Krzysztof Penderecki turns eighty in November 2013, and what better
way to celebrate his birthday than with an anniversary-year recording of one
of his most exciting works, the 'Resurrection' Piano Concerto? Then again,
the thirty-eight-minute running time of this new CD from Hänssler
Classic is hardly going to endear it to collectors, even at a reduced
'single' price - this available from some online retailers, but not from
Hänssler's own website. For less money, punters could help themselves
to a full-length Naxos disc - how about Barry Douglas's sparkling account of
Penderecki's 'Resurrection' Concerto (
review), released three months before
Hänssler's.
On the positive side, Hänssler have assembled a fine team for
this recording. German pianist Florian Uhlig has performed this work several
times with various conductors, including Penderecki himself. Meanwhile, the
thoroughly dependable Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Łukasz
Borowicz have been keeping busy with critic-impressing projects. Earlier
this year they co-starred with Emilian Madey in a recording for Chandos of
Ignacy Dobrzyński's Piano Concerto and Second Symphony (
review), and only a few months before had
popped up on CD Accord with some piano concertos by 'Chopin's Pupils',
soloist Hubert Rutkowski (
review).
Then again, those two discs were let down somewhat by audio quality
that had a slight 'lossy' feel. They were both recorded at the Polish Radio
Symphony Orchestra's home venue, the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio
in Warsaw. That is where the players are to be found on this Hänssler
disc too, but steps have clearly been taken, and the sound here is happily
well defined, spacious and natural, only coming under stress in brief
extreme-forte passages.
Penderecki's Concerto is dedicated to the memory of those who died
in the '9/11' terrorist assault on New York's World Trade Center, one of a
series of works through which he composer has, throughout his career,
commented on political events, often those of a brutal nature. As such, this
was never going to be a bubbly, sunny work, yet despite its subject matter
and earthy, dark-toned character, the Concerto remains surprisingly
accessible. It is certainly bolshevistic and atonal in places, but also
melodic, rhythmic and structured in ways that place it in a line easily
traceable - via Prokofiev, Liszt and Beethoven - all the way back to Mozart.
The gentle lullaby towards the ends of the first and final movements will
certainly surprise.
It seems reasonable to assume that Penderecki's 'Resurrection' title
alludes to Mahler. Whilst it would be misleading to say that the Concerto in
any way sounds like Mahler, there are certain orchestrational choices
Penderecki has made, deliberately without doubt, that do recall him -
fanfares, percussive irruptions, episodic tempo changes. Like Mahler in his
time, Penderecki is one of the greatest living composers, and like Mahler's
Resurrection Symphony, Penderecki's Resurrection Concerto deserves an
unequivocal place in the repertoire and concert hall.
Those who can overlook Hänssler's abysmal running time need not
hesitate to add this recording to their Penderecki or piano concerto
collection, even if already in possession of the Naxos disc. Uhlig's
performance has all the virtuosic, staminal and expressive necessaries and
more besides, and his substantial orchestral support is equally,
unflaggingly impressive.
For much more Penderecki, the best place to turn is Naxos again -
the service rendered to posterity by their 20-plus discography of the
composer is immeasurable. An excellent place to start would be with the
Viola Concerto and Second Cello Concerto, one of the finest releases of 2012
(
review). The more adventurous on a tight budget can avail
themselves of a Naxos 5-CD boxed set of Penderecki's seven symphonies and
some choral works at a bargain price (8.505231) - many works performed,
incidentally, by the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted this time by
Antoni Wit. Elsewhere, and rather pricier, the Polish DUX label has its own
ongoing 'Penderecki Special Edition', featuring orchestral, chamber and
choral music - see this
review for further details.
Byzantion
Contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
