Ludomir RÓŻYCKI (1883-1953)
Violin Concerto, Op 70 (1944, orch. Zygmunt Rychert) [24:04]
Deux mélodies pour violin et piano, Op 5 (1904-9) [3:05]
Deux nocturnes pour violin et piano, Op 30 (1909) [8:28]
Transcriptions from the ballet 'Pan Twardowski', Op 45 (1921, arr. Ewelina Nowicka) [13:47]
Ewelina Nowicka (violin)
Pola Lazar, Michał Krężlewski (piano)
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice/Zygmunt Rychert
rec. 2001, Grzegorz Fitelberg Concert Hall, Katowice and July, 2010, Radio Gdańsk.
CPO 555 421-2 [49:31]
Ludomir Różycki studied with Zygmunt Noszkowski (1846-1909) and though he has fared better than other promising Noszkowski students such as Grzegorz Fitelberg or Apolinary Szeluto, he has always been in the shadow of Mieczysław Karłowicz and especially Karol Szymanowski, the only musical member of the Young Poland movement to really achieve fame outside Poland. Not that fame didn't come Różycki's way; up until his death in 1953 his works often appeared in concert and works such as the opera Eros and Psyche, his ballet Pan Twardowski and symphonic works, King Kofetua and Anhelli amongst them, met with popular and critical acclaim. His romantic harmonic palette fell out of favour after his death and it is only relatively recently that many of his works have been more widely available.
Work on the Violin Concerto began in 1944 but was interrupted by the Warsaw Uprising. Różycki and his family fled the family home but not before he buried the manuscript of the unfinished concerto in a suitcase in the garden; it seems he never returned. They were discovered by construction workers at the site of his former home and were then transferred to the Polish National Library; the reconstruction recorded here was made by the conductor Zygmunt Rychert based upon the unfinished orchestral score and piano reduction. That the parts had been buried for safekeeping by the composer is not mentioned in the notes – I gleaned that from an article about another recording of the concerto (Warner Classics 9029519170 review) in an alternative reconstruction by Ryszard Bryła working with violinist Janusz Wawrowski. I have not heard that version so cannot comment on the comparative qualities of the re-orchestrations; suffice it to say that the work sounds wonderful in Rychert's orchestration. The piece is in two movements; a reflective and dreamlike andante with a very brief martial section at its heart and an allegro deciso that opens with a stirring dance-like theme and fireworks aplenty for the soloist. This grows in intensity, with the soloist kept even busier before the mood changes to something of the fairy-tale sweetness of the opening movement though with new music. This continues for a good portion of the movement; the opening dance does not return until nearly 11 minutes in and is shortened even then. Its return is almost too abrupt after the highly atmospheric tranquility that Różycki finds immediately beforehand though perhaps the combined tam tams, tubular bells, horns and wind with their enigmatic, questioning harmonies stem as much from Rychert's imagination as from Różycki's.
I'll say straight out that I love the piece. There is some real
heart-on-sleeve stuff here both in the first movement's main
theme and the emotional heart of the second movement and if it is never
likely to knock Tchaikowsky or Bruch off their respective pedestals
I think this would be as attractive for an audience as Glazunov's
beautiful concerto. This recording, made by Polish Radio, was previously
available on Acte Préalable and it was that incarnation that was previously
reviewed (Acte Préalable AP0219
(still available from MusicWeb)); I have a fairly sweet tooth so
I respond more favourably to this work than either of the previous reviewers
have and it should be pointed out that its vividly lush and occasional
whole tone harmonies combined with the previously mentioned orchestral
colour does give this a somewhat fantastical, otherworldly atmosphere
that is worlds away from the grim reality of the situation in Poland
at the time it was written.
The rest of the CD features works for violin and piano. The Mélodies and Nocturnes date from his years of study with Englebert Humperdinck in Berlin. The first of the mélodies features a doleful melody over a simple arpeggiated accompaniment in the piano, simple but for the notes that add a touch of piquancy to the harmony. The second is a jaunty but still sad dance that has elements of Bartók's Rumanian dances. These and the two nocturnes ably demonstrate Różycki's early gift for the melody as if the concerto had left us in any doubt. I particularly like the second with its lilting melody and subtle chromatic side-stepping harmony. These four works appear to be his entire output for violin so to fill the CD are four transcriptions by Ewelina Nowicka herself of excerpts from Różycki's 1920 ballet Pan Twardowski, a sort of Polish Faust which tells of a 16th Century nobleman who makes a deal with a devil to bestow magical powers upon him in exchange for his soul. The soul can only be taken if Twardowski ever visits Rome, a city that he never intends to visit. A visit to an inn called Rzym – Polish for Rome – is his downfall and it is only his desperate prayers that save him from hellish eternity, exiling him to the moon where he lives to this day with his spider companion who occasionally descends to Earth on a thread to bring back news of his former home. I imagine it makes for a colourful and entertaining spectacle and it was performed over 800 times in Warsaw in addition to many performances outside Poland. Once again the booklet notes do not give details of the story or indeed where les ondines – the spirits/nymphs – or danse entre les poignards – dagger dance – fit into the narrative. We can still enjoy these four numbers in fine transcriptions. The Polonaise tragique is suitably elegiac and noble while apparition de Lucifer has a confident swagger alongside its skips and jumps. An ethereal mood is found for les ondines with the violin low in its register while the piano puts a rippling accompaniment in its higher registers and though there is some drama along the way the piece trails away into the upper reaches to close. The danse entre les poignards once again evokes a mid-European folk dance with its steps becoming wilder and wilder as the dance progresses.
If perhaps a little on the short side this is nonetheless a highly entertaining recital and I have listened to it again and again, enjoying it immensely. The sound is more than acceptable in all respects and the players all present this music with aplomb. Harmonically there is gentle spice amongst the rich romantic writing and hopefully this will be a step towards exploring the rest of this fine Polish composer's rich output.
Rob Challinor
Previous review: Stephen Greenbank
