CD: Chopin, Paderewski, Szymanowski. Joanna Marcinkowska – piano
This two-record album includes selected piano pieces by three excellent Polish artists: Frédéric Chopin, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Karol Szymanowski. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) is undoubtedly the most prominent Polish composer and one of the greatest geniuses in the world. Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) is a unique figure in the Polish history of musical, political, and social life. Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) is – next to Witold Lutosławski – the most outstanding Polish composer of the 20th century and one of the world’s greatest musical creators of that century, whose works included the best patterns of expressionist, Postromantic, and modernist music.
The three Great Poles were, both in their lives and their works, distinguished and at the same time united by one trait – Polishness. It was also what was at the root of my idea to present interpretations of selected piano works by these artists in this album.
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From among Frédéric Chopin’s piano pieces, I have selected those that best reflect the idiom of Chopin’s output – nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, and polonaises, as well as a scherzo, a piece whose drama and virtuosity are typical of many of Chopin’s works.
Chopin’s nocturnes hold a special place among his pieces. They are the essence of his style: clear, almost classical in form and deeply Romantic in contents. They captivate with their wonderful melodics, ornamentation, and equally beautiful harmony. They require a subtle rubato from the performer, and above all bel canto, so beloved by Chopin. Both Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 and Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1 are among the most beautiful and atmospheric pieces of the genre. Nocturne in D flat major has a different formal structure than most Chopin’s nocturnes. Instead of the most common three-movement form with a lively middle movement, its structure is similar to the rondo form with variation. A wonderfully built climax of the nocturne, ecstatically emotional, is gradually released and calmed down by a beautiful melodic line based on a swinging accompaniment part. Equally impressive is Nocturne in B major with its three-movement structure. In the rich four-voice texture of the first movement, the composer weaves atmospheric cantabile melody which evolves into a remarkable fortissimo passage followed by the return of the main thematic idea and the introduction to the middle movement. This movement, unlike in most nocturnes, has a quiet, almost contemplative character, maintained in the sostenuto style with ostinato accompaniment. The last movement of the nocturne, rich in ornamentation, is proof of Chopin’s brilliant skill in using ornaments, mainly trills, woven into the narrative of long phrases.
Mazurkas, which Chopin composed throughout his life and which were a source of his most intimate statements, are – next to polonaises – the most Polish works. The composer treated them as utterly artistic works, not as functional dances, while folk elements were only a source of inspiration. Chopin composed 57 mazurkas grouped in 12 opuses of three to five pieces. Four Mazurkas, Op. 24, as well as all pieces up to Op. 41, are characterized by folk elements typical of the genre along with a characteristic structure; he uses specific features of mazur, kujawiak, and oberek. Chopin’s mazurkas are great challenge for the pianist, the most important being the ability to perform the rubato tempo, typical of Polish folk music. Mazurkas, Op. 24 are characterized by a relatively simple, almost classical structure, unlike the mazurkas from later opuses which have a more complicated texture, also with elements of polyphony.
A special place in Chopin’s output is held by waltzes. He has composed around 25 pieces of which 18 survived, and 17 are certainly authentic. Chopin’s waltzes are very popular, often performed and entertained. They were inspired by various sources, one of the most significant being the atmosphere of Parisian salons. Far from being functional and occasional dances, they are often called dance poems. This applies especially to the waltzes included in this album, namely: Waltz in E flat major, Op. 18, Waltz in A flat major, Op. 34 No. 1, and Waltz in A flat major, Op. 42. The extensive form, brilliant progressions and virtuoso figures, and captivating melodics make the waltzes real choreographic poems that place high technical and musical demands on the pianist.
Chopin’s Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise in E flat major, Op. 22 is the pinnacle of the brillante style in music. Conceived by the composer as a piece with orchestral accompaniment, it was preceded by the introductory Andante spianato, whose extreme movements are of nocturnal character, while the middle movement is maintained in the mood of a mazurka. The polonaise, most often performed solo, gives the pianist an opportunity to show off their virtuoso flair and brilliance of sound. It is one of the most extensive of all Chopin’s polonaises.
The album’s Scherzo in B flat minor, Op. 31 is one of the four works of the genre raised by Chopin to the status of independent, extensive works. The composer’s scherzos of the ballad-like, often dramatic character are an example of fully mature Romanticism and are pinnacles of the genre. Scherzo in B flat minor, Op. 31 is characterized by contrasting moods, rich and varied dynamics and articulation, and virtuoso panache – all maintained in the three-movement reprise form.
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Paderewski’s extensive and rich activity – as a pianist, statesman, diplomat, philanthropist, patron of the arts, and patriot who put Poland first – somewhat overshadowed his significance as a composer. Over the years, the works of this Great Pole has started to be more and more appreciated, although still not enough.
Paderewski left behind a significant compositional output with piano pieces being the most prominent. Next to great forms such as Sonata in E flat minor, Op. 21, (composed by Paderewski in 1903 and considered one of his peak creative achievements), Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17, Polish Fantasy in G sharp minor, Op. 19 for piano and orchestra, Variations in E flat minor, Op. 23, he composed numerous piano miniatures, many of which became very popular and hold a permanent place in piano repertoires, including Legend in A flat major, Op. 16 No. 1 or Minuet in G major, Op. 14 No. 1. As a composer, Paderewski was undoubtedly influenced by Romantic and late Romantic artists whose works also shaped him as a pianist. While composing his works in the period when Romantic and modernist trends in music intermingled, he was certainly a Romantic. Raised on Chopin’s music, he also cared about the form and structure of his works which made him close to the classics too. One of the less frequently performed miniature cycles are Songs of a Wanderer, Op. 8 (original title: Chants du Voyageur pour le Piano) included in this album. The cycle covers 5 miniatures:
- Allegro agitato in G minor
- Andantino melancolico in A minor
- Andantino grazioso e moderno in B major
- Andantino mistico in B minor
- Allegro giocoso in A major
The works were composed in 1879-1884 when Paderewski was not yet renowned as an outstanding pianist-soloist, rarely gave concerts and only as an accompanist, and he mainly focused on pedagogical activity.
The miniatures show inspiration from Chopin’s mazurkas but also influences from Ukrainian folk melodies. Besides their undoubted artistic value expressed in beautiful harmony and melodics, as well as in a clear formal structure, they also constitute excellent teaching material which was probably influenced by Paderewski’s pedagogical activity at that time.
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Karol Szymanowski is – after Chopin – the greatest and most famous Polish composer in the world. In his rich and diverse output, the most prominent place is held by piano music which he composed throughout his life and which reflect all features characteristic of subsequent stages of his composing career.
Variations in B flat minor, Op. 3 (1901-1905) originate from the early composing period which covered the years 1899-1913. The composer, while being strongly influenced by Richard Strauss’ music at that time, referred to the Romantic era in his works. Variations in B flat minor, written while still studying composition with Zygmunt Noskowski, were dedicated to the great pianist and friend – Artur Rubinstein. The piece covers a theme with 12 variations. It captivates with its beautiful melodics and truly Romantic virtuosity. This did not prevent Szymanowski from saturating the work with a bold harmonic function full of dissonance and chromaticism. This is particularly characteristic for the extensive final movement.
The early period is when the three-movement Fantasy in C major, Op. 14 was composed too, dedicated by Szymanowski to his cousin and excellent pianist Harry Neuhaus who premiered it on February 9, 1906. Fantasy, like Variations in B flat minor, refers not only to the music of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner but the more so to Franz Liszt’s works – it brings to mind Liszt’s symphonic poems. This is determined by its epic content and the fact that all three movements of the piece share the same musical idea. The work is thoroughly Romantic, and Szymanowski himself wrote about its high level of technical difficulty: “I prefer not to have Fantasy […] printed yet. It is extremely difficult for piano, I would then completely ruin my reputation as an unspiel- und unsingbarer Komponist [unplayable and unsingable composer]” (from Szymanowski’s letter to Stefan Spiess, December 11, 1910).
Mazurkas, Op. 50 were composed in 1924-1925, by the end of Karol Szymanowski’s composing career when he turned towards folklore and national features. Szymanowski, like many Polish artists, realized that in the face of the Polish state reviving after years of oppression, there was a need to support patriotic feelings and strengthen the sense of national belonging through art. Encouraged by Adolf Chybiński and Zdzisław Jachimecki, he became interested in highlander folk music, which actually did not make him abandon the compositional techniques used in the second period of his career. However, he enriched them by using pentatonic and highlander scales. Szymanowski’s 20 Mazurkas, Op. 50 are grouped in five sets, four in each. The four mazurkas included in this album constitute the first set and reflect all the features characteristic of this dance, such as: meter, syncopated rhythm, strong accents on the second or third part of the bar.
Since mazurkas make up a form of stylized dance and are not functional dances, they are greatly diversified in terms of tempo and mood, as well as agogics and dynamics, and very dense ornamentation. They have features of mazurka, oberek, and kujawiak. Just like in Chopin’s works, they are among those forms that most strongly testify to the Polishness in the output of both composers.
Joanna Marcinkowska
Joanna Marcinkowska
Doctor habilitated in musical arts and professor at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań; she is among the most prominent Polish pianists. Graduated with honors from prof. Waldemar Andrzejewski’s piano class at the Music Academy in Poznań.
She is a laureate of over 20 international and Polish piano competitions and festivals, including 1st prize at the “Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam” International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz (1996), 2nd prize at the 7th European Chopin Competition in Darmstadt (Germany, 2002), 2nd prize and special prize for the best performance of Karol Szymanowski’s works at the 5th Karol Szymanowski International Competition in Łódź (2001), 3rd prize and audience award at the 5th international piano competition in Cologne (Germany, 2001), Grand Prix at the 30th Polish Piano Music Competition in Słupsk (1996).
She gave recitals and performed as a chamber musician and soloist of symphonic concerts in Poland, as well as many countries in Europe and the US, China, and Vietnam. She gave concerts at over 40 prestigious international music festivals and Poland and abroad, including in: Warsaw, Duszniki-Zdrój, Vienna, Salzburg (at the famous Mozarteum-Saal), Gaming, Hanover (“Outstanding laureates of piano competitions”), at the Polish Piano Music Festivals in Słupsk, “Chopin in the Colors of Autumn” in Antonin, “Piano Passion” in Saint Etienne, as well as music festivals in Sophia and Plovdiv.
She collaborated with over 40 outstanding Polish and foreign conductors, including: Agnieszka Duczmal, Tadeusz Strugała, Jerzy Salwarowski, Marek Pijarowski, Grzegorz Nowak, Bohdan Jarmołowicz, Jakub Chrenowicz, Ewa Strusińska, Ian Hobson, Helmuth Froschauer, Gert Sell, Ruben Silva, Vladimir Kiradjiev, Wojciech Czepiel, Wojciech Rajski. She performed as a soloist with nearly all Polish philharmonic orchestras and with such excellent ensembles as WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, JugendKammerOrchester Berlin, “Amadeus” Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio in Poznań, Sinfonietta Polonia, Chamber Orchestra “Capella Bydgostiensis” in Bydgoszcz, Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Chamber Orchestra “Concerto Avenna” in Warsaw, “Prima Vista” Quartet in Warsaw, Bogumił Łepecki Warsaw Symphony Orchestra “Sonata”, Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra in Warsaw, Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra, and Ho Chi Minh Ballet and Symphony Orchestra.
Joanna Marcinkowska’s recording output includes works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Karol Szymanowski. On the 187th anniversary of Chopins’ birth, she recorder a recital of the composer’s works for the Polish television; another recital was recorded for the Polish Radio “Merkury” in Poznań and the Frédéric Chopin National Institute in Warsaw.
In recent years, the artist premiered three piano concertos: Piano Concerto No. 4 Oxygenophilic Sounds by Krzesimir Dębski, with CoOperae Orchestra conducted by the composer, Piano Concerto by Zbigniew Kozub, with “Sinfonietta Pomerania” Orchestra conducted by Tadeusz Dixa, and Piano Concerto Witraż czasu [Stained glass of time] by Janusz Stalmierski (composed for the 100th anniversary of the Academy of Music in Poznań), with the Poznań Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jakub Chrenowicz.
Joanna Marcinkowska leads numerous master courses and piano workshops at home and abroad (including in China, Texas, Vietnam) and serves as a chairperson or jury member in many piano competitions. Her students win main prizes at Polish and international piano competitions (including in China, Germany, Russia, Italy).
For her achievements, she has been awarded with, among others, the Silver Cross of Merit, the Decoration of Honor Meritorious for Polish Culture, as well as the artistic award of the Marshall of Wielkopolska and the Rector’s Award of the Academy of Music in Poznań.