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Polish Polonaises
Julia Kociuban (piano)
rec. 2021, Dworek Bł. Edmunda Bojanowskiego w Grabonogu, Poland
DUX 1876 [71]

It may just be me but when I think of Polonaises I think of Chopin. There are other famous composers of polonaises; Tchaikovsky's orchestral Polonaise from Eugene Onegin for example, later transcribed for piano by Franz Liszt who wrote two of his own, notably the Ebullient E major polonaise but Chopin is the composer most closely associated with this Polish dance, this musical showcase of Polishness as the booklet describes it. It goes on to point out that up to 1815 the vast majority of piano dances published in Warsaw, some 96 percent, were Polonaises and it was inevitable that virtuoso composer-pianists would seize upon its vital rhythm and energy to create grand works for the concert stage. As with the that other Polish dance, the mazurka, Chopin took the polonaise to great emotional heights culminating in the F-sharp minor and A-flat polonaise, Opp 44 and 53 respectively and the more experimental polonaise-fantaisie Op 61. He was not alone however and Julia Kociuban takes us on a voyage of discovery, uncovering some fine examples from some of Polish composers just prior to Chopin and from the generation after his death.
 
Chopin himself is represented not by his more famous polonaises but by the three that were gathered together under the posthumous Op 71 though they were written when he was in his teens in Poland. More classical than his later works they are nonetheless unmistakably his while influenced by the brilliant style that was becoming so prevalent and are already more mature and far-reaching dramatically than most of the works of the time and indeed his own first efforts. The second was a favourite of Benno Moiseiwitsch and Mark Hambourg, who recorded it three times. I am curious what edition Kociuban is using as in the third bar of the second polonaise she plays a left hand variant that I have never heard. There are other little variations that I am hearing but nothing quite as distinctive as this one. The third of the set, and for me the most beautiful, has clear pre-echoes of the polonaise-fantaisie in its opening melody and its varied moods.
 
Two composers born in the 18th Century are represented. Michał Ogiński is the more familiar name, though he was more of a politician who composed, a reversal of Paderewski's situation where his musical career was interrupted by a term in public office. He was also a diplomat and was made a senator by Tsar Alexander I. Ms Kociuban plays his most famous work, the polonaise farewell to my homeland written when he left the country after the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794. It is a melancholy work in classical style more akin to Beethoven's Polonaise with several varied sections. Jan Kiszwalter was born in Psarskie but later settled in Poznań where he taught, composed, mainly light hearted dances and co-founded a foundation for church music. His polonaise, the simplest in scope, bears a dedication to Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki (1787-1860) who was commander-in-chief of the doomed November uprising of 1830-31. It is a bright and cheerful work full of martial flair. Josef Wieniawski, brother of the famous violinist, is the only composer here born during Chopin's lifetime. He was a prolific composer, writing orchestral, chamber and vocal works as well as many piano works amongst which is his polonaise No 2, the polonaise triomphale Op 21 which absolutely lives up to its name; it opens with a fanfare-like introduction before settling into the grandiose first theme. There is plenty of interest with intricate chromaticism in the development section, something of a surprise after the relative harmonic simplicity of the opening theme and while there are elements of Chopin in its writing I am more reminded of Liszt E major polonaise which it matches in its technical difficulties; Kociuban is more than up to the challenge of this bring-the-house-down show-piece.

I have only recently reviewed a disc that contained the B-flat polonaise by Alfons Szczerbiński; it appears on the complete piano works volume 2 (Grand Piano GP884 review) and I have to say I much prefer Kociuban's energetic, vibrant performance that brings more buoyancy to its rhythm. Though its main theme springs from Chopin's A-flat polonaise Op 53 and it was composed in the late 19th century it is much more of a match for the writing in Chopin's Op 71 polonaises. Much more modern in style but still steadfastly romantic is the polonaise by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the last of his six Danses polonaises from 1883. Extrovert, dramatic and virtuosic it is by far the most good natured work here, its sunny disposition topping even Paderewski's more well known Minuet and Cracovienne fantastique. Juliusz Zarebski died young, aged just 31 and left just over thirty opuses, virtually all for solo piano or piano duet but including a wonderful Piano quintet. He wrote five polonaises for solo piano and it is his Grand Polonaise Op 6 that is most often recorded but Kociuban has instead chosen his more fantasy-like Polonaise mélancolique. This is for me the most interesting work here and it follows the idea of Chopin's Polonaise Op 61 in that it combines dance elements with other moods; melancholic, meditative, declamatory by turns and it is certainly the most dramatic in terms of emotional range as well as having moments of great virtuosity.

Julia Kociuban has already recorded albums of Baciewicz and Tansman and is now opening our ears to some unsung Polish composer of the romantic era. She has chosen well, balancing lyricism, passion and virtuosity and plays with great tonal variety, a deep sense of drama and a technique that shows these works off in the best light. The Zarebski at least deserves to be heard more often and the Paderewski would bring a smile to the lips of most audience members but any of these works would grace a recital if played with this sense of conviction and warm heartedness. Dux's production is attractive and the sound is top notch.

Rob Challinor
 
Contents
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Three Polonaises Op 71 (c.1825-1828)
Alfons Szczerbiński (1858-1895)
Polonaise in B-flat major Op 13 in memory of the Constitution of 3 May
Jan Kiszwalter (1787-1844)
Polonaise Militaire à la Skrzynecki
Michał Kleofas Ogiński (1765-1833)
Polonaise in A minor Les adieux à la Patrie (pub.1794)
Juliusz Zarebski (1854-1885)
Polonaise Mélancolique Op 10
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Polonaise in B major Op 9 No 6
Józef Wieniawski (1837-1912)
Polonaise Triomphale Op 21




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