Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)

Started by Maciek, April 18, 2007, 01:13:25 PM

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Maciek

It seems this will be the first woman composer with a thread of her own on the new forum. What's happening to you, Saariaho, Gubaidulina, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann fans? ;)



Here's a link to Bruce's thread on the old forum: Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)

Also check out these (more or less related) fun threads: Female music, Female composers, Women Composers, Women can compose, Women can't compose, Women composers - no respect?.

Grażyna Bacewicz was one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century in Poland. And guess what - she was another Nadia Boulanger student! She went through 2 phases: first she was a typical energetic neo-classicist (or rather neo-Baroque) composer, then she decided to explore tone colors more and entered a mildly sonoristic phase. For details go to the very good USC PMC page: Grażyna Bacewicz.

Maciek

Robert

#1
Quote from: MrOsa on April 18, 2007, 01:13:25 PM
It seems this will be the first woman composer with a thread of her own on the new forum. What's happening to you, Saariaho, Gubaidulina, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann fans? ;)



Here's a link to Bruce's thread on the old forum: Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)

Also check out these (more or less related) fun threads: Female music, Female composers, Women Composers, Women can compose, Women can't compose, Women composers - no respect?.

Grażyna Bacewicz was one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century in Poland. And guess what - she was another Nadia Boulanger student! She went through 2 phases: first she was a typical energetic neo-classicist (or rather neo-Baroque) composer, then she decided to explore tone colors more and entered a mildly sonoristic phase. For details go to the very good USC PMC page: Grażyna Bacewicz.

Maciek
So far you have started threads on Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Szymanowski, Panufnik, Obsucre Polish composers, Gorecki and now Bacewicz.  My favorites of hers:
Concerto for Orchestra
Viola Concerto
String qts (the fourth especially)
Cello quartet
Symphony 3
Pensieri Notturni for chamber orch
Divertimento for strings
Polish Caprice
Violin Sonatas 2 and 4

Thank you for bringing all these composers to the forefront...

Maciek

Hi Robert!

I don't know many of the pieces you mention - will have to seek them out. I only discovered the Polish Caprice about a week ago and it went straight to the top of my favorite pieces by Bacewicz list! :D

Maciek

violinconcerto

Quote from: Robert on April 18, 2007, 10:25:13 PM
So far you have started threads on Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Szymanowski, Panufnik, Obsucre Polish composers and now Bacewicz.  My favorites of hers:
Concerto for Orchestra
Viola Concerto
String qts (the fourth especially)
Cello quartet
Symphony 3
Pensieri Notturni for chamber orch
Divertimento for strings
Polish Caprice
Violin Sonatas 2 and 4



Such a long list and no violin concerto? Grazyna would turn over in her grave if she knew that...

Robert

#4
Quote from: violinconcerto on April 19, 2007, 04:43:24 AM

Such a long list and no violin concerto? Grazyna would turn over in her grave if she knew that...

sorry about that of course a favorite of mine. I also forgot to mention her string quartets....Thats what I get for going with memory instead of checking my collection....

violinconcerto

Quote from: Robert on April 19, 2007, 06:21:53 AM

QuoteSuch a long list and no violin concerto? Grazyna would turn over in her grave if she knew that...

sorry arbout that of course a favorite of mine.


???  ??? She wrote seven violin concertos, of which 6 still exist... so which one is your favourite of course??

Maciek

Quote from: violinconcerto on April 19, 2007, 09:56:25 AM
???  ??? She wrote seven violin concertos, of which 6 still exist... so which one is your favourite of course??

??? ??? Which one is missing?

Of this kind of repertoire I know she wrote 7 violin concertos, 2 cello concertos, a viola concerto, 7 string quartets, 5 violin and piano sonatas and 2 sonatas for violin solo but I thought none of these were lost?

violinconcerto

No.6 is missing. Bacewicz wrote it, but never released it. So no performance exists. Check out here:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/VEPM/bacewicz/b-wrks-f.html


Maciek

Wow! Fascinating. Thanks for sharing the info. :)

Robert

Quote from: violinconcerto on April 19, 2007, 09:56:25 AM
sorry arbout that of course a favorite of mine.



???  ??? She wrote seven violin concertos, of which 6 still exist... so which one is your favourite of course??

Im not really sure which one is my fav either 2 or 3....I have to find them. I believe they are on vinyl. If my memory is holding up I believe they are on the MUZA label.  I also  have a double disc of her music on Olympia...I just have to find them....I think they are all packed away.....I only have her sonatas and quartets concerto for string orch...at hand....I don't catalog my collection so most of my lps and discs are in my memory bank.....I have been thinking about her concertos since you mentioned it and I am drawing a blank in terms of which one is a favorite....It must be 15 years since I listened to those....

Robert

Quote from: violinconcerto on April 19, 2007, 09:56:25 AM
sorry arbout that of course a favorite of mine.



???  ??? She wrote seven violin concertos, of which 6 still exist... so which one is your favourite of course??
Can you tell us about all these concertos?  who are the soloists ? Do you have them on disc or vinyl?

Robert

Quote from: MrOsa on April 19, 2007, 02:41:23 AM
Hi Robert!

I don't know many of the pieces you mention - will have to seek them out. I only discovered the Polish Caprice about a week ago and it went straight to the top of my favorite pieces by Bacewicz list! :D

Maciek
Maciek,
If I may rec a great Bacewicz disc. Her violin sonatas 3-5 Plawner Kupiec on hansler 03117 one of the best discs I purchased last year.....

Robert

Quote from: MrOsa on April 19, 2007, 12:49:55 PM
Wow! Fascinating. Thanks for sharing the info. :)
Maciek,
How many vc's do  you have?

Maciek

I don't remember exactly. 2 or 3 I think. I distinctly remember No. 1 because it's on one of my favorite Bacewicz discs. I also have no. 7 (an Olympia CD). Maybe there's another one lurking on some disc I've forgotten... But probably not. I also have the viola concerto and the concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra (another Olympia CD).

violinconcerto

I have these recordings, and enjoyed most No.2:

No.1: Krzysztof Bakowski, Polish RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.2: Robert Kabara, Polish RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.3: Grazyna Bacewicz, Polish RSO, Grzegorz Fitelberg
No.4: Janusz Skramlik, Polish NSO Katowice, Jerzy Swoboda
No.5: Wanda Wilkomirska, Warsaw NPO, Witold Rowicki
No.7: Roman Lasocki, Polish RSO, Karol Stryja

Maciek

Quote from: violinconcerto on April 19, 2007, 08:39:02 PM
I have these recordings, and enjoyed most No.2:

No.1: Krzysztof Bakowski, Polish RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.2: Robert Kabara, Polish RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.3: Grazyna Bacewicz, Polish RSO, Grzegorz Fitelberg
No.4: Janusz Skramlik, Polish NSO Katowice, Jerzy Swoboda
No.5: Wanda Wilkomirska, Warsaw NPO, Witold Rowicki
No.7: Roman Lasocki, Polish RSO, Karol Stryja

That No. 3 looks interesting. Is that on vinyl? What about nos. 2, 4, 5 - were they released on CD? I'm not very current on this, as you can see. ;D

violinconcerto

No.2 to 5 were just broadcasted on Polish radio, no commerical recordings!

Maciek

That is simply depressing... :'( But thanks anyway. :D I'll be on the lookout for broadcasts... :-\

S709

Great thread. I like Bacewicz a lot, the more modernist works as well as the totally neo-classical, but lately I've listened a lot to the catchy little folk-music inspired pieces like the Suite for Chamber Orchestra, some of the orchestral dances like the Krakowiak (1950) and Oberek for Violin and Orchestra (1949), and especially Folk Dances for 2 violins. It's fun stuff.

She was a good symphonist too, based only Symphony No. 3 (anyone know nos. 1 or 2?).

The Violin Concerti have their great moments but I don't think they are the high point of her work... my favorite might be No. 4 right now. No. 1 is the lightest and most tuneful I think. I haven't yet listened to No. 2 so maybe my view will change! Anyway my recordings of them are, for comparison to violinconcerto:

No.1: Krzysztof Bakowski, Polish NRSO, Jacek Rogala
No.2: Robert Kabara, Polish National RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.3: Magdalena Rezler, Polish RO in Warsaw, Boguslaw Madey
No.4: Grazyna Bacewicz, Warsaw PO, Bohdan Wodiczko
No.5: Wanda Wilkomirska, Warsaw PO, Witold Rowicki
No.6: none.
No.7: Piotr Janowski, National PO Warsaw, Andzrej Markowski






Robert

#19
Quote from: Xantus' Murrelet on April 21, 2007, 11:56:15 AM
Great thread. I like Bacewicz a lot, the more modernist works as well as the totally neo-classical, but lately I've listened a lot to the catchy little folk-music inspired pieces like the Suite for Chamber Orchestra, some of the orchestral dances like the Krakowiak (1950) and Oberek for Violin and Orchestra (1949), and especially Folk Dances for 2 violins. It's fun stuff.

She was a good symphonist too, based only Symphony No. 3 (anyone know nos. 1 or 2?).

The Violin Concerti have their great moments but I don't think they are the high point of her work... my favorite might be No. 4 right now. No. 1 is the lightest and most tuneful I think. I haven't yet listened to No. 2 so maybe my view will change! Anyway my recordings of them are, for comparison to violinconcerto:

No.1: Krzysztof Bakowski, Polish NRSO, Jacek Rogala
No.2: Robert Kabara, Polish National RSO, Jacek Rogala
No.3: Magdalena Rezler, Polish RO in Warsaw, Boguslaw Madey
No.4: Grazyna Bacewicz, Warsaw PO, Bohdan Wodiczko
No.5: Wanda Wilkomirska, Warsaw PO, Witold Rowicki
No.6: none.
No.7: Piotr Janowski, National PO Warsaw, Andzrej Markowski






I also own a few of her concertos on vinyl...Im just to lazy to go look for them....As My friend Maciek asked violin concerto are yours on vinyl or disc? I do not believe that many were put on disc, if so, I am very interested....I am also lazy or I would have gotten the equipment to put some of my vinyl on disc...BTW What do  you think of her chamber works??? Look above at my post about this great disc I have of her violin sonatas....