Tadeusz Szeligowski

[Maciek]

Nocturne for orchestra
Polish Radio Orchestra/Pawel Przytocki
http://www.mediafire.com/?9hddzynv8cm

Korowod (no. 1 from Four Polish Dances)
PRNSO/Miroslaw Jacek Blaszczyk
http://www.mediafire.com/?fnyzn42xtx6

Lublin Waltz (no. 2 from Four Polish Dances)
PRNSO/Miroslaw Jacek Blaszczyk
http://www.mediafire.com/?3czm5msxyji

Piano Concerto
Andrzej Jasinski, PRNSO/Jerzy Maksymiuk
I Allegro con brio
II Andante
III Allegro risoluto

(I wonder if the name Andrzej Jasinski rings a bell to anyone reading this thread? )

[Lilas Pastia]

Jasinski: never heard of him. Should I ?

Thanks for the program, that will complement Epitaphium and Concerto for orchestra: a full Szeligowski disc!

[Maciek]

Jasinski: never heard of him. Should I ?

No. I don't think it's essential classical music knowledge in any way. But he was Krystian Zimerman's piano teacher at the Warsaw Conservatory (AMFC).

[Harry]

This one is on my pile of recordings yet to be played.

[Maciek]

Is it just me or is that cover... er, ugly?

[Harry]

Is it just me or is that cover... er, ugly?

It does not deserve a beauty price, no.......

[Harry]

A few months ago, I stumbled over a cd from Naxos, with the for me unknown Polish composer Tadeusz Szeligowski, who lived from 1896-1963. Naxos recorded 5 world premiere works, that were never commercially recorded as yet. Hearing some samples of it, it intrigued me, and was certainly inviting to dip my ears into some of his works. New composers have a certain kind of attraction for me, which is hard to resist, most of the time anyway. The first thing that is irritatingly on the foreground is a very pushy sound stage, lucid, yet hard and unforgiving, so the volume has to go low, very low. Secondly, what is apparent also, is the somewhat unloving and very technical approach, as if there is no love for the music at all, but meant to show prowess, and flawless articulation. A virtual show off, of all involved. There is such a propulsive energy in the works presented, that it makes you gasp. The piano concerto for instance, is very percussive like written, the first movement, Allegro con Brio, is hammered into your head in a machine gun like fashion, painful for my ears and senses, and even the following Andante, is not free of it, not to mention the Allegro risoluto, very aggressive playing. Technically flawless playing by Bogdan Czapiewski. A small but brilliantly scored work, the Comedy Overture is brimful with quirks and jolly twists, but suffers under a booming recording, with the basses and celli barely distinguishable. A pity, for it has a lot of potential.
The Four Polish Dances fare better, and the second movement Waltz from the Lublin region is a charmer as there ever was.
A impressive and large scale work the Concerto for Orchestra with a nice solo for violin in it, played by Anna Ziolkowska, is by far the finest work on this recording, very accessible in its complexity with Sibelian leanings, certainly in the first movement. The Nocturne for Orchestra makes me realize, that this composer needs repeated listening before one understands the reason and complexity behind it all.
Tonal, propulsive, rhythmically in a very percussive way, broad gestures, sublime moments as in the closing pages of the Nocturne, with Mahlerian lines in it, which end in a marvelous PPP close on the second strings.
The Poznan PO, under Mariusz Smolij, is adequate, but on this recording at times not very refined.
This is the only cd with these works, so if you want them, by all means recommended, but with some restrictions I mentioned.
Otherwise wait for a better recording and performance, which might never come! 

[Maciek]

I recorded (from a radio stream) an extended excerpt from his opera (Bunt żaków - The Students' Rebellion) a couple of days ago. Could upload if anyone is interested. Haven't listened to it yet myself.