Pianist Krystian Zimerman returned to the recording studio after a five-year absence to celebrate the 100th birthday of the foremost female Polish composer of the 20th century, Grażyna Bacewicz.
This album features two hugely imaginative piano quintets and the forceful Second Piano Sonata that Krystian Zimerman performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 to rhapsodic reviews.
Included is a unique bonus track: Bacewicz’s 1958 Violin Sonata no. 2, recorded for Polish radio in the 1960s, performed by Bacewicz herself.
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.1 - 1. Moderato molto espressivo - Allegro
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.1 - 2. Presto
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.1 - 3. Grave
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.1 - 4. Con passione
Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No.2 - 1. Meastoso - Agitato
Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No.2 - 2. Largo
Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No.2 - 3. Toccata. Vivo
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.2 - 1. Moderato - Allegro
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.2 - 2. Larghetto
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.2 - 3. Allegro giocoso
18th February 2011
***
“The performances are outstanding, and Krystian Zimerman's account of the finale of the Second Sonata is quite dazzling.”
April 2011
“To have a musician of the stature of Krystian Zimerman advocating Bacewicz is no less than her music deserves, and it's a pleasure to report that the results are utterly absorbing...I can't imagine more impressive or committed advocacy of this music.”
May 2011
****
“The four-movement Piano Quintet No. 1 (1952) displays Bacewicz's textural refinement, elegant formal sense and creative transformation of folk-intonations and dance rhythms...Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965) uses more avant-garde techniques, but its never less than cogent and carries the listener in a kaleidoscopic stream of varied phrases, sounds and textures. Exemplary performances.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No.1 - 1. Moderato molto espressivo - Allegro
