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Date: | Fri, 9 Apr 1999 03:09:50 +0100 |
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As unfortunately I am a Pole now living in London and almost completely
cut off from all Polish reference sources there is only limited amount of
information I can share with you (hardly any anecdotes, alas). However,
I'll try to do my best hoping that the few of my fellow-countryman whom
I've noticed publishing on the list will be able to extend this.
Generally it is thought that both composers served as a bridge between
Stanislaw Moniuszko (the most eminent Polish opera composer who also wrote
the first substantial Polish romantic orchestral piece - "Conte d'hiver"
Overture) and fully, dare I say, world-class music of Mieczyslaw Karlowicz
and Karol Szymanowski. Despite their overall conservatism it were Messrs.
Zelenski and Noskowski who, thanks to their studies in Berlin and Paris,
brought to Poland the knowledge of modern European orchestral techniques.
Wladyslaw Zelenski [vlah'dislahv zheh'lehnsky] - b. 1837 Grodkowice
(Poland), d. 1921 Cracow (Poland). His main orchestral composition
was "W Tatrach"[v tahtrakh] overture ("In the Tatra Mountains") -
originally named "Pastoral Fantasy". He also wrote a few operas and
piano pieces. His music was mainly influenced by Mendelssohn, Schumann
and Brahms. He was the founder of Cracow Conservatoire.
Zygmunt Noskowski ['zihgmuhnt nohs'kohvsky] - b.1846 Warsaw (Poland), d.
1909 Wiesbaden (Germany). He is usually regarded as Poland's foremost
composer of that time. His most popular orchestral piece was a symphonic
poem "Step" ("The Steppe"). Other of his orchestral pieces still performed
today: concert overture "Morskie Oko" ['mohrskyeh 'ohkoh] - inspired by
a picturesque lake in Tatra Mountains, and 3rd Symphony in F "From Spring
till Spring". His most important contribution, however, was definitely as
a teacher. He taught almost every important Polish composer at the turn
of the century: Karol Szymanowski, Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (do you know his
amazing symphonic poems and a beautiful Violin Concerto?), Henryk Melcer
(I'd recommend his Piano Concerto), and Ludomir Rozycki (excellent ballet
"Pan Twardowski").
I hope you will find all this information useful. Could you please let me
know what are the exact pieces on the recording and who performs them? BTW
could you please (and maybe also other members of the list) send me your
comments on the music by all the composers mentioned in my reply? As a
conductor I am considering performing some of them here in Britain and any
non-Polish views (i.e. unbiased ones - of course in Poland we all think
this music is great), would be extremely helpful while making my choice.
Greetings and kind regards for the young lady.
Pavel Kotla
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