Grażyna Bacewicz - Violin Concertos Nos. 2, 4 & 5 (Joanna Kurkowicz)

Information

Composer: Grażyna Bacewicz

• Violin Concerto No. 4
• Violin Concerto No. 5
• Violin Concerto No. 2

Joanna Kurkowicz, violin

Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Łukasz Borowicz, conductor

Date: 2011

Label: Chandos

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Review

This is a superb follow-up to Joanna Kurkowicz’s first disc of the Violin Concertos by Graz·yna Bacewicz. It eloquently demonstrates not only that the Polish composer must herself have been a first-rank violinist (she premiered her first four Concertos herself) but how significant she now seems as a linking figure between the idioms of Szymanowski and Lutosławski. Echoes of both composers can be heard in the Fifth Concerto (1954), probably the finest of the three on display here. She composed the Second Concerto at the end of World War II, and the Fourth during the Stalin era of aesthetic hegemony.

They both craftily combine elements of neo-classicism with a folk impulse in the manner of Bartók, without once compromising Bacewicz’s personal voice or her sense of passionate determination. But what impresses most, throughout, is Bacewicz’s continual inventiveness: she displays vital rhythmic energy in her fast movements and penetrating expressiveness in the slow ones. She also shows her command of orchestration and violin technique.Anyone who loves the concertos of Szymanowski, Bloch, Martinu or Bartók will surely adore these works. Every one is a premiere recording, played with fire and passion.

— Calum MacDonald

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Grażyna Bacewicz (5 February 1909 – 17 January 1969) was a Polish composer and violinist of Lithuanian origin. Educated in Łódź, Warsaw and Paris, she studied composition with Kazimierz Sikorski and Nadia Boulanger and violin with prominent teachers including Carl Flesch. She achieved early recognition as a performer and later devoted herself primarily to composition and teaching. Bacewicz produced a substantial body of neoclassical music, with particular emphasis on violin and string repertoire, including seven violin concertos and seven string quartets. Her works received numerous international and national awards.

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Joanna Kurkowicz is an award-winning Polish-American violinist. Trained in Poland and the United States, she has performed internationally with leading orchestras and at prestigious venues and festivals. Kurkowicz served as concertmistress of the Boston Philharmonic for 25 years (1998–2023) and currently holds the same position with the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated advocate of contemporary music, she has premiered works by numerous prominent composers. Her acclaimed recordings, particularly of Grażyna Bacewicz's violin concertos, have earned international recognition and prestigious awards.

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