A disk of 33 short piano pieces, written by seven different composers
over the space of 41 years might seem a daunting prospect yet
this is a very enjoyable and fascinating collection of pieces,
which makes for very pleasant listening.
Wojciech Kilar’s
Three Preludes contain a delightfully
malicious Shostakovich-style waltz-cum-gallop, followed by a
simple song with chordal accompaniment. The final piece is reminiscent
of Gershwin’s
Three Preludes, being full of urban
clangour. These are very approachable pieces and most entertaining.
Kazimierz Serocki’s
Suite of Preludes consists of
seven miniatures. The first is motoric, the second bluesy - most
unexpected, this - then back to the fierce motor rhythms. Number
4 is a peaceful repetition of broken chords, no.5 a fleeting
Chopin-esque rush of notes. The last two display a modern attitude.
No.6 insists on a repeated chord breaking the robotic progress
of a line of single notes, and the last Prelude starts like the
accompaniment to Charles Ives’s song
The Swimmer then
goes off on its own wayward way. This is a very satisfying composition
where the composer really has something to say and he says it
with the minimum of fuss and without any padding. Not a note
is wasted here and although there isn’t a hint of the composer
Serocki was to become - I’m thinking of such pieces as
Fantasmagoria for
piano and percussion (1971),
Ad libitum, five pieces for
symphony orchestra (1973/1977) and
Pianophonie for piano,
electronic transformation of sound and orchestra (1976/1978)
- there is enough quirkiness to let you know that here is an
important composer trying to find his voice.
After these two works, Zygmunt Mycielski’s
Six Preludes seem
a backward step. These pieces are charming and even when the
music raises its voice it is never in a heated moment. Throughout
we have the work of a gentleman, who is intent on not saying
the wrong thing in public or putting his foot in his mouth. Perhaps
not as musically important as the Kilar or Serocki pieces, these
Preludes make
a delightful rest before the next composer. He started his career
as a major figure of the avant-garde and with his
3rd Symphony,
The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, became the darling of the
new music set, thanks to a minimalist Symphony and a meditative
masterpiece in the John Tavener mold.
Let’s get one thing clear. Whilst Gorecki’s
3rd Symphony isn’t
the towering masterpiece we all thought it was when it appeared,
it is still a fine piece of work - and in terms of emotional
power it is streets ahead of a work such as
The Protecting
Veil. What this composer has achieved - both before and after
his musical re-birth - is quite astonishing. Here we have the
man at the very start of his career, finding his way and having
fun. These pieces are small-scale both in playing time and invention,
and whilst there’s nothing to suggest that within five
years he would write both the delightful double Piano Concerto,
Songs
of Joy and Rhythm, op.7 (1959/1960) and the arch modernist
orchestral work
Scontri, op.17 (1960) there are sufficient
disquieting moments to make you wonder what might happen next.
Miłosz Magin’s
Five Preludes begin with music
which suggests a comedy scene; it is quite funny. What is interesting
about these pieces is that they seem to be re-inventing older
forms, thus I find more than a nod to Chopin, in an affectionate
way, in the slow pieces and an acknowledgement to Szymanowski
in the fast ones.
Krzysztof Knittel’s
Four Preludes make an interesting
set for here is a more modern voice insofar as the composer is
writing in a detached manner, keeping a safe distance between
himself and his composition. By turns quasi-religious, then Stravinsky
bluff, this is a strange brew which is very enjoyable. Paweł Mykietyn’s
Four
Preludes is the most recent music on the disk. His language
is certainly more modern than any other heard before on this
disc. He knows how to suspend time - the first Prelude which
plays for a trifle over three minutes seems much bigger - and
how to mix the more modern with the jocular - imagine underarm
clusters adding to the sense of fun?
This is a recital of modern piano music with a difference - it
is enjoyable as well as entertaining and introduces us to a couple
of composers whose names are unknown. I expected the disk to
be OK, enjoyable but limited due to the number of short pieces
involved, but what I found was a mass of fascinating music, very
well played and brilliantly recorded. DUX is to be thanked for
this disk, for it is a welcome change from so many contemporary
piano recitals in that one can actually whistle the tunes and
want to play it again. Full marks DUX!
Bob Briggs
Magdalena Prejsnar (piano) 
