Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Orchestral Works (Roland Bader)

Information

Composer: Ignacy Jan Paderewski

1. Ouverture
2. Manru, opera, Op. 20: Prelude, Act 3
3. Manru, opera, Op. 20: Gipsy March
4. Fantasy from opera "Manru" for orchestra (arr. Walter Rabl)
5. Menuet célèbre, Op. 14 No. 1
6. Mélodie, Op. 16 No. 2
7. Cracovienne fantastique (Krakowiak), Op. 14 No. 6
8. Chant d'amour (Album de mai), Op. 10 No. 2
9. Melody (Chants du voyageur), Op. 8 No. 3

Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra

Roland Bader, conductor

Date: 1999

Label: Koch Schwann

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Review

Ignacy Jan Paderewski is better remembered today as a pianist and a statesman than as a composer. Things are changing slowly, as several recent CDs of his music testify. This newcomer explores the sideways of Paderewski’s symphonic production, gathering together orchestral arrangements of pianistic miniatures–among them the famous Menuet Op. 14, excerpts from the long-forgotten opera Manru, and the pastoral, Dvorakian Overture, tinged with Polish folk elements. The heroic, quasi-Wagnerian Prelude and the exciting Gipsy March from Manru are both vibrant, colorful advocates for a resurrection of the complete work. Less so the lengthy Fantasy arranged by Walter Rabl, no matter how skillfully it summarizes the themes from the opera. The lovely miniatures line up like encores at the end of the program, each one a perfect example of Paderewski’s heady melodic charm. The performances are impassioned and solid, but not always as polished as one could wish with this refined music, particularly in the Overture, where the excellent Antoni Wit on Naxos (coupled with the Piano Concerto and the Fantaisie polonaise) outclasses Roland Bader and the Cracow Philharmonic. Abundant resonance spoils the spacious sound recording. Let’s hope the symphony Polonia and the opera Manru will be among the next releases in the ongoing Paderewski series from Koch or Naxos.

— ClassicsToday

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Ignacy Jan Paderewski (6 November 1860 – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman. He studied music in Warsaw, Berlin and Vienna, and gained international fame with his performances in major cities like Vienna, Paris, London and New York. Celebrated for his passionate interpretations of Chopin, Bach, Beethoven and Schumann, he inspired deep devotion from his audiences. Despite a demanding touring schedule, he composed over 70 works, including the opera Manru and a symphony. A dedicated patriot, Paderewski served as Poland's prime minister and signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

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Roland Bader (born 24 August 1938 in Wangen) is a German conductor. He studied at the Stuttgart Musikhochschule and held several prominent positions, including chief conductor in Oberhausen, director of the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, and choral director of the St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale in Berlin. His reputation grew significantly during the 1980s through engagements with the Kraków Philharmonic, NDR Hamburg and the Salzburg Festival. Although primarily a choral conductor, Bader also conducted orchestral works and made recordings spanning both well-known and lesser-known composers.

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