Alfons SZCZERBIŃSKI (1858-1895)
Complete Piano Works 2
Polonez in B-flat major, Op.13 [8:02]
Rondeau in F major, Op.1 [6:19]
3 Romances sans paroles, Op.8 [9:15]
Tema e Variazioni in G minor [8:04]
Chanson sans paroles in E minor [1:44]
Capriccio in D minor [3:39]
Chanson sans paroles in A flat major, Op.16 [2:55]
Andante con Variazioni in F major [12:05]
Chanson sans paroles in C-sharp minor, Op.31 [5:51]
Fuga in C major [3:15]
Giorgio Koukl (piano)
First recordings
rec. 24 October, 2021, Studio Bottega del pianoforte, Lugano, Switzerland
GRAND PIANO GP884 [61:52]
This is the second disc of the piano music of Polish composer Alfons Szczerbiński and, unfortunately, it is likely to be the last, for what remains of his music that fate or the composer himself did not destroy lies in the Polish monastery of Gostyń in a state that will not permit it to be made sense of in such a way that it can be performed or recorded. The regret one feels on reading this is made more palpable when one listens to this disc and its predecessor. The music is simple, yes, but beautifully constructed and is clearly heartfelt. Its Chopinesque qualities are emphasised by the playing of Giorgio Koukl who we have to thank for the recordings for it was he who persevered in the music’s reconstruction, just as he has done in respect of so many other unjustifiably neglected composers.
Right from the start, the music is charged with emotional élan and patriotic fervour in a work dedicated ‘to the memory of the first Polish Constitution of 3rd May 1791’ of which the people of Poland are fiercely proud. The debt the Polonez in B-flat major, Op.13 owes to Chopin and Liszt is immediately obvious and the music fairly leaps off the page. Patriotic pride is self-evident and the music shows this in loud passages that declaim virtuosity and rhythmic brilliance in equal measure.
The charm exuded by these piano pieces is fully evident in the Rondeau in f major with a very catchy main theme with which Szczerbiński plays throughout its six-minute length weaving into it two other themes and ending with a Haydnesque coda. The composer was happy with this little work to the extent that he allowed it to bear the appellation of opus 1, although he had composed much else previously. A three-part work follows in the shape of three linked songs without words, a genre Szczerbiński seems to have been particularly taken with and which takes up most of the space on the first disc. The first entitled Souvenir has a really beautiful theme running through it and requires a thorough knowledge of pianistic techniques but that presented no problem for the composer was an excellent pianist. Both Désir du printemps and Méditation also exude charm and beauty in equal measure and reward repeated listenings.
Giorgio Koukl in his excellent accompanying booklet notes explains how much work goes into the reconstruction of a piece like the Tema e Variazioni in g minor as a result of major damage to the only existing manuscript pages. Only because Koukl is well used to having to do a lot more than simply play the works he chooses to entertain us with was he able to complete missing bars through his understanding of the way Szczerbiński worked – which, thankfully, was somewhat predictable. When the work is over eight minutes long, one can imagine the hours of careful reconstruction that must have been required. We owe Koukl a great debt of gratitude for his single-minded determination; what we have as a result of this painstaking work is a lovely piece that gently reveals itself with variations which fully explore the main theme and which reveal a composer who revelled in writing music, as his enjoyment in its creation is evident at every turn.
I am always taken with how much material composers can inject into a tiny time frame and Szczerbiński’s Chanson sans paroles in E minor is a good example, with lots of ideas crammed into a mere one minute and forty-four seconds yet still managing to hint at Mendelssohn, Liszt and Chopin in its construction.
You will be surprised to learn that the middle section of his Capriccio in D minor is missing, as Koukl’s playing does not give this away and its changes of mood and sudden bursts of supressed energy make for an exciting, though brief, piece. Another chanson sans paroles follows that again shows a talent for composing tiny gems full of life and harmonic invention.
Andante con Variazioni in F major is the longest work on the disc at over twelve minutes, allowing Szczerbiński to really explore a theme - in this case, quite a melancholy one which he then subjects to a number of linked variations but we will never know how the composer intended to complete this work and, once again it is due to the ability of Giorgio Koukl to reconstruct music that has been lost, in the composer’s style, that we are able to fully appreciate the composers intentions as far as is possible. Koukl writes that Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations were a model for this work, which is certainly easy to imagine as we listen to it.
A longer than usual song without words, his op.3 follows, which, as Koukl explains, is the composer’s most complex work with the unusual choice of C-sharp minor as the key which injects a more serious attitude into the piece than his other such works. It is darker than many of his piano works and the heavenly central theme is interwoven with three secondary themes and the whole is an extremely satisfying work.
This disc ends with a fugue from Szczerbiński’s early compositional life and while much reveals an immature hand other aspects clearly reveal a serious composer in the making. Szczerbiński began composing from the age of seven, so who knows how young he was when he challenged himself to write such a difficult musical exercise? Again, it was Koukl’s work on the piece that enables us to hear a charming, juvenile work from the pen of this fascinating musical personage.
The music in this second volume is more rhythmically complex than in the first and makes a more cogent case for Szczerbiński’s artistry. As previously mentioned, the composer himself destroyed many of his compositions because, as is so often the case, they did not measure up to the high standards he had set himself, but times change along with tastes, so we will never know how much of it would have bene enjoyed by audiences today. What this recording proves, however, is that Szczerbiński does not deserve to be neglected as he has been and hopefully Koukl’s excellent performances of these extremely enjoyable works, all of them world première recordings,
will bring the composer’s compositional talents to a wider audience of lovers of piano music.
Steve Arloff
Previous review:
Rob Challinor
