Œuvres pour piano Volume 5

Description

The piano four-hand works of Zygmunt Noskowski seem steeped in the Polish folklore of Kresy, although they represent only a small part of his artistic output. Nevertheless, they fit in, in a particular way, with the popular conventions of artistic salons and domestic music of the 19th century. Their most important quality, for contemporary composers, performers, and listeners, lies in the clear and readable presence of a national element, giving these dance miniatures a special depth and significance. The first of the three works presented on this album consists of the two books of Cracoviennes op. 7 for piano four hands, composed in 1879 and dedicated to Baron Aleksander Herder, whose daughter was Noskowski’s student. (...) The Cracoviennes op. 7 are interesting artistic compositions that were well received worldwide. (...) The cycle of six Mazury op. The piece no. 38 is an extraordinary composition, originally written for piano four hands in 1890. It is dedicated to King Umberto I of Italy. (...) The last work presented on this album is the Six Polonaises op. 42, composed in 1891. They reflect a deeply melancholic, grave, and elegiac character, as if evoking the history of Poland and the noble traditions of this highly national dance. One can perceive symphonic influences in them, illustrating the composer’s instrumental and harmonic imagination and giving the whole a monumental dimension. (...)