I received a handwritten draft of the score in the fall of last year, and breathlessly ran to my music studio to play through it. 

I think there are similar qualities to the Angel of Light and Cantus Arcticus and Rautavaara’s signature soulful sound permeates throughout the piece, with fluid harmonies and deep moods  -much like flowing large movements of water and majestic scenes from nature. 

In December, I flew to Helsinki to meet Rautavaara and perform the work for him. We met at the apartment he shared with his wife, and the apartment was flooded with a special light that only seems to exist at the edge of the earth, overlooking the sea. He stood with a walker and was incredibly  gentle and kind. Smiling and laughing, we spoke about how Sibelius liked the fact that Rautavaara owned an automobile, as well as his time in New York, studying at the Juilliard School where I also went to school. 

After I played Fantasia, he looked at me and repeatedly said, 'I wrote such beautiful music!' We all laughed and agreed. He apologized for what he felt were his lazy bow markings and was so happy that I took the liberty to change the bowings to punctuate the phrasing the way I thought would bring his poetry out best. I was amazed that he made no changes to any notes or dynamics. Everything was in place just the way he wrote it. 

Fantasia is transcendent and has the feeling of an elegy with a very personal reflective mood. Rautavaara’s music will live on forever and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for writing a masterpiece that makes me cry every time I listen to it. (Anne Akiko Meyers / Gramophone)

Piotr Tarcholik / Monika Wilińska-Tarcholik GEMS OF EASTERN EUROPE

The socio-political situation in Europe in the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries facilitated the development of national identities and distinctiveness of individual nations. A significant role in this field fell to music. Historians of music differentiate between two distinct trends: the mainstream current and the peripheral trend (the latter being also labelled ‘national‘), in which the social role of music was fundamental. References to a nation’s past, its heroes, literature, customs, language and folklore resulted in development of national schools (styles) of composition such as: Spanish (Sarasate, Albéniz), Scandinavian (Gade, Grieg), English (Parry, Stanford), Czech (Smetana, Dvorák), Hungarian (Erkel, Mosonyi), Russian (‘The Mighty Handful’), and Polish (Chopin, Moniuszko). This new release from violinist Piotr Tarcholik and pianist Monika Wilińska-Tarcholik  explores the nationalistic music of Eastern Europe, including works form Prokofiev, Bartok, Szymanowski, and Lepianka. (Arkiv Music)

Cédric Tiberghien SZYMANOWSKI Masques - Métopes - Études Op. 4 - Études Op. 33

Karol Szymanowski was never a concert virtuoso but knew the piano inside out, writing music that, despite its often complex textures, is always beautifully laid out for the hands. It has never caught the imagination of the general public, with perhaps the exception of the dolorously lovely B flat Étude from Op 4, clearly modelled on Chopin’s B minor Prelude. This early set was composed between 1900 and 1902, when Scriabin was a major influence, though the bitonal opening of the last of the four hints at wrhat was to come. The distance travelled can be measured by the second set of (12) Études from 1916, dedicated to Alfred Cortot: epigrammatic (none lasts more than two minutes), tonally enigmatic, extremely difficult and played as a sequence without break.

The three Métopes from 1915 (a metope here is a sculptured panel in a Doric frieze)—‘L’île des Sirenes’, ‘Calypso’ and ‘Nausicaa’—recall ‘the leavening, salutary influence of Ravel’s and Debussy’s weightless, diaphanous textures’ (to quote Francis Pott in his booklet-note) and rely ‘upon a performer of fastidious polyphonic instincts and acute subtlety’. The studied spontaneity of the three Masques (1915-16)—‘Shéhérazade’, ‘Tantris le Bouffon’ and ‘La Sérénade de Don Juan’—again defy structural analysis, their titles having no immediately obvious connection with the music.

But if I personally find it hard to respond positively to these elusive tone-poems, one can have no reservations about Cédric Tiberghien’s playing throughout this absorbing disc.

His quite extraordinary tonal palette and acute observation of the composer’s fastidious notation are beyond reproach, a masterclass in refined virtuosity. (Jeremy Nicholas / Gramophone)

Duo Brüggen-Plank SZYMANOWSKI Works for Violin and Piano

While studying the works of Szymanowski, we quickly discovered the powerful attraction his music exerted on us. It felt as though we had found our own channel for expressing ourselves musically. His language immediately fascinated and thrilled us and we have regularly featured the works of this composer in our recitals since rst performing as a duo in 2007. We are both interested in how human emotional states are addressed, their diversity, expression, homophony and the compatibility of emotionality with today’s “functional” world. Where are the boundaries of what a person can feel, express and communicate? Szymanowski’s works open up new horizons in this area and we hope to be able to convey this richness to all people who are open to this extremely intensive, not always easy to listen to, poetic and fantastic music. (Henrike Brüggen, Marie Radauer-Plank)

The thrilling contrasts in a composer’s oeuvre are presented by Marie Radauer-Plank and Henrike Brüggen on their first GENUIN release. The two artists bring the world of the great Karol Szymanowski, whose death anniversary will be commemorated on March 29, 2017, to life before our ears. His music reflects the spirit of his time while drawing inspiration from ancient sources. It derives its power from the traditions of his homeland, but remains universal. And all of this can be heard in the playing of the two young, international prize-winning musicians: sophisticated yet down-to-earth, incredibly sensual yet clearly structured – a true discovery!