I Koncert skrzypcowy                          12:02
Violin Concerto No. 1 (1937)                                 
nagranie premierowe / premiere recording
                                 
1. I. Allegro                                         4:03
2. II. Andante (molto espressivo)             4:37
3. III. Vivace                                       3:24

Koncert na orkiestrę smyczkową                13:02
Concerto for String Orchestra (1948)

4. I. Allegro                                   4:04
5. II. Andante                                4:30
6. III. Vivo                                   4:22

I Kwintet fortepianowy                        22:46
Piano Quintet No 1 (1952)

7. I. Moderato molto espressivo              7:11
8. II. Presto                                       3:45
9. III. Grave                                      6:52
10 IV. Con passione                            4:34

Muzyka na smyczki, trąbki i perkusję          18:06
Music for String, Trumpet and Percussion (1958)

11. I. Allegro                                  7:21
12. II. Adagio                                 5:30
13. III. Vivace                                5:07

14. Pensieri notturni na orkiestrę             7:24
Pensieri notturni for orchestra (1961)


Performers:

Krzysztof Bakowski - violin
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Jacek Rogala -  conductor
"Amadeus" Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio / Agnieszka Duczmal - conductor
Silesian Ouartet
Wiaczesław Nowikow - piano
Sinfonia Varsovia / Krzysztof Penderecki - conductor

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Bacewicz - Violin Concerto No. 3
01. - I. Allegro molto moderato    [0:08:40.29]
02. - II. Andante    [0:07:45.47]
03. - III. Vivo    [0:07:46.08]

Karlowicz - "Eternal Songs" op.10 Symphonic Poem
04. - I. Piesn o wiekuistej tesknocie    [0:11:12.71]
05. - II. Piesn o milosci i o smierci    [0:10:57.51]
06. - III. Piesn o wszechbycie    [0:05:33.36]

Krzysztof Jakowicz - violin
The Orchestra of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok
Marcin Nalecz-Niesiolowski – conductor

Grazyna Bacewicz is the most important female Polish composer of the 20th century. Granted, that triple-qualification of "most important" makes it sound like she isn't important at all, but once you've taken to her music, you know that's not true. She was born 100 years ago last February, and in the year since, she's gotten considerable love on record, mostly from Chandos and DUX. She was a prodigious violinist and it is especially her output for that instrument--seven concertos and five sonatas--that receives special attention. Joanna Kurkowicz' excellent recording of three concertos (nos. 1, 3, 7--reviewed for WETA) has probably been the most important Bacewicz release so far.

Dux has also now treated the Third Concerto to an outing, coupled with Mieczys'aw Kar'owicz' Tone Poem Odwieczne pie'ni ("Eternal Songs") op.10 who also had a 100th anniversary last year, albeit that of his death. If you want Kar'owicz' Eternal Songs--delectable stuff and very well performed--there are plenty good choices available including a DUX two-CD set (reviewed here) of 1981/83 radio recordings. Bacewicz's Violin Concerto is the main ingredient here.

Soloist Krzysztof Jakowicz, conductor Marcin Nalecz-Niesiolowski, and The Orchestra of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok make the concerto sound like obvious fun. I heard `weltering lyricism and Bartók' in Kurkowicz' recording, but I think Robert Maxham's suggestion (in his Fanfare Magazine review) of trace-elements of Korngold really does a better job of pointing out the liveliness and playfulness of the work. Jakowicz enjoys the work, including spooky figures in the Andante and Vivo (Finale) that seem to howl at the audience like kids in ghost costumes. The first and third movements end on a bang, the finale especially being a headbanging, life-affirming joyous romp designed to show off the soloist in a way that would surely capture and enthrall any live audience.

I'm not sure if a recording (I assume this was a live recording, but there are no noises that give it away as such) should go much further than Jakowicz does, but I know that in performance a much more theatrical way, especially in the first and second movements, would draw in listeners even more; would make an even better point about why we should listen. The writing for violin seems to be an invitation to go over the top--to make it as entertaining as could be. I am reminded of Arabella Steinbacher's Dvo'ák Violin Concerto: superbly tasteful and attractively understated on disc (Pentatone) and riveting-schmaltzy with Colin Davis in concert. I want the latter version for the Bacewicz!

My first reaction to Jakowicz was that he lets his hair down just a little more than Joanna Kurkowicz, and that consequently I enjoyed his performance a little more than the (on the surface of it superior) one on Chandos. But direct comparison suggests it might be the coupling or the headphone listening that was responsible for that impression; the two performances sound eerily similar, with the DUX recording just a few percent slower. The soloists are impeccable, both, and the provincial Bia'ystok orchestra is at no discernable disadvantage to its bigger Polish Radio brethren. One of the few, and minor, differences I detect is a greater amount of control and deliberateness on Kurkowicz' part in the exposed moments of the slow movement... possibly suggestive of why Jakowicz intuitively pushed the `authenticity' button in me.

As an introduction to Kar'owicz and especially Bacewicz this disc is a near-ideal starting point. What I particularly like about it: It made me not just admire the violin concerto, it made me fall in love with it. The only problem--assuming you consider that a problem--is: Once you've quite naturally fallen in love with both pieces, you will end up getting recordings that will double up the repertoire included here. --- Rune Naljoss, amazon.com

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01. Trio voor hobo, harp en slagwerk - moderato generoso    [0:06:21.31]
02. Trio voor hobo, harp en slagwerk - andantino melancolico    [0:06:00.72]
03. Trio voor hobo, harp en slagwerk - Giocoso    [0:05:43.36]
04. Sonatine voor hobo en piano - allegratto    [0:02:58.65]
05. Sonatine voor hobo en piano -  - Canon (lento)    [0:02:35.25]
06. Sonatine voor hobo en piano - Allegro non troppo    [0:03:45.18]
07. Sonate voor hobo en piano - allegro ma non troppo    [0:05:11.57]
08. Sonate voor hobo en piano - tempo die valse    [0:02:33.10]
09. Sonate voor hobo en piano - vivace    [0:02:49.56]
10. Trio voor hobo, viool en cello - allegro molto    [0:03:53.69]
11. Trio voor hobo, viool en cello - andantino    [0:03:41.50]
12. Trio voor hobo, viool en cello - allegretto    [0:02:21.40]

Mariusz Pedzialek – oboe
Piotr Grodecki – piano
Barbara Stuhr – violin
Agata Zajac – cello
Anna Sikorzak-Olek – harp
Jan Pilch – percussion

Dating from 1937 and 1955 respectively, the "Sonata" and "Sonatina" are sprightly, fresh works in the French neo-classical vein with syncopated rhythms, ostinato passages and the mixture of the serene and the grotesque which are characteristic of the genre the 1936 "Trio for oboe, violin and piano" has all the insousiance of Poulenc. Coming from the composer's last period (1965), the oboe-harp-percussion trio has much of the spirit of her neo-classical works while having a different sound world, where each instrument searches for coloristic sound possibilities while still remaining very approachable. ---Records International

Acte Préalable continues its excellently-produced series of the works of Bacewicz in this volume of her works for oboe. These pieces are not as immediately accessible as her other works, but, with repeated listening, show themselves to be greatly intricate and well-constructed works.

The first work is a rather unusual piece scored for oboe, harp, and percussion. Composed at about the same time as Incrustations for horn and chamber ensemble (found on Acte Préalable 0044), the arresting slow middle movement quotes the Bacewicz Partita of 1955, also quoted in the Piano Quintet No. 2 of 1965, found on Acte Préalable 0022. With the instruments used, the harp takes on an almost pianistic element, contrasting with the single-line element of the oboe.

The Sonatina shows a far different approach. Though evidently irritated at being referred to as neo-classicist — an appellation that surely would have amused Prokofiev — Bacewicz shows neo-classicist turns with this work. Perhaps it is this baleful glance at classicism that recalls Prokofiev so strongly. Still, this remains a piece that retains a voice that is unmistakably personal to Bacewicz. Though the pieces here have a sarcastic con brio nature, they couldn’t possibly be mistaken for Prokofiev. The second movement of the Sonatina has a distant, frosty nature, detached from the chummy-snide nature of the first movement. The piece ends with a vivacious fast movement that retains some emotional tension while showing an outgoing demeanour. The balance of the movement is weighted more to the piano but provides a thoroughly enjoyable conclusion.

The Sonata, obviously a more serious-minded stab at the oboe/piano repertoire, starts out more conventionally. This makes sense, considering it is the earliest work here by almost thirty years. Evidently not held in such low regard by the composer as the first quartet, composed only a year later in 1938 and not recorded until recently (on Acte Préalable AP0021), it wasn’t officially belittled by the composer. This piece contains moments, joyous, grotesque, and pensive.

The final piece is another early effort; the Trio of 1935 for oboe, violin, and piano. This piece was premiered later in 1935 — with Prokofiev in attendance — in Warsaw. This fits in rather well with that later musical language of the Sonatina of 1955. It opens with a rather folk-like element, complete with cello drone, almost taking on a Saint-Saëns character in the opening movement, yet still retaining that voice so easily recognizable as Bacewicz.

Acte Préalable are to be commended for their great work in presenting the under-valued works of Polish composers and artists to a wider audience. It is my hope that more underrated works will come to light thanks to their diligence. ---David Blomenberg, musicweb-international.com

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01. II Sonata 1952-53 - Maestoso    [0:06:31.67]
02. II Sonata 1952-53 - Largo    [0:07:08.23]
03. II Sonata 1952-53 - Toccata. Vivo    [0:04:11.22]
04. Scherzo. Vivace    [0:03:31.15]
05. Rondino 1953    [0:02:33.65]
06. Sonatina - Allegro non troppo    [0:02:20.13]
07. Sonatina - Melodie    [0:01:51.62]
08. Sonatina - Oberek    [0:02:39.58]
09. Children's Suite 1933 - Prelude    [0:00:58.60]
10. Children's Suite 1933 - Marsch    [0:01:09.70]
11. Children's Suite 1933 - Waltz    [0:01:23.02]
12. Children's Suite 1933 - Lullaby    [0:01:24.25]
13. Children's Suite 1933 - Burlesque    [0:00:51.63]
14. Children's Suite 1933 - Menuett    [0:00:55.25]
15. Children's Suite 1933 - Gavotte    [0:01:36.30]
16. Children's Suite 1933 - Scherzino    [0:01:01.47]
17. Drei Burlesken 1935 - Molto Allegro    [0:01:36.10]
18. Drei Burlesken 1935 - Allegro ma non troppo    [0:02:25.28]
19. Drei Burlesken 1935 - Vivo    [0:02:04.10]
20. 2 Etüden 1955 - Moderato    [0:03:46.05]
21. 2 Etüden 1955 - Vivace    [0:02:35.25]
22. Kleines Triptychon 1965 - I    [0:00:51.67]
23. Kleines Triptychon 1965 - II    [0:01:06.05]
24. Kleines Triptychon 1965 - II    [0:01:01.05]
25. 10 Etüden - Allegro non troppo    [0:02:17.13]
26. 10 Etüden - Vivace    [0:01:37.10]
27. 10 Etüden - Allegretto    [0:02:25.42]
28. 10 Etüden - NM=96    [0:01:28.33]
29. 10 Etüden - Andante    [0:03:43.40]
30. 10 Etüden - NM=180    [0:01:50.15]
31. 10 Etüden - Giocos    [0:01:41.15]
32. 10 Etüden - NM=69    [0:03:16.10]
33. 10 Etüden - Presto    [0:01:29.55]
34. 10 Etüden - Allegro    [0:01:45.35]

Ewa Kupiec – piano

Described by the Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians as the “leading female composer of her time”, Bacewicz’s music sadly remains unknown. This neglect is all the more inexplicable since the few recordings of her wprk that have been released have been greeted with enthusiasm. As a student of the famous pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger, Bacewicz received a thorough grounding in the craft of composition, and perhaps as a result of that association has most frequently been described as a Neo-Classicist. Bacewicz herself balked at the moniker, preferring to let her music stand on it’s own. Indeed, listening to Bacewicz’s music today, it is hard to see how her work could have been considered similar to the studied anachronism of Stravinsky and Hindemith. So how does her music sound? Vivacious rhythms, with a hint of folk music are complimented by clean, open harmonies. A natural feeling for counterpoint is perfectly balanced with wit, humor and an effectively compact desig! n. Hopefully, this important release of the complete authorized piano music of Grazyna Bacewicz will inspire other musicians to explore more of this appealing composer’s work! ---Editorial Reviews

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Disc 1

Partita 
1	I. Preludium: Grave	3:41 	
2	II. Toccata: Vivace	3:15 	
3	III. Intermezzo	2:26 	
4	IV. Rondo: Presto	3:08 
Violin Sonata No.5 
5	I. Moderato	5:17 	
6	II. Nokturn: Andante dolcissimo	2:39 	
7	III. Finale: Allegro inquietamente	5:00
 	
8	Humoreske	2:41 	
9	Kolysanka (Lullaby)	2:22 
Violin Sonata No. 4
10	I. Moderato	5:33 	
11	II. Andante ma non troppo	4:29 	
12	III. Scherzo: Molto vivace	3:26 	
13	IV. Finale: Con passione	5:39 	

14	Witraz	2:58 
Violin Sonata No. 1, "da camera" 
15	I. Largo	2:26 	
16	II. Allegro	2:10 	
17	III. Tempo di minuetto	2:12 	
18	IV. Andante sostenuto	2:35 	
19	V. Gigue: Molto allegro	1:52 	

20	Melodia	2:58 	

Disc 2

Violin Sonata No. 3
1	I. Allegro moderato	4:43 	
2	II. Adagio	4:09 	
3	III. Scherzo: Vivo	3:20 	
4	IV. Finale: Andante	5:51 
Violin Sonata No. 2
5	I. Allegro	3:30 	
6	II. Andante	4:03 	
7	III. Scherzo: Vivace	3:19 	
8	IV. Finale: Allegro molto	2:53 	
Two Oberki
9	No. 1: Presto	1:53 	
10	No. 2: -	2:33 	
Concertino
11	I. Allegro moderato		1:11 	
12	II. Romance: Andante	2:01 	
13	III. Finale: Vivace	1:28 	

14	Caprice	2:04 	
15	Theme with Variations	7:17 	
3 Dances
16	I. Mazovian Dance: Andante	2:57 	
17	II. Polish Dance: Sywo	2:10 	
18	III. Slavonic Dance: Andante	3:10 

Ewa Kupiec - piano
Piotr Plawner - violin

Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) was the first Polish woman to become a famous composer. Educated in Paris under the legendary Nadia Boulanger, she became a master violinist and most of her compositions feature that instrument. Seriously injured in a car accident in 1954, she then gave up performing and teaching to concentrate on composing. Pianist Ewa Kupiec is the preeminent interpreter and advocate of the music of Grazyna Bacewicz. Her previous release of the complete published piano music received global acclaim. Pianist Kupiec is joined by virtuoso violinist Piotr Plawner in spirited and authentic interpretations of this neglected master's music for violin and piano. The music of Bacewicz is extremely accessible, yet modern. While she explored many different styles, her music is based in the traditions of Polish folk music. New interest in the music of Bacewicz makes this an extremely attractive addition to any collection. ---Editorial Reviews, amazon.com

In the business of summing up the resultant hierarchy of what matters most in twentieth century musical literature, the violin music of Grazyna Bacewicz might gain consideration only as representing rather exotic repertoire, and this shouldn't be so. Bacewicz was an expert violin soloist who was a well-known commodity in postwar Europe; she won the Olympic music competition in London in 1949, the UNESCO prize in 1960, and captured the Belgian Reine-Elisabeth prize three times. Bacewicz's compositional output for violin and piano is of the first tier and is exceptionally notable in that in stylistic terms it remains recognizably modern, but stands outside trends current in Bacewicz's time. The word neo-Classical is sometimes applied to describe it, and she did study with Nadia Boulanger, but this superficial evaluation suits Bacewicz's music rather uncomfortably; one could say it's vaguely like Bartók, but draws from Polish folk material and even that qualification only weakly describes its effect. It's energetic and a little showy in fast movements and expressive, yet a little cool, in slower ones, fits the violin like a glove, and always leaves a distinct impression. It is very important violin literature, and there's never been so much of it offered in a single-CD package as in this two-disc set from Hänssler Classic, Grazyna Bacewicz: Sonatas for Violin and Piano.

Piotr Plawner is a young violinist who is, as Bacewicz was, a native of Lodz. Plawner adapts easily to the varied technical and expressive hurdles encountered in Bacewicz's violin music; he is hushed and mysterious in the early piece Witraz (Stained Glass Windows, 1932), dazzlingly propulsive in the Finale of the Sonata No. 2, and obviously enjoys such challenges as the leaps, pizzicato, and glissandi employed in Bacewicz's folk-like Two Oberki (1951). Plawner lavishes as much care on Bacewicz's lighter short pieces such as the Concertino (1945) -- which consists of three movements that take less than five minutes to play -- to weightier music as the five sonatas, all of which are included here. Occasional short pieces scattered throughout the program add depth to Bacewicz's violin output but do not betray any sense of forward development in her style, the essentials being the same whether the music comes from 1952 or 1932.

The breaks between pieces are rather long and the recording is rather dry and a little on the quiet side. Pianist Ewa Kupiec, who does turn in a strong performance here (though one wonders how Plawner's regular piano partner, Krystian Zimerman, might have fared in this material) is credited everywhere on this above Plawner by Hänssler Classic. But make no mistake; he's the star of the show here. Everyone who enjoys twentieth century violin music owes it to themselves to discover Bacewicz' music, and this is a terrific option for it and the most generous in terms of programming. Nevertheless, it doesn't entirely supplant the excellent Chandos recording of some of this music by Joanna Kurkowicz and Gloria Chien; Kurkowicz is just as facile and exciting in the music, and the recording quality of the Chandos is better, which makes a difference. ---Uncle Dave Lewis, AllMusic Review

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01. Violin Concerto, No. 4 - I. Allegro non troppo [0:11:13.50]
02. II. Andante Tranquillo [0:08:00.97]
03. III. Vivace [0:07:23.17]
04. Violin Concerto, No. 5 - I. Deciso [0:09:20.48]
05. II. Andante [0:07:47.60]
06. III. Vivace [0:05:28.74]
07. Violin Concerto, No. 2 - I. Allegro ma non troppo [0:14:18.48]
08. II. Andante [0:06:29.66]
09. III. Vivo [0:10:07.74]

Joanna Kurkowicz - violin, 
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, 
Lukasz Borowicz - conductor

This is Volume 2 in our series devoted to the music of Grażyna Bacewicz who was regarded by Witold Lutosławski as ‘a distinguished Polish composer of the twentieth century and one of the foremost women composers of all time’. Bridging the gap between the neo-romanticism of Karol Szymanowski and the modernism of Witold Lutosławski, she deserves much wider recognition than she has received to date outside her native country of Poland.

The first volume was released in 2009 to worldwide critical acclaim, and the same strong partnership that achieved glowing accolades for the first volume here performs the stylistically diverse and technically brilliant Violin Concertos Nos 2, 4, and 5. On this recording, the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Łukasz Borowicz is once more joined by the soloist Joanna Kurkowicz on a Petrus Guarnerius violin dating from 1699.

Praised in Gramophone magazine for ‘disciplined virtuosity’, Joanna Kurkowicz enjoys an active and versatile career as an award-winning soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has performed on many of the great concert stages of the world, including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Boston, and the Große Saal, Salzburg, and has appeared as a soloist with the likes of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New England String Ensemble.

In the words of Joanna Kurkowicz, this recording project has been ‘a tremendous journey through the incredible music of this fascinating composer… deeply personal and satisfying’, and she continues: ‘These works are like rare stones. You have to find them but once found they shine brilliantly.’ --- prestoclassical.co.uk

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01. Violin Concerto No. 7 - I. Tempo di mutabile [0:07:57.58]
02. II. Largo [0:08:28.41]
03. III. Allegro [0:05:41.09]
04. Violin Concerto No. 3 - I. Allegro molto moderato [0:08:26.09]
05. II. Andante [0:07:33.10]
06. III. Vivo [0:07:18.66]
07. Violin Concerto No. 1 - I. Allegro [0:04:09.70]
08. II. Andante (molto espressivo) [0:04:42.72]
09. III. Vivace [0:03:35.61]
10. Overture [0:05:53.96]

Joanna Kurkowicz – violin
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Lukasz Borowicz – conductor

Chandos certainly hedged its bets right when it came to programming its second release with Polish violinist Joanna Kurkowicz; although they are well known and popular in former Eastern bloc countries, the violin concertos of Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz have never been circulated on recordings in the West. The Concerto No. 7 (1965) -- Bacewicz's last work in the genre -- is particularly well liked in Poland and is presented upfront on Chandos' Grazyna Bacewicz: Violin Concertos 1, 3, and 7. Bacewicz's Seventh Violin Concerto was written in 1965 as a sort of response to international serialism; while she was certainly in favor of composers enjoying a free voice within the politically constrained society in which she lived, Bacewicz wasn't crazy about the idea of formalized music and stated as much in her writings. To describe the Concerto No. 7 as being "free atonal" is to not really get it right; it's full of eerie special effects and surprises, although it can be said that Bacewicz develops the material out of related kinds of harmonic fields. However, the orchestral ripieno is used very sparingly; the springboard of the harmonic fields themselves begins with the violin solo part, and the violin's resources become the basis for what the whole orchestra does. No wonder this concerto has become a contemporary music evergreen; it is fantastic, visionary, exciting, and belongs to its own special musical universe.

The other two concertos are far more conventional than the seventh, but the common thread is that the violinist is at the center of the action. The Violin Concerto No. 1 (1937) and Violin Concerto No. 3 (1948) were written for Bacewicz herself to play; the earlier concerto is a little more attuned to neo-classicism and French style, whereas folk motifs dominate the later one, and they are both very beautiful and technically assured concerti. As a bonus, conductor Lukasz Borowicz leads the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra through a sparkling Overture (1943) of Bacewicz that borrows the "V for Victory" motif and spins it through a dazzling texture of folk-like fiddling, something that is both a response to the Second World War and a hopeful expression for its conclusion.

Kurkowicz -- who has recorded Bacewicz well before for Chandos -- is completely on top of this literature, and the Polish Radio Symphony plays with authority and gusto. The recording is typical for Chandos in that the quiet parts are a little too quiet and the loud a bit too loud, but it is clear and the violin is front and center, and that is where one would want it to be. --- Uncle Dave Lewis, allmusic.com

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1 	Overture 	2:12
2 	Bard – At Whitsuntide King Arthur 	0:24
3 	Choir – At Whitsuntide King Arthur 	1:23
4 	King Arthur – Aha, I Know 	1:10
5 	King Arthur – Give Me My Sword 	0:40
6 	Knight – But Why, O King 	0:33
7 	Maiden – The Horses Are Neighing 	0:33
8 	Bard – King Arthur Set Out Armed 	0:30
9 	Giant – Heh Heh Heh. The Knight Cadaver Has Awakened Me 	1:07
10 	Bard – The King Circles The Lake 	0:16
11 	Giant – Heh Heh Heh 	0:22
12 	Bard – Oh Oh Oh, The Horse Fell 	0:56
13 	Giant – Listen, I'll Give You Some Conditions 	3:10
14 	Bard – The King Returned To The Castle 	0:13
15 	Choir – The King Returned To The Castle 	2:02
16 	Queen – They Desire Love 	0:31
17 	Wise Woman – The Queen Is Beautiful And Happy 	2:26
18 	Matronly Lady – Charm I Have 	0:54
19 	Servant Girl – As A Servant Girl 	1:05
20 	Venerable Lady – My Sister 	0:50
21 	Devout Lady – Health, It's True 	0:27
22 	King Arthur – Who Else Of The Wise Has Not Spoken? 	3:17
23 	Page – Lady Morgan Le Fay 	0:37
24 	Bard – Step By Step, King Arthur Rode To The Giant In The Forst 	0:24
25 	Giant – Heh Heh Heh 	2:30
26 	Bard – And Once Again King Arthur Returned 	0:27
27 	Witch – King Arthur, King Arthur 	3:54
28 	Bard – Arthur Returned To His Castle Hale 	1:14
29 	King Arthur – I Shall Give The Giant The Answer 	0:42
30 	King Arthur – Bring In The Old Woman 	1:11
31 	Gawain – I Shall Marry Her, King Arthur 	0:42
32 	Bard – At A Gallop, At A Gallop 	0:19
33 	Giant – Heh Heh, You Have Returned Quickly 	1:13
34 	Bard – To The Castle Returned King Arthur 	0:59
35 	Witch Bride – Sir Gawain, My Lord 	2:01
36 	Gawain – Oh Sweet Rose, Open Up Your Petals 	3:40
37 	Choir – How Great Is The Power Of Love 	0:25
38 	Bard – At Whitsuntide King Arthur A Strange Adventure Did Have 	1:02

Narrator [Bard] – Zbigniew Zamachowski
Soprano Vocals [Oblubienica, Pani Madra, Pani Sedziwa / Bride, Wise Woman, Venerable Lady] – Katarzyna Trylnik
Soprano Vocals [Panna, Dziewka Sluzebna / Maiden, Servant Girl] – Anna Karasinska
Mezzo-soprano Vocals [Krolowa, Matrona, Pani Pobozna / Queen, Matronly Lady, Devout Lady] – Agnieszka Makówka
Alto Vocals [Wiedzma / Witch] – Jadwiga Rappé
Tenor Vocals [Krol Artur / King Arthur] – Ryszard Minkiewicz
Tenor Vocals [Mlody Rycerz / Young Knight] – Aleksander Kunach
Baritone Vocals [Gavein, Goniec / Gawain, Page] – Przemyslaw Rezner
Bass Vocals [Olbrzym / Giant] – Daniel Borowski

Choir [Rycerze I Dworzanie / Knights And Courtiers] – Polish Radio Choir In Kraków
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor – Lukasz Borowicz

Comic Radio Opera In One Act (1959), From Celtic Tales (After Sigrid Undset).
Libretto By Edward Fiszer
Recorded at the Witold Lutoslawski Polish Radio Concert Studio, Warsaw, October 12-14, 2009.

While King Arthur is banqueting with his knights, a frightened Maiden bursts in and informs about the Giant, a great lover of virgins, ravaging the surrounding countryside. Arthur sets off to defeat him, but being defeated himself, he has to agree to the Giant's conditions: within three days he is to solve a riddle: ''What do all women desire?'', otherwise he will be killed. In the castle, King Arthur has asembled worldly-wise matrons, innocent maidens, charming ladies, slaves and milk-maids to ask their advice. He receives different answers: love, jewellery, children's happiness, a husband, health. A young knight, supported by others, claims that women long for change; Morgana says that such a question is not for women to answer as they keep changing their minds. All the answers are then presented to the Giant by King Arthur. but all turn out to be wrong. The Giant gives the King one more chance: the deadline for solving the riddle will be extended. An old Witch promises to help Arthur in exchange for a young husband. The right answer is: every woman wants to get her own way. Gavein agrees to marry the horrible Witch, who during the wedding night is transformed into a beautiful girl (being under a spell she lives as an old woman for twelve hours and as a young beauty for another twelve). ---pwm.com.pl/en/

"Bawiłam się, pisząc operę o królu Arturze - pragnę, aby z kolei słuchacze się bawili" - napisała Grażyna Bacewicz, skomponowawszy komiczną operę radiową, opartą na celtyckich motywach. Autorem libretta był Edward Fiszer, który skorzystał z wydanej wówczas "Legendy o Królu Arturze i Rycerzach Okrągłego Stołu", niezwykle popularnej u nas w latach 50. laureatki nagrody Nobla - Sigrid Undset.

Postać bajecznego króla Celtów i jego przygody wykorzystuje niezliczona ilość autorów, począwszy od benedyktyńskiego mnicha Goffreya w XII w., Henry Purcella, autora opery, aż po Marka Twaina i wspomnianą Undset. Któż zatem nie słyszał o św. Grallu, Lancelocie, Parsifalu, Merlinie, Ekskaliburze czy Guineverze? W operze Bacewicz wybrany jest tylko jeden wątek legendy, a mianowicie zagadki, zadanej królowi Arturowi przez Olbrzyma - czego pragną wszystkie kobiety? Odpowiedź poznają ci, którzy wysłuchają płyty. Zaś sama muzyka? Trudno porównać ten utwór z innymi kompozycjami Bacewicz. Z jednej strony zawiera idiom charakterystyczny dla tej artystki, z drugiej - jest całkowicie odmienna stylistycznie od znanych jej utworów. Chwała Polskiemu Radiu za przypomnienie tego dzieła. Znakomici soliści bawiący się formą i świetny Borowicz. ---Barbara Tenderenda, audio.com.pl

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String Quartet No. 4

01. Andante, Allegro moderato 8.46
02. Andante 5.34
03. Allegro giocoso 6.08

Piano Quintet No. 1

04. Moderato molto espressivo. Allegro 7.32
05. Presto 4.09 
06. Grave 6.52
07. Con passione 5.33

String Quartet No. 7

08. Allegro 5.33
09. Grave 5.50
10. Con vivezza 4.26

Performers:

The Amar Corde String Quartet are:

Barbara Stuhr – 1st violin
Boguslawa Ziegelheim – 2nd violin
Beata Ploska – viola
Agata Zajac – cello

Waldermar Malicki – piano (for the piano quintets)

Although these three discs are available separately, it seems sensible to discuss them together, in order to be able to consider something of the composer’s developing use of the quartet form.

Bacewicz’s five mature quartets – nos. 3-7 – are amongst the most interesting of quartet sequences from the second half of the twentieth century. Ranging in date from shortly after the Second World War to the mid 1960s they reflect both a striking personal development as a composer and a highly intelligent response to a complex politico-social environment.

The two early quartets are pleasant and redolent with promise. That to which she gave the number 1 was one of two quartets written during the composer’s studies at the Warsaw Conservatory, from which she graduated in 1932, and was presented as part of her final composition examination. It was premiered in Paris on 26 April 1939 by The Figueroa Quartet, as part of a programme sponsored by the Paris Society of Young Polish Musicians. Essentially neo-classical in manner, its three movements have energy but relatively little that is very individual. The spiky first movement has some teasing rhythmic effects to recommend it; the final vivo begins jauntily but the seemingly simple mood is questioned as the movement develops. These two outer movements frame a well-crafted set of variations on a Lithuanian folksong, ‘Zakwitnij biale jabluszko’ – Bacewicz was the daughter of a Lithuanian father and a Polish mother. The variations on ‘Zakwitnij biale jabluszko’ are delicate, but not without an edge of menace at moments, the unmannered, confident use of silence being striking in this movement.

During the 1930s Bacewicz travelled, studied and played (as a violinist) extensively. She studied briefly in Paris – composition with Nadia Boulanger, violin with André Touret; she taught at the State Conservatory in Lodz; she returned to Paris for further violin studies with Carl Flesh. After her marriage in 1936, she was Principal Violin with the Polish Radio Orchestra. Life in Warsaw during the War was, unsurprisingly, very difficult, but Bacewicz continued to compose. Amongst the works produced was Quartet no.2, which had its premiere in the artists’ café run by the composer Bolesław Woytowicz. Though it has some rewarding passages – not least the writing for cello in the main theme of the first movement – it isn’t Bacewicz at her most inspired.

After the war, Stalinist ideological control over artistic life was intense, but concert performances still took Bacewicz abroad from time to time. She was able to return to Paris, which she always found stimulating. It was during one such visit that her third quartet was written. The Parisian ‘tradition’ of modern neo-classicism is still evident in the work, but there is a new depth and weight to the music. The opening allegro is in lucidly worked sonata form, graced by many subtleties. Tonality is to a degree implicit, certainly not dogmatically insisted upon. There are enough (gentle) affirmations of F major for the abrupt switch to B major at the end of the movement to come as an enjoyable surprise. The effect is a not unpleasant avoidance of absolute resolution. The following andante is a graceful creation, full of ideas, with some elegant melodic phrases and some striking harmonies. In the closing vivo the key relationships are less ambiguous or implicit. There is some fine solo writing for both viola and violin and touches, especially in the third theme, of folk traditions. Everywhere in the movement there is wit and invention. It is not to deny the individuality of the work if one says that it clearly owes much to her time as a student of Nadia Boulanger.

It was with the fourth quartet that Bacewicz attracted a greater degree of international attention. It was composed at a busy and creative time for the composer – at much the same time she wrote her first Cello Concerto, her Second Symphony, her Fifth Sonata for Violin and Piano and her fourth Piano Concerto (Bacewicz was an accomplished pianist as well as violinist). The Fourth Quartet was awarded first prize at the International Composers Competition in Liège in Belgium, won a National Prize in Poland and in 1953 became a required piece for competitors in the Geneva International String Quartet Competition. It isn’t hard to see why it should have been so popular, nor why it has been recorded a number of times by a variety of quartets. The relatively untroubled nature of the third quartet (in which war time suffering is only intermittently audible) is replaced by a much stronger sense of conflict, especially in the first two of its three movements. Without taking things too literally, it is hard not to hear in this music something of the contemporary Polish situation, something of the conflict between private and public worlds. The opening of the first movement is expressively disturbed; the slow movement takes a folk-like melody as its main theme and explores it harmonically rich fashion. The dance-like allegro giocoso – modelled on the oberek - which closes the work is a sonata-rondo which simultaneously affirms affinities with Bartók and Parisian neo-classicism. The Amar Corde Quartet match most of their competition here – not necessarily by being ‘better’, but in giving a coherent, individual reading.

Bacewicz’s Fifth Quartet, written some four years later, has attracted less general attention, but is a fine, adventurous work. Its four movements are densely written, the dominant idiom much more radical than that of its forerunners. In the opening moderato there is a fascinating contrast between the energy of the first subject and the almost static second subject – played particularly well in this account. The second movement is a spirited and wittily worked-out double fugue; the third movement (‘Corale’) is exceptionally beautiful, a solemn chorale framing a more animated central section. The finale is a theme and (six) variations, the variations relatively free. The first makes striking use of glissandi and syncopations, the fourth is notable for the dissonant proclamations for viola and the sixth a lovely andante. The Amar Corde Quartet is heard at something like their best in this utterly convincing performance of this excellent Fifth Quartet.

In her Sixth Quartet Bacewicz makes selective use of twelve-tone principles (especially in the first movement) and a wide range of string effects. The quartet is full of intriguing colours and techniques; muted harmonics, tremolandi, passages played sul ponticello and others marked saltando comme percussione. In these respects the work clearly has affinities with contemporary developments in Polish music –with the so-called ‘sonorism’ of Penderecki, Lutosławski and Bogusław Schaeffer, for example. Adam Walaciński’s booklet notes tell us when the Quartet was premiered, by the Parrenin Quartet, it gave rise to some controversy: “the older generation attacked (Bacewicz) for the alleged betraying of the established ideals, the young criticized the unsatisfactory radicalism". There is, as such reactions might suggest, a certain quality of eclectic compromise about this quartet; some of its parts are perhaps more satisfying than the sum of its parts. But Bacewicz is too interesting a musical thinker for the work to anything less than stimulating, even if it isn’t wholly satisfying.

The last of Bacewicz’s quartets sees her reverting to a three-movement form, allegro – grave – con vivezza. Again there are many expressive effects – some striking swoops and glissandi, some resonant drones – but they serve a musical logic which clearly belongs to the great tradition of the string quartet, within the sonata form of the first movement, the ternary song of the second and the rondo of the third. The closing rondo, indeed, has a playfulness which is almost Haydnesque at a deep level, for all the surface differences. There is a starker quality to the earlier movements, especially the compelling, if uncomfortable, central movement. This is a fascinating quartet, in no sense a farewell, since it speaks of future possibilities more than of retrospection. Bacewicz was only sixty at the time of her death – she died suddenly, of a heart attack. These seven quartets speak of a constantly growing and developing musical imagination, which yet has an inner core of great consistency, and I, for one, wish that there were more such works from her pen. It is good to have one quartet’s reading of the whole sequence and the Amar Corde Quartet clarify the lines of continuity and change very effectively, in a series of well judged performances, their sound marked by sure-footed internal balance.

This set of discs also offers – as a kind of bonus – the opportunity to hear Bacewicz’s two works for Piano Quintet, in the performance of which the Amar Corde Quartet is joined by Waldemar Malicki. The first Piano Quintet is a powerful work, its opening movement beginning with a brooding introduction which starts a series of contrasts and juxtapositions sustained throughout the work in a constant switchback ride of moods and tempos. The yearning third movement is particularly fine. I have heard no other performance of this piece, and I mean no disrespect to the present artists if I say that I would like to – it is simply that the work is so rich and rewarding that it would certainly lend itself profitably to a range of different interpretations. But the present recording will do very well to be going on with. The second Piano Quintet is another interesting work, less traditional in idiom; its central larghetto full of delicate and subtle effects, the strings often rather eerily in dialogue with some relatively orthodox writing for the piano. The closing allegro giocoso is a sparkling movement, full of zest and inventiveness – listen to these CDs in volume order and it makes a resounding conclusion.

The more I hear Bacewicz’s music the more impressed I am. The string quartets constitute an important series of compositions, and the two piano quintets are engaging works. This is a valuable set of CDs, which will surely be of great interest both to followers of modern Polish music and to all who listen with any regularity to the chamber music of the last half century. ---Glyn Pursglove, musicweb-international.com

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String Quartet No. 6

01. Andante. Allegro. Vivo. Andante 6.30
02. Vivace 3.14
03. Grave 3.10
04. = 114 3.00

String Quartet No. 3

05. Allegro ma non troppo 5.07
06. Andante 6.34
07. Vivo 5.23

String Quartet No. 2

08. Allegro ma non troppo 7.05
09. Andante 9.04
10. Allegro 7.36

Performers:

The Amar Corde String Quartet are:

Barbara Stuhr – 1st violin
Boguslawa Ziegelheim – 2nd violin
Beata Ploska – viola
Agata Zajac – cello

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