Ignaz Friedman - Slavic Landscape (Anna Parkita)

Information

Composer: Ignaz Friedman

• 3 Pieces, Op. 26
• 2 Mazurkas, Op. 49
• Polish Lyrics, Op. 53
• Toys, Op. 38a
• 4 Novelettes, Op. 14

Anna Parkita, piano

Date: 2025

Label: DUX

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Description

Ignacy Friedman ranked among the foremost pianists of the twentieth century, mentioned in the same breath as such masters of the keyboard as Josef Lhevinne, Leopold Godowsky, and Jozef Hofmann. Few listeners today, however, are aware that he was also a gifted composer who left a substantial body of work - primarily pieces for solo piano (most of them miniatures grouped into cycles), but also chamber music and songs to texts by Polish national poets. He produced numerous piano transcriptions and served as editor of a complete edition of the works of Fryderyk Chopin. His style was a natural heir to the Romantic tradition. His compositions drew on the music of Fryderyk Chopin, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, while his works also reveal echoes of the early style of Karol Szymanowski. He wrote mainly piano miniatures (as well as songs and chamber pieces), in which he readily turned to elements of Polish folk music Anna Parkita is a pianist, pedagogue, and Doctor of Musical Arts and maintains an active career as a performer, scholar, and editor.

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Ignaz Friedman (13 February 1882 – 26 January 1948) was a Polish pianist, composer and teacher. Born near Kraków, he studied under Hugo Riemann and Theodor Leschetizky and participated in Busoni's master classes. His 1904 Vienna début established him as a major virtuoso, and he eventually gave around 2,800 concerts worldwide. Friedman's playing was celebrated for its rhythmic freedom, rich tone, dramatic contrasts and imaginative phrasing, though later critics sometimes viewed his Romantic style as old-fashioned. He composed over 90 works and arranged many works, especially those of Bach and Scarlatti.

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Anna Parkita is a pianist, pedagogue and Doctor of Musical Arts. A graduate of the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, she furthered her studies in Paris under renowned pianist Eugene Indjic and has collaborated extensively with Professor Marek Mizera. Her international performing career includes solo and chamber appearances across Europe and the United States. She is a recipient of prestigious Polish scholarships and has released recordings with DUX and Requiem Records. Her scholarly achievements include a monograph on Antoni Kątski, academic publications and critical music editions.

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