Twardowski is hardly
a household name in the Western world,
but the pieces here will likely give
listeners cause to take notice.
The Piano Concerto
of 1984 opens up as if to set the world
on fire as a synthesis of Rachmaninov’s
3rd and, especially, Prokofiev’s
2nd and 3rd piano
concertos. Elements are certainly to
be found in the involved opening solo
cadenza with its musical language, dark
and sarcastic, often akin to Prokofiev.
The theme brought out so dramatically
in the cadenza is explored in a series
of variations that form the entire concerto.
A second theme is introduced. This is
akin to Prokofiev or perhaps Rachmaninov
in its uneasy beauty but somehow the
boundary between the two composers has
blurred. At any rate, the work is arresting,
surprising, and is given exceedingly
good presentation here. Why is this
not on the world’s stages now?
The piano is well forward
in this studio recording and the orchestra
has good presence, but sounds somewhat
compressed, rather like my 1980s-era
recordings of Prokofiev’s concertos
on Melodiya by Postnikova/Rozhdestvensky.
This may be partly why Prokofiev springs
to mind on listening. However the main
reason is the angular jauntiness of
Twardowski’s music.
The Piano Concerto’s
near-relative is the following Cello
Concerto, with which it has a very close
connection especially in the structure
of the piece. Both concertos are in
one movement, starting with cadenzas,
with variations of the main theme figuring
heavily across the duration of the piece.
The cello concerto differs in that it
includes a more self-contained central
episode before moving back to the variations
of the main theme. The cello concerto’s
opening four notes immediately call
forth the main theme of the piano concerto,
but here the subsequent sound-world
is more introspective; less sarcastic.
This is a more intimate concerto, sonorous
and a wonderfully meaty piece for the
cellist. The main theme opens up as
a river does after rapids to a lovely
barcarolle with rocking strings behind
the soloist. The tone is far more romantic
than that of the piano concerto, and
the central section (adagio semplice)
melts through the speakers after
the tension of the alternatingly-dissonant
horns that come in before the soloist.
The Small Concerto
of five years earlier is far more brightly
gregarious than its larger, darker-tempered
sibling. Scored for smaller resources
and of lighter texture, its opening
statement reminds one immediately of
music for the toy shop in various stage
accompaniments of holiday plays. Composed
with younger performers in mind, the
orchestral backing is much more elementary
than the pieces already encountered
on this disc, and the scale of the movements
is likewise reduced. Still, the piece
is quite enjoyable; the central Andante,
for almost the duration of the movement,
is a lovely duo for piano and glockenspiel
alone, with only a few supporting gestures
by the strings. The fast final movement
continues the overall impression of
a toy or clock shop with its frequent
use of melodic percussion. Brief and
enjoyable.
The final piece on
this disc, the Old Polish Concerto for
string orchestra, is one of the few
repeats in the Acte Préalable
catalogue — it is also available, performed
at a slightly slower pace by yet another
youth orchestra, on AP 0120. This fits
in as a fine complement to end the disc,
and shows Twardowski casting a purposeful
look backwards in terms of treatment
of thematic material and form. The opening
movement calls Prokofiev’s first symphony
— also composed with a backward glance
— to mind, and as well, considering
backward glances, elements of Grieg’s
Holberg Suite. The sound of the Zenon
Brzewski Warsaw String Orchestra on
the other AP 0120 release has a less
compressed, more immediate sound, and
would be my pick over this performance.
Overall, many fans
of Prokofiev and Alexander Tcherepnin
will find these works quite interesting.
The somewhat compressed sound of the
orchestra proves not so much a distraction
than a factor that makes the recording
sound older than it is. Acte Préalable
does well in this release in providing
a cross-section of Twardowski’s works,
from the reminiscent to the more challenging.
Perhaps these works will soon see a
wider appreciation. I look forward to
hearing future performances.
David Blomenberg
Full
Acte Préalable Catalogue
Edward Wolanin (piano) 
for
details
