Władysław Żeleński; Aleksander Zarzycki - Piano Concertos (Jonathan Plowright)

Information

Composer: Władysław Żeleński; Aleksander Zarzycki

• Żeleński - Piano Concerto in E flat major, Op. 60
• Zarzycki - Piano Concerto in A flat major, Op. 17
• Zarzycki - Grande Polonaise in E flat major, Op. 7

Jonathan Plowright, piano

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Łukasz Borowicz, conductor

Date: 2013

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Władysław Z˙elen´ski’s overture In the Tatras (1870) is still a popular concert item in Poland and Aleksander Zarzycki’s Mazurka in G can be heard on a delightful 1940 recording by the violinist Ossy Renardi. For those who, like me, know nothing else of these Polish composers, Adrian Thomas’s informative booklet tells us that both men were significant figures in the development of musical education in Warsaw. Zarzycki (1834 95) was the first director of the Warsaw Music Society and then of the city’s Music Institute. Z˙elen´ski (1837-1921) succeeded him before moving to Kraków in a similar post.

Zarzycki’s Grande Polonaise is a jolly Weber-cum-Chopin crowd pleaser. His later two-movement concerto, dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, dates from 1860. No first movement would seem to exist, though it feels as though there should be one, and the work begins ‘as if in mid-sentence’ (Thomas) with an Andante – a rather undistinguished one at that – before the krakowiak-like second movement. The unpromising opening material gives way to a heart-easing secondary subject.

Z˙elen´ski’s E flat major Concerto (1903) is the more interesting work. The first and last movements are based on sprightly dance forms, the second is a theme and variations, while all three show the composer’s predilection for thematic counterpoint. The soloist is kept busy throughout. And who better to do the business than that alchemist among keyboard players, Jonathan Plowright, who has that rare ability to turn second-rate music into masterpieces (viz, inter alia, his recordings of Stojowski’s concertos in the same series – 6/02)? Buy the disc for the Z˙elen´ski finale alone. A word, too, about his conductor Łukasz Borowicz who catches spot-on every tricky twist and turn and inspires the BBC Scottish players in their cracking accompaniment. We’ll be hearing a lot more of him.

— Jeremy Nicholas

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Władysław Żeleński (6 July 1837 – 23 January 1921) was a Polish composer and educator, widely considered the most influential Polish composer of the late nineteenth century, and the teacher of a generation of composers. After studying in Kraków, Prague and Paris, he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Prague and later became a professor of music theory and composition in Kraków. Renowned for his operas inspired by Polish literature, Żeleński blended French grand opera, post-Wagnerian influences, and elements of Polish folk music. He also composed numerous lyrical songs based on Romantic poetry.

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Aleksander Zarzycki (26 February 1834 – 1 November 1895) was a Polish pianist, composer and conductor. Born in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), he studied piano in Berlin and composition in Paris. He gained early recognition through concert tours across Europe, making his Paris debut in 1860. After settling in Warsaw in 1866, he shifted his focus from performing to composing and advancing Poland's musical institutions. He served as the first artistic director of the Warsaw Musical Society, later directed the Institute of Music, and led the choir at St. John's Cathedral. Zarzycki continued performing until shortly before his death.

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Jonathan Plowright (born 1959 in Yorkshire) is an English classical pianist. He studied with Alexander Kelly at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and with Julio Esteban at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Plowright has performed worldwide as recitalist, appeared with leading orchestras and ensembles, made many commercial recordings and appeared on radio and TV broadcasts. He champions neglected music from Polish Romantic composers, such as Zygmunt Stojowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Juliusz Zarębski, which he has recorded for Hyperion Records and Warner Classics.

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