Zygmunt Stojowski; Henryk Wieniawski - Violin Concertos (Bartłomiej Nizioł)

Information

Composer: Zygmunt Stojowski; Henryk Wieniawski

• Stojowski - Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 22
• Stojowski - Romanze in E flat major, Op. 20
• Wieniawski - Fantaisie brillante sur des motifs de l'opéra Faust de Gounod, Op. 20

Bartłomiej Nizioł, violin

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Łukasz Borowicz, conductor

Date: 2016

Label: Hyperion

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Review

This is a thoroughly enjoyable disc, not only because of its well-conceived programme of dramatic, impassioned music but also owing to the excellent advocacy of Bartlomiej Niziol. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Lukasz Borowicz’s baton sounds aptly colourful (with some enthusiastic brass playing, especially in the concerto finale), while Hyperion delivers a recording of high quality.

That Stojowski’s music deserves to be better known is displayed by his G minor Concerto, which balances drama, virtuosity and compositional rigour. Precision of orchestration and deep ardour combine in a compelling first movement, a sustained second-movement cantilena and a fittingly dance-like finale. The Romanze contains some agonisingly beautiful writing but is perhaps a little over-extended in places. Finishing the disc with Wieniawski’s flamboyant Fantaisie brillante creates a balanced disc of great virtuosity and a platform for Niziol, a 2015 Echo Klassik prizewinner, to display a dazzling command of some difficult music. While the Romanze contains some rather slow and wide vibrato, which renders some of the high-register playing a little over-exaggerated, otherwise Niziol’s performance is excellent, suiting the tightly wound ambience of the concerto especially well. There is a deep understanding of and sympathy for this music, which makes for compelling listening.

— David Milsom

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Zygmunt Stojowski (4 May 1870 – 5 November 1946) was a Polish pianist and composer. He studied in Kraków and at the Paris Conservatoire before moving to the United States in 1905, where he built a distinguished career as a performer and teacher. He composed extensively for piano, chamber ensembles and orchestra; notable works including a symphony, two piano concertos, a violin concerto and the cantata Spring. His late-Romantic style combined European influences with Polish musical traditions. Stojowski's music has experienced renewed interest through recent recordings, publications and performances.

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Henryk Wieniawski (10 July 1835 – 31 March 1880) was a Polish violinist and composer. A prodigy, he entered the Paris Conservatory at 8 and graduated with the top violin prize by 11. He gained international recognition through extensive concert tours, served as violin soloist to the Russian tsar, and taught at the St. Petersburg and Brussels conservatories. Celebrated for his warm tone, expressive style, and exceptional technique, Wieniawski composed Romantic works that showcased his virtuosity, including two violin concertos, Légende, Scherzo-Tarantelle, Le Carnaval russe and numerous études, mazurkas and polonaises.

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Bartłomiej (Bartek) Nizioł (born 1974 in Szczecin) is a Polish violinist. He studied in Poznań and Lausanne, then gained international recognition after winning several prestigious violin competitions, including the Henryk Wieniawski, Adelaide, Pretoria, Eurovision and Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud competitions. Nizioł has performed with leading orchestras worldwide under renowned conductors and has toured extensively across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. He is also an accomplished chamber musician, received the Echo Klassik Award in 2015. He performs on a 1727 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù violin.

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