Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)

[foxandpeng]

Aged like fine wine. Returning to Bacewicz (and GMG, hah) after some years, I'm amazed by the SQs again, this time listening to the Silesians. I'm liking them a little bit more than the Amar Corde effort which have introduced me to Bacewicz, although their set still gets really interesting in the late quartets.

Itching to pull the trigger on the CPO releases. Good times!

I really need to connect more with Bacewicz...

[kyjo]

I really need to connect more with Bacewicz...

Have you tried her 3rd and 4th Symphonies on CPO and/or Chandos? It's hard for me to imagine that you wouldn't connect with them. Two equally dramatic, cogent, and engaging works, with an appealing mixture of lyricism and spikiness.

[foxandpeng]

Have you tried her 3rd and 4th Symphonies on CPO and/or Chandos? It's hard for me to imagine that you wouldn't connect with them. Two equally dramatic, cogent, and engaging works, with an appealing mixture of lyricism and spikiness.

Thanks, Kyle! I shall start there 😊🎵🎶🎼

[ChamberNut]

Prompted by @Spotted Horses , I finally got around to listening to this disc:




Overture - 1943

I've heard this work before (part of the Volume I Violin Concerto recordings with Joanna Kurkowicz).  A fun, jaunty short frolic.

Piano Concerto - 1949

A first listen to this piece. A tremendously favourable impression. An immediate home run (Bacewicz has hit many of these for me). I don't know why I continue to be astonished as to the overall quality of most of her music, but I am. It should no longer be a surprise to me.  First impressions were this is just as engaging and compelling as Shostakovich's pair.

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra - 1966

OK....I just finished saying that she hits home runs with me frequently. Not here though. Not much of an impression on first listen to this work. There are some of her compositions that have not made much of an impact on me, but not many. Will require further listens.

Music for Strings, Trumpets and Percussion - 1958

Home run.  Bacewicz is simply a masterful writer for orchestral strings. You can tell (and as stated in the liner notes), that it pays hommage to Bartók.  Hommage, yes. Immitation, no.  Bacewicz always has her unique, distinct voice.

Wonderfully performed and great sound.

Overall, a solid 8 out of 10.

[Spotted Horses]

Thanks, Kyle! I shall start there 😊🎵🎶🎼

Much as I enjoy the symphonies, I find the most Bacewicz "energy" is in the smaller pieces. String Quartets, Piano Quintets, pieces for string orchestra such as the Divertimento for String Orchestra, Symphony for String Orchestra, Concerto for String Orchestra, etc. Violin Sonatas are also first rate, IMO.

[ChamberNut]

Finally listened to all of this disc (I had split my listening into two sessions to be better absorb my "first run"). Before I begin, I just want to say that I continue to receive such musical fulfillment from Bacewicz' music with every single new recording of her music that I listen to (even if at times it is a milder enthusiasm).

No mild enthusiasm experienced here for me, with any of these five works presented on this disc! All five works here were tremendously enjoyed by me. A terrific selection of works spanning a broad range of her career, and presented chronologically as such. I can't give it any less than a 9.5 out of 10.

Symphony No. 1 (1945)

Energetic beginning. Propulsive and rhythmic opening movement. Andante second movement has lovely ornamental woodwinds. In the light hearted scherzo (Vivo leggiero), once again the colourful woodwinds, brass and percussion steal the show, while the effervescent, sunny finale brings this joyful, convincing work to a satisfying conclusion.

Uwertura Polska (1954)

Colourful, wonderful woodwinds in this piece, and the percussion! Reminiscent of Stravinsky, but distinctly her own voice.

Partita for Orchestra (1955)

Impressive, colourful work. A contemplative Intermezzo with gorgeous flute and bells, and what a zippy Rondo finale! Highly accessible music that includes colourful orchestration.

Concerto for Large Symphony Orchestra (1962)

Another colourfully orchestrated work. Highly accessible "modern" music. I marvel here again at her usage of woodwinds and percussion, where I normally gush at her orchestral strings in several of her other works. This has her signature quirkiness.

In Una Parte (1967)

What a delightful and entertaining Varèsesque like piece! More quirky, very late Bacewicz, that would be akin to early Penderecki. A thrilling 7 minutes!

[Spotted Horses]

No mild enthusiasm experienced here for me, with any of these five works presented on this disc! All five works here were tremendously enjoyed by me. A terrific selection of works spanning a broad range of her career, and presented chronologically as such. I can't give it any less than a 9.5 out of 10.

No disagreement from me. The late works take time to sink in, but ultimately they are extremely satisfying.

[ChamberNut]

No disagreement from me. The late works take time to sink in, but ultimately they are extremely satisfying.

And I wasn't bothered in the least with the bass drum.  Yes, some of her later works are a little bit more acerbic, but these two later works were easily digestible on first listen, at least for me.

[Spotted Horses]

And I wasn't bothered in the least with the bass drum.  Yes, some of her later works are a little bit more acerbic, but these two later works were easily digestible on first listen, at least for me.

Words are very subjective describing music. The earlier Neo-classical works strike me as acerbic, the late works Kaleidoscopic.

[ChamberNut]

@hopefullytrusting

Very recent and upcoming Bacewicz releases, featuring some of her signature violin music:

Jan 24, 2025

Quartet for 4 Violins



Mar 28, 2025

Sonata for violin and piano, No. 4

[hopefullytrusting]

@hopefullytrusting

Very recent and upcoming Bacewicz releases, featuring some of her signature violin music:

Jan 24, 2025

Quartet for 4 Violins



Mar 28, 2025

Sonata for violin and piano, No. 4

Very sweet. Thanks for bringing these to my attention, especially that first disc - looks right up my alley.

[ChamberNut]

Very sweet. Thanks for bringing these to my attention, especially that first disc - looks right up my alley.

Happy to be of use! 

[brewski]

@hopefullytrusting

Very recent and upcoming Bacewicz releases, featuring some of her signature violin music:

Jan 24, 2025

Quartet for 4 Violins



Mar 28, 2025

Sonata for violin and piano, No. 4

Hope to hear some of these soon, and mostly just happy she's having "a moment" with her work. Not every slightly obscure composer deserves a larger audience, but she definitely does.

PS, beautiful cover on that GAIA album, too.

[Brian]

Any thoughts on this one? I'll scroll through older pages of the thread, too.



It is less than 3 euros new from Amazon.es!

[Harry]

If you like her music, this recording will not disappoint.

[Spotted Horses]

Any thoughts on this one? I'll scroll through older pages of the thread, too.



It is less than 3 euros new from Amazon.es!

But what about the shipping? Presto has a lossless download (with booklet) for $6.25. $5.00 if you will settle for MP3. I missed this relatively recent release, which seems to have string quartets before and after her published numbered quartets.

[ChamberNut]

Any thoughts on this one? I'll scroll through older pages of the thread, too.



It is less than 3 euros new from Amazon.es!

I'm not familiar with this release. Thanks for popping it open to our attention.

[Brian]

Wow, I love this disc! The Concert Krakowiak, cited by ChamberNut as one of his favorite Bacewicz pieces, is the first of a whole series of piano fireworks. The sonatas have such great energy and zeal; the etudes remind me of etudes by Tcherepnin. It's all like Prokofiev meets Polish folk meets neoclassical austerity. Sonata No. 2 also reminds me of the Griffes and Barber sonatas, by way of more continental modernism/flirting with 12 tone. Bacewicz had more energy and passion to get out of her system than most other composers, I think sometimes.  What a collection.

While I'm here, I will paste in my notes on two CPO discs, from the CPO Diaries thread. Cross-posting:



I'd heard Vol. 1, dedicated to the "big" Symphonies 3 and 4, but not this one. The Overture, recently also recorded on Chandos, is a delightful five-minute perpetuum mobile that will get concert audiences' attention firmly secured, with super-virtuoso parts for every single musician. A total success. Symphony No. 2 is a tight 20-minute work in four short movements, and it is in general lighter than some of the other Bacewicz symphonies, though that does not exactly mean it sounds like Haydn. There's a searching, heroic quality to some of the first movement's themes, and the slow movement is haunting, lyrical, and concise (with some of her least harmonically complicated melodies). The scherzo is a joyride, as light-hearted as I've ever heard her music. The finale is relaxed as well. Generally, in formal organization, mood, and overall effect, I'd say this is rather like Martinu's Symphony No. 2. It doesn't sound the same because they have such different musical styles, of course, but the layout is so similar, right down to a brief wistful introduction. It's like translating the same text to a new language.

The more familiar, modern Bacewicz returns for the second half of the program: the zany/chaotic/fun Variations for Orchestra, a 10-minute piece where I couldn't tell you what the theme was, and the 16-minute "Musica sinfonica in tre movimenti," with two loud, violent bookend movements around a central "molto tranquillo" that is more than half the work's length. This movement is full of writing for small instrumental ensembles, like the passage that's just for flutes, oboes, xylophone, and harp (!).

Among Bacewicz fans and newcomers, I think this disc is stylistically varied enough that there will definitely be something for everyone. As usual with Borowicz recordings on CPO, the playing and conducting are absolutely top-notch.



Symphony No. 1 is an odd early piece that combines some modern harmonies with a neoclassical form and the occasional romantic melody. It is constantly unpredictable, never more so than the actually fast "slow movement." The scherzo is a straightforward folksy delight and by far the easiest part to process on first listen, and the finale follows up with a tremendous amount of energy. This is a restless piece that doesn't slow down; it is also mostly in optimistic major keys but without being especially cheery. There's a Shostakovich Fifth "mandatory fun" type feel to the excessive ending, with its pounding bass drum and gleaming piccolo.

In the Polish Overture, the folk element is largely rhythmic, with fragmented hints of a chorale-like melody that resembles the one in the finale of Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. There's another moment that reminds me of that piece later; it's an abstract but very colorful and stomp-y piece. The Partita is much more introspective, at least in two of its four movements. (The finale, again, is a romp.) There are lots of interesting colors and textures here, my favorite actually being the bass accompaniment at the very beginning. 'In una parte' is a 7-minute piece in the modern late Bacewicz style that centers a lot of its attention on one pitch and has plenty of percussive smacking.

Aside from the symphony, the other big work is a 21-minute Concerto for Orchestra. This is the mature, modern, spooky Bacewicz whose music is full of jump-scares and haunted scenes. The virtuosity required of the orchestral musicians is extreme, and should be thrilling even if you find the musical language tough.

But what about the shipping? Presto has a lossless download (with booklet) for $6.25. $5.00 if you will settle for MP3. I missed this relatively recent release, which seems to have string quartets before and after her published numbered quartets.

I'm tacking it onto the Michael Tilson Thomas Sony box (only 85 euros plus shipping from that outlet) so I don't think the added shipping cost is too concerning relative to the other item in the order.

[ChamberNut]

Wonderful reading this review @Brian!

Glad to hear that you enjoyed these joy rides, and in particular that Jablonski piano disc! 

[Brian]

Decided to stream this:



The first Bacewicz quartet on this album, just 8 minutes long, was written around age 20 and shows that inexperience in its brevity, rather thin textures (the four instruments infrequently play all at the same time), and fugal finale. The other one is a late work from the 60s that she decided not to include in her numbered cycle for reasons unknown. To me it sounds like quintessential late-era Bacewicz, with the weird, spooky harmonies, dogged repetitions, jumpy nervous tension, and unmooring from previous folk influences. The scherzo is a "capriccio" with lots of pizzicato. For fans, this is primo stuff!

Joachim Mendelson was almost two decades older and was able to write these short works in his maturity - before he was murdered by the Nazis in 1943. However, they also sound a little bit like student works. This might be because, for the 30s, they are surprisingly light, cheery, and small-framed. (Not one track on the CD reaches the 7 minute mark.) The quintet for oboe, strings, and piano is interestingly scored, serenade-like, and leaves the oboe out for minutes at a time. His String Quartet No. 1 sounds like a sketch for an orchestral work; you can easily imagine it played by a larger group, and I can even hear where the woodwinds should go. His plan here is to subvert expectations. Parts of it are very old-fashioned - the beginning sounds like the previous Mendelssohn! But as each movement progresses, they run off the rails in ways that suggest the disappointed hopes of his era.

There will be some adventurous listeners who like both the conservative Mendelson and advanced Bacewicz, who see the 3 euro price as an awesome bargain and snatch it up. But it is a "try before you buy" situation.