This
is an intriguing disc, with a trio of less well-known Polish
composers, a programme which contains no obvious 'hits' but
does have three world premiere recordings and is therefore
well deserving of attention, and not only for the historical
and geographical position from which some of the pieces come.
Adam
Swierzynski was a symphonist, writer of a brace of concertos,
a handful of songs and chamber and solo compositions. His Kaszuby Dance
is quite a substantial piece for its three minutes, displaying
some harmonic quasi-polytonality as well as the expected rhythmic
dance characteristics its title would suggest. Unlike the other
composers on this disc, Swierzynski did not travel to Paris, and
his work is comparatively conservative - the Cracow
Folk Dance having distinct romantic elements as a vehicle
for virtuoso display. His work was often given historical
or descriptive titles, and Seagulls relates to the
cry of these birds as they wheel around his beloved Baltic
coast.
Swierzynski's Sonata extends
this colourful musical language into a four movement work,
slow-fast-slow-fast, and marked espressivo, scherzando,
cantabile and giocoso respectively. There are
some Szymanowskian hints in the harmonies and slightly exotic
scales in some of the melodic lines, but it would be hard
to argue that this is anything more than usefully pleasant,
well composed repertoire fodder. There is little which is
unexpected in the skittish scherzo, the lyrical cantabile,
and the amiable themes of the finale. The score is something
of a survivor, having been discovered as an unpublished manuscript
in the archives of the National Library in Poland.
Tadeusz
Szeligowski studied in Paris from 1928 to 1931 with Nadia
Boulanger (as did Boleslaw Woytowicz), and on his return
to Poland became a significant educator and president of
the Union of Polish Composers. His oeuvre displays a certain
eclecticism, neoclassicism being a feature of his post-war
work, neo-romanticism and folk influences pre-war. His 1947 Sonata appears as a 'witty pastiche of didactic school works' and indeed
does skit between folkish rhythms and Debussy-like warmth,
as well as some of those bells and fireworks that recall
an impressionistic style. Dances and a sleigh ride also appear,
and the whole piece is great fun for players and audience
alike.
Aleksander
Tansman flourished in 1920s Paris, and, like Martinů and
others, embraced the influences which made that city a hotbed
of creativity in the arts. Jazz, exoticism, almost everything
imaginable for the period is thrown into the mix. The jazz
influence comes out most in the Fox-trot Scherzo with
which you can baffle your muso friends, who will probably
yell 'Schulhoff!' at the top of their voices. The youthful
ebullience in the music is quite infectious, but sound compositional
principles are always the basis.
Boleslaw
Woytowicz's three movement Sonata was written just
five years before Poulenc's famous work for flute and piano,
and demands a similar virtuosity from the musicians. It is on the
whole a darker work than the Poulenc, even the more exuberant
passages having a heavier tread and lesser longevity - the
mood being often reflective and introvert, even in the opening Allegro.
The second Andantino alla canzona cannot escape comparison
with Erik Satie, and the concluding Vivo is lively
in spurts, dipping frequently back into that more sober mood
which appears in the opening movement.
This
recording seeks to create a specific musical environment,
using a mid-20th century Bechstein for the accompaniment,
and using the pleasantly roomy but not overly spacious acoustic
of one of Paris' salon music halls. One can indeed imagine
the music being presented at private or exclusive subscription
concerts in such a space. The balance of the recording is
good, with the flute at a realistic level against the piano,
which is capably driven by Bernard Job and doesn't sound
too 'historic'. My only slight caveat is with Marta Balinska's
playing, which can sound a little strained, strangled and
wobbly at times. She has a knack of playing in tune which
is more important, so the music is easy enough on the ears.
This is a thoughtfully presented and adventurous release
from Dux, and as such is deserving of success.
Dominy Clements
Marta A. Balinska (flute)
