The cover art, as well
as Szymczewska’s name in large-point
font is somewhat misleading on this
release. In fact she plays only just
over eight minutes of almost three-quarters
of an hour playing time of this CD.
This disc is, more than anything, a
musical portrait of the city of Koszalin,
in that the artists featured here have
— or had —connections with artistic
life in that city. There’s even a letter
of greeting from the mayor contained
in the liner-notes. Overall, this disc
is an interesting and engaging sample
of the artistic life of a city that
will be unknown to many outside Poland.
Leading off the programme
is the first symphony of Cwojdzinski.
The composer has had a long-standing
involvement with the Koszalin Philharmonic,
serving as its manager from 1964 to
1979. Born in Jaworzno in 1928, his
first conductor position was with the
Łodz
Philharmonic in the middle-fifties.
He has since been the guest conductor
of most of the orchestras in Poland
and a teacher in several universities.
The music for this symphony begins quietly
with rolls on the timpani. The composer’s
comments in the liner-notes point
to a conscious gravitation toward the
Classical four-movement model. Though
it does follow this general scheme,
the compositional style is more along
the lines of Alexander Tcherepnin. The
outer two movements are two to three
times the length of the middle movements
and serve as two rather hefty bookends
to the scherzo and intermezzo. The scherzo
moves rather agitatedly along before
breaking off mid-crescendo into a middle
section of counterpoint, which builds
in intensity, returning us to the thematic
material that started the movement.
The Intermezzo is a chorale-like gem
that all too soon launches into the
tripping movement of the finale.
The other orchestral
piece on the disc is the Fading Raptures
of Rozbicki. Rozbicki acted as conductor
for the Koszalin Philharmonic from 1967
to 1973, serving also as the musical
director of the Baltic Drama Theatre
from 1969 to 1980. Much of his musical
output is accompaniment to dramatic
productions, but he also has a wonderfully
listenable Mass, the Missa Festiva,
released recently on Acte Préalable
and available for purchase through this
site. In a completely different style
than the Mass, Fading Raptures,
at least at the beginning, appears to
be a study in deflation, with grand
outbursts from the ensemble ending with
downward glissandi. There are pauses,
as if the orchestra needs to gather
its forces back together before attempting
another assault. The middle section
holds a measure of tension as the orchestra
latch onto an idea and build with it,
until it too deflates. It’s an interesting
and intriguing piece to end the disc;
a sort of parting statement to indicate
that there’s more to come from Koszalin.
As for Agata Szymczewska,
she does quite well in her two expressive
and contrasting pieces, separated in
their composition by almost forty years.
Bacewicz’s brief caprice begins broodingly
before launching into a folk-dance-inspired
showpiece filled with rapidly-articulated
double-stops. Penderecki’s Cadenza,
composed as an appendix to his Viola
Concerto, begins with an uneasy downward
figure, not unlike breathing, before
things intensify in a manner that brings
Schnittke to mind. A terse narrative
line is punctuated with triple stops
and extended double-stopped passages,
ending with a ghostly section that brings
back the breathing figure with harmonics
superimposed. Szymczewska makes a very
good case for the Penderecki piece especially.
Perhaps another disc of her performances
is in the offing?
Overall, this is an
interesting collection, well-recorded,
if a bit short on playing time by modern
standards. Certainly an enjoyable and
occasionally challenging listen.
David Blomenberg
Agata Szymczewska (violin) * 
