Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

Started by Maciek, April 14, 2007, 02:51:14 AM

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Mirror Image

Quote from: James on May 24, 2011, 02:36:59 AM
Listening to this ..

2 of his more originally conceived, mystical works .. more powerful & more free chromatic harmonic language ..
deeper/wider than Prokofiev, and better constructed and more developed than anything from Scriabin ..

[asin]B003NRYBUC[/asin]

I've been praising Szymanowski since I've joined this forum. Boulez's recording is really good. Song of the Night is an excellent work as is the Violin Concerto No. 1.

Mirror Image

#181
On an interesting side note, my Dad actually introduced me to Szymanowski's music. He had recorded an excerpt from his ballet Harnasie off of AOL Internet radio and it was performed by Rattle/CBSO. This excerpt had this Bartok-like expressiveness about it that just hooked me from the start. From this moment, I became a big fan of his music. I probably would have found this composer sooner or later, but I have my Dad to thank for jump starting me in that direction.

My Dad also introduced me to Ginastera pretty much the same way. He recorded something and it was an except from his ballet Estancia and I LOVED IT!

Mirror Image

Quote from: James on May 24, 2011, 02:36:59 AM2 of his more originally conceived, mystical works .. more powerful & more free chromatic harmonic language .. deeper/wider than Prokofiev, and better constructed and more developed than anything from Scriabin ..

Okay, here's where I draw the line, why do you insist on putting one composer over the other? I mean if you like Szymanowski's music better than Prokofiev's or Scriabin's that's fine, then say so, but don't say Szymanowski was "better" than this composer or that composer because it just makes you sound like you don't even know what you're talking about. Anyway, each of these composers had a unique approach to music that was distinctive and completely their own.

I mean music isn't a popularity contest James, but if it were then Szymanowski would be on the bottom of the totem pole, not because his music is terrible of course, but because it's more likely that people will hear Prokofiev or Scriabin before they hear Szymanowski.

Dax


Scion7

#184
 
I would like a nice, good rip of the vinyl LP of her Violin Concerto playing with Rowicki & the NPO.

Does anyone have one?  I like the excerpts I have heard from the vinyl LP - balance and so on. 

Additionally, what about radio broadcasts of Conc. #1 or #2 from her?   Can anyone point me to a link?

Thanks.

http://s17.postimage.org/sihpuj6nh/Muza_LP_Violin_Concertos.jpg



     I haven't found any in-print CD with this performance.
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Opus106

Regards,
Navneeth

Cato

From today's (Aug. 14) Wall Street Journal, a review of King Roger recently performed by the Santa Fe Opera:

An excerpt:

QuoteThe opera is all about sound with its alluring harmonies and orchestral colors that recall Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," and voluptuous Eastern Orthodox-inspired writing for a big chorus (the terrific company apprentices were joined by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale). Evan Rogister was the commanding conductor. Mariusz Kwiecien overplayed Roger's agony; William Burden's creamy tenor made the the Shepherd an enchanter who could not be refused; and Erin Morley's effortless vocalises embodied the yearning of Roxana, Roger's queen.

See:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444184704577587141000609860.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

snyprrr

Does anyone out-perfume Szymanowski? I haven't found anything comparable in Enescu? Who am I looking for? Scriabin's too much the model.

Brian

#188
Brian Listens to Too Many Recordings of Symphony No. 4 "Symphonie Concertante"

Andsnes (Birmingham SO, Rattle): A very modern account. The first movement is fairly slow, but it briskly glosses over the more romantic elements of the piece - big tunes, moments of dissonance resolving satisfyingly, and the like. Andsnes is superb, with a leaning towards the poetical. This becomes a liability in the finale, where Andsnes isn't as wild-and-crazy as some of the others. Pairs perfectly with Rubinstein.

Broja (Warsaw PO, Wit): The first movement is glacial. The beginning theme is played like a weird Chopin nocturne, and although it's not exactly far removed from "moderato," the result is too dry for my personal taste. The rest is marvelous, though, with Broja a grand soloist, the Warsaw Philharmonic its usual glorious self, and Antoni Wit more alert than he was at first. The finale beats the pants off everybody not named Paleczny and Kord.

Lortie (BBC SO, Gardner): A proficient but bland reading. The first movement is weird: no dynamic contrast, few real climaxes; everything seems flattened out. The orchestra sounds less authentic than its east European colleagues, and less interesting than the ones in Birmingham and Los Angeles. Sound quality is very clear, but this is nothing special.

Paleczny (Polish NRSO, Semkow [EMI]): Paleczny's performance is bulletproof. In contrast to Zmudzinski and Gardner, the orchestra is very good (though this is Zmudzinski's orchestra, just a few years removed); in contrast to Andsnes and Rubinstein, the performance revels in both the romantic and modern sides, presenting a fuller portrait of Szymanowski's style as I perceive it. Only the old-sounding recording prevents this from being perfection, but luckily perfection is available in...

Paleczny (Warsaw PO, Kord [Accord]): The Warsaw PO's a little better, the sound is a lot better (almost Broja/Wit level; I prefer it to the Chandos), and the finale is the fastest of any of these except maybe Rubinstein's. What's not different is Paleczny's ability to be wild, brash, edgy, mysterious, poetic, whatever the music needs. This whole exercise ended up accidentally reinforcing my preference for this recording.

Rubinstein (Los Angeles PO, Wallenstein): A very romantic account. The Los Angeles violins turn Hollywood in the first movement's big tune (around 6:00 I think), and, opposite of Andsnes, the performers speed up to briskly gloss over the brash modern stuff. In fact, they gloss over rather too much: many of my favorite details in the orchestral writing are missing. Rubinstein is formidable (though imperfect) at the hurried pace. Pairs perfectly with Andsnes.

Zmudzinski (Polish NRSO, Stryja): My reviewathon was inspired by Mirror Image and AnthonyAthletic's debate about this vs. Andsnes. I actually agree with AA, partially. The problem is not Zmudzinski, who besides having a cool name is a terrific performer and does well by every phrase; the problem is the orchestra, which is especially timid/tentative at the beginning (those flimsy trumpet solos... sigh). Distant sound does not flatter them, especially at 10:00 in track two, where my single favorite moment in the entire symphony is totally inaudible. Great violin solo in the slow movement, but otherwise Zmudzinski is nearly on his own.

Gold medal: Paleczny and Kord on Accord
Most contrasting pairing of good performances: Andsnes vs. Rubinstein
Last place: Lortie and Gardner on Chandos

kyjo

Quote from: snyprrr on June 14, 2013, 08:22:48 PM
Does anyone out-perfume Szymanowski? I haven't found anything comparable in Enescu? Who am I looking for? Scriabin's too much the model.

"Out-perfume"? Never heard of that one! ;D

Try Joseph Marx, Florent Schmitt, Alphons Diepenbrock, Granville Bantock, Cyril Scott for some "heavily perfumed" music!

I find Enescu's magnificent Symphony no. 3 to be rather Scriabinesque in places.

not edward

Nice survey, Brian. It concurs fairly well with my experience in the recordings I've heard... and the work really does seem to be Piotr Paleczny's calling card.

There is another Paleczny Sinfonia concertante, a live reading with the BBCSO under Mark Elder in the short-lived BBC Radio Classics series, which is also very good. I don't think I'd recommend it ahead of the EMI, though... and I probably need the Accord recording with Kord (how is the coupled Harnasie? it's probably my favourite non-vocal Szymanowski work).
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

snyprrr

Quote from: kyjo on October 29, 2013, 05:29:34 PM
"Out-perfume"? Never heard of that one! ;D

Try Joseph Marx, Florent Schmitt, Alphons Diepenbrock, Granville Bantock, Cyril Scott for some "heavily perfumed" music!

I find Enescu's magnificent Symphony no. 3 to be rather Scriabinesque in places.

thanks

I remember first hearing the VCs. It was the most stunningly intoxicating music I'd ever heard, and no one even seems to come close.

AnthonyAthletic

Quote from: Brian on October 29, 2013, 12:46:40 PM
Brian Listens to Too Many Recordings of Symphony No. 4 "Symphonie Concertante"

Very good read Brian, nice to know there's more to the 4th and much more to offer than the Andsnes & Zmudzinski recordings  :)

"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying"      (Arthur C. Clarke)

Mr Bloom

#193
Quote from: Brian on October 29, 2013, 12:46:40 PM
Brian Listens to Too Many Recordings of Symphony No. 4 "Symphonie Concertante"

Thank you for this nice survey.
My favorites are :
1. Broja/Wit : violent and dark, a drunken nightmare, this is for me the one that goes the deepest into the score, and really strays away from the pseudo-Stravinsky that Rattle and some others make it to be.
2. Matsuev/Gergiev : perfect mix between orchestral virtuosity and right spirit. Close to perfection : it's more polished than the extreme Broja/Wit reading while staying true to the score. The best of Gergiev's Szymanowski output, with the first violin concerto (sadly not yet released). Plus I saw it live.
3. Paleczny/Kord and Paleczny/Semkow : both are strong, but Gergiev gives us a reading close to these, with a better orchestra and more intensity.

snyprrr

Listened to the first part of Symphony 3 from the old Koch release (with Stefania W. singing, of Gorecki fame). The recording is clean, like an ECM issue, but that doesn't keep the music from wallowing in luxurious textures. This whole thing sounds a lot like the 'chirping and cooing music' of le Sacre, no? (somewhere in the intro to Part 2)

Cato

I mentioned under "What Are You Listening To?" that the Szymanowski First Symphony to my ears had strong resemblances to both Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony #1 and Anton Webern's Passacaglia for Orchestra.

Unfortunately I have no score of the Szymanowski work, but the first movement has several spots where I thought: "Could he have known of the other two works, or vice versa?"

I recalled the Kammersinfonie as being roughly contemporaneous with the First Symphony, and that the Webern came later, and a check of the dates verifies that memory.

So what we have are three musical minds coincidentally creating things at different times and places, yet occasionally coming up with similar sounds.  Such things are not unheard of in music and in other fields.

What is interesting is that the similar sounds are found in very different works!  And one can detect that the Szymanowski First Symphony offers paths in directions different from those of the other two composers.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Maciek

Just a heads-up for those interested:

There's an all-Szymanowski concert coming up tomorrow (13th Nov.) at the Warsaw Philharmonic that will be streamed live via Youtube. It's at 7:30 PM (CET!). The stream will be available from their main page: http://www.filharmonia.pl/.

The program: 2nd VC with Tasmin Little, 3rd Symphony with Dmitry Korchak, and the concert opens with the Concert Overture. Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under Kaspszyk.

Maciek


Scion7

I've been enjoying this disc recently.
The Romance and the sonata are two of his better works.
The best thing is probably Opus 30, though. I think the  Wilkomirska/Barbosa recording is superior to the one here,
but Kramer and Durcan do a good job.  Interesting background about Mythes.



[asin]B000MRP1T6[/asin]
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Mirror Image

#199
Litania do Najświętszej Marii Panny (Litany to the Virgin Mary)



Anna Iwaszkiewiczowa, to whom the poet Jerzy Liebert dedicated his poem Litania do Najświętszej Marii Panny [Litany to the Holy Virgin Mary], suggested the text to Szymanowski. With unerring intuition, out of the poem's seventeen stanzas the composer selected the third and the sixth, which concentrate the purest poetry and whose poetic images are the simplest. The first fragment is entitled Twelve-note zither...; the second – Like a dwarf bush... The litany is short, but the score, which numbers more than ten pages, bears all the characteristic and typical features of Szymanowski's style and technique. It is characterised by maximally condensed expression, concentration and inner silence. This effect is achieved by a far-advanced reduction of devices. Undoubtedly in its deepest expression this work is akin to Stabat Mater; however, what is particularly interesting is that Szymanowski seems to refer here to his experiences from the so-called impressionistic period of his development. The timbral concept of the work provides evidence of this, being based on texture, orchestration and dynamics made cohesive in an individual way. The fully mechanical "backbone" of the form is of course the text – the stanza is repeated three, or nearly three, times. But in the first fragment the decisive formative factor is the dynamics. The music here is extremely muted, with a delicate and pastel sonorities from the initial ppp to the culminative f and again to ppp. The second fragment has a quite clear three-part repetitive structure (ABA) and is based on very homogeneous melodic material. Szymanowski paid particularly detailed attention to the solo voice part. His consultant was the unfailing performer of her brother's songs – Stanisława Szymanowska. "It would be a good thing to go through these fragments from Litany together; this seems quite difficult – perhaps something might be changed." The composer's judgment about his work was not always objective and unbiased but this time, judging Litany from the perspective of time, he was right. Writing to friends, Szymanowski said: "...this may be the deepest, the most intent thing of mine;" "Litany is very successful – it stands at the level of Stabat Mater".

[Article taken from the Szymanowski website]

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There are many works that I love, but out of all the works I've ever heard, Szymanowski's Litany to the Virgin Mary may very well be the most profound piece of music I know. The Rattle performance with Elzbieta Szmytka (soprano) is the finest performance IMHO. Of course, there are others, but none of them capture the spirituality and vividness of this Szmytka/Rattle performance. It simply leave me in complete each time I hear this work and performance. Sometimes I'll play the work over and over again until I finally have been fully satisfied.