For some bargain records call for a Daedalus Music catalog at 1-800-395-2665. The following are available for only $6.98:

• Koch Schwann 35197. Chopin: Nocturnes, Vol. 2
• Koch Classics 35216. Chopin: Preludes.

• Opus 111. Chopin: Tomorrow-Impressions. Leszek Mozdzer, piano.

• Koch Schwann 35221-2-3: $5.98 each.

James Jolly, editor of Gramophone, picked this disc as one of the Editor's Choice for June, 2003. Reviewer Rob Cowan writes, "Znaider has a very distinctive style...Wieniawski's Polonaise is full of individual incident, exuberant but finely detailed. Much the same goes for the less familiar Variations on an Original Theme...The two Chopin Nocturnes become in Znaider's hands, utterly 'new' pieces."

There is a featured article in the May 2003 issue of BBC Music Magazine entitled, "Music That Changed Me." In this interview with Harriet Smith the "27-year old violinist, Nikolaj Znaider, born in Denmark of Israeli-Polish parentage, tells of only recently discovering Szymanowski's First Violin Concerto with the Chicago SO and when he did "it really blew my mind. We always think of the Berg Concerto as one of the great works of the early 20th century, but this is definitely on a par with it."

In an extensive review by Steven J. Haller of the music of Karol Lipinski, we learn that the Second Violin Concerto is called the Military Concerto and is the only one of Lipinski's concertos that has been recorded before. He continues to inform us that this was "Lipinski's signature piece and formed the basis of his highly acclaimed concert tours in England and the Continent." S. Haller gives us much information on this "Polish Paganini" born in 1790, was taught violin by his father "as soon as he could hold on to a violin without dropping it" - conducted the Theatre Orchestra in Lviv at age 20, went to Italy to specifically meet with Paganini, who paid him a great compliment.

Haller describes the music enthusiastically and writes of the fourth concerto. "It is a wonderfully evocative and colorful piece of work that clearly does not deserve its present neglect in the concert hall." The recording company plans to release all four available concertos, and "perhaps with some shorter works, including numerous caprices, as well as several polonaises said to rival even Chopin."

• Monarch 2005
  Chopin: Ballades; Fantasy. Jerome Rose, piano.

Reviewed by Stephane Villemin. The pianist teaches piano at Mannes college in NY and Villemin describes the performance of the pianist as a very well-known, predictable example of what Chopin usually sounds like, except for two instances in the 4th Ballade and the Fantaisie, when the artist let's go and "becomes a poet of the piano, demonstrating a gripping sense of phrasing. This ballade breathes like an improvisation. Rose constructs the whole like a master architect."

• Arabesque 6763
  Chopin: Cello Pieces; Trio. Carter Brey, vc.; Garrick Ohlsson, p.; Leila Josefowicz, v.

David Mulbury definitely gives this a thumbs-up, calling it "exceptional and deserves the highest recommendation...These are immaculately polished performances, penetrating to the essence of Chopin's idiom, wonderfully stylish, perfectly balanced, each meticulously fashioned, leaving nothing to be desired."

• DUX 362
  Moniuszko: 19 Songs. Urszula Krygier, mezzo. Katarzyna Jankowska-Borzykowska, piano.

According to Carl Bauman, this is the second recording of (he is aware of) Moniuszko songs. The earlier recorded by soprano Teresa Zylis-Gara in 1984 has only Polish and English texts. The new CD has texts presented in four languages and the artist, who won top prize in the First Stanislaw Moniuszko International Vocal Competition for Young Singers in 1992 (at which I was fortunate to be on the jury) has "a luscious mezzo-soprano voice." Only six songs are duplicated in these two recordings. Not surprising since this great 19th century composer, regarded as Poland's Schubert, wrote more than six hundred of them. Carl Bauman strongly recommends it.

• DUX 363
  Paderewski: Violin Sonata, Allegro de Concert, Melody. Konstanty Kulka, violin. Waldemar Malicki, piano.

Carl Bauman also reviews this one and calls this "a wonderful disc. The violin sonata is a lush, late romantic work...all three movements are well written and very well played by Kulka...Waldemar Malicki accompanies very well. The recording is from 2001 and is first class. The notes are detailed and well translated."

He is aware of only one other CD recording made by Wanda Wilkomirska in 1988. However, we at the Polish Music Center know that Pavane records released one in the 1990s with Robert Szreder and Boguslaw Strobel pairing it with Szymanowski and Lutosławski. These two artists have also recorded Bruzdowicz's with Penderecki's violin works and we know these artists from the gala concert at Forest Lawn in 1993, at which they performed the Paderewski Sonata in the presence of Joanna Bruzdowicz.

I mentioned in the January newsletter the various birthday and anniversaries of Polish composers to celebrate in this year, such as: Birthdays: Ludomir Rozycki (120), Jerzy Fitelberg (100), Witold Lutosławski and Witold Rudzinski (90), Stanisław Skrowaczewski (80), Henryk Gorecki and Krzysztof Penderecki (70), Joanna Bruzdowicz, Marta Ptaszyńska and Krzysztof Meyer (60), and anniversary of death: Rozycki and Grzegorz Fitelberg (50)..

There is a double anniversary for Rozycki (120 birthday and 50 death) and the Fitelberg family. Grzegorz Fitelberg (1879-1953), composer, contemporary of Szymanowski, part of the Young Poland Group, who is best known for his role as a conductor and untiring promoter of his friend's (Szymanowski) music, as well as Polish music in general. He died in June fifty years ago. His son, Jerzy, also a composer, was born in 1903, a hundred years ago and preceded his father in death by two years. According to information sent to me by Gary Fitelberg of San Fernando valley, who has devoted himself to finding as much material as possible about his famous relatives, his ultimate goal is to write a book about them. If anyone reading this knows of anyone who had any contact with either of them or knows any interesting stories about the Fitelbergs, please let us know.

Polish music has much to be grateful for to Grzegorz Fitelberg, who conducted the Warsaw Philharmonic in 1908, then became the director of the Emperor's Opera in Vienna in 1911-14, followed by conducting positions in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1924 he again conducted the Philharmonic in Warsaw and in 1934 organized the Orchestra at Polish Radio until WWII. During the war years he conducted in South America, the U.S., Canada and Europe. After the war in 1947 he became permanent director of the Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice. He wrote two symphonies, four symphonic poems, several chamber works, and one vocal- orchestral work. Most importantly, however, he re-arranged the second part of Szymanowski's Symphony No. 2 (by request from the composer); made orchestral arrangements of many of Szymanowski's works, e.g., the famous Etude No. 4; Songs, Op. 13, No. 2 and 4; Songs of Hafiz; Roxanne's aria; Kurpie Songs and 4 Dances from the "Harnasie" suite; also concluded and orchestrated Karlowicz's "Episode at a Masquerade". He also orchestrated Chopin's Polonaise in A major.

He conducted the premieres of his Young Poland colleagues' orchestral works in Warsaw, Berlin and Vienna, and performed their works throughout the world. He premiered most of Szymanowski's works and introduced the new generation of Polish composers onto the concert stage - works of Wojtowicz, Palester, Lutosławski, Bacewicz and others. He also introduced new works of Richard Strauss, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov and Sibelius to Polish audiences and during the mid-war years, he brought in the music of Roussel, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Hindemith, Honneger and Milhaud.

According to a quote attributed to Witold Lutosławski in the Polish Music Encyclopedia, "Fitelberg fulfilled the role of a real propaganda institution, without which it would have been difficult for the composers of that time to develop their talents and to acquire their necessary experience. Without doubt, Fitelberg filled a tremendous role in the Polish composers' development of that time." He received many national awards deservedly.

His son, Jerzy, followed in his father's footsteps with his formal education at the Warsaw Conservatory. After graduation he moved to Berlin in 1922. In 1933 he moved to Paris and in 1940 he settled in New York. Brought up in a music household and world, he started to compose at age 14. In 1928 he received First Prize in a composers' competition organized by the Association of Young Polish Musicians. Among his numerous awards we can mention the prestigious Library of Congress Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Prize not once, but twice. In 1928 for his Second String Quartet and in 1936 for his Fourth String Quartet. In 1945 he received the American Academy of Arts & Letters Prize for his works.

Jerzy was a more prolific composer than his father and his works were performed at the International Society of Contemporary Music Festivals several times (1929, 1932, 1937, 1941, 1946 and 1951. He wrote many symphonic works: 3 Suites, 2 violin concertos, 2 piano concertos, a cello concerto (fingered by Piatigorsky), Concerto for String Orchestra, Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, Concerto for bassoon, piano and string orchestra and on and on. Many chamber works (five string quartets), Quintet and Octet for winds, String Trio, several wiolin works and even 12 Etudes for 3 clarinets and Music for two pianos and a children's album. The only vocal music he composed was for a capella choir: 3 Polish songs and Pan Tralalinski, as well as an opera for children, "The Silly Chick." His music was published in London, Paris and Vienna, as well as in the U.S., hence there should be no problem in obtaining his scores.

Even though he lived most of his short life (48 years) away from the country of his birth, according to Zygmunt Wachowicz in the Polish Music Encyclopedia, the music world always saw in him a talented representative o Polish music.

However, despite their great talents, Grzegorz and Jerzy Fitelberg, remain all but forgotten musicians. I am not aware of any recordings of Jerzy's music, but there must be some documentation of the ISCM festivals where his music was performed so many times. At least his father's talent as a conductor has been left for posterity in the many recordings many on LPs and on CDs. Olympia OCD 386 has him conducting Moniuszko's Overtures and Vocal works.

In Poland his name and legacy is immortalized in an International Competition for Conductors. This year will be the VIIth and will be held from 5-14 December. You can look it up on the internet at www.konkursfitelberg.art.pl.

Happy 60 Years!

Three outstanding Polish composers of the 20th century are celebrating their 60th birthday this year. They are Joanna Bruzdowicz (May 17), Marta Ptaszyńska (Jul 29) and Krzysztof Meyer (Aug 11).

Bruzdowicz has lived aborad for many years in Belgium and now in southern France. She was feted by the Polish Embassy in Brussels on her birthday with a special concert and reception. Similar ones will be held for her in London, Barcelona and Paris in the near future. Some music lovers may remember Joanna from the beautiful choral work she composed (as a donation) for the concert at Forest Lawn when the Polish community in Los Angeles honored Sir Hubert Eaton, founder of Forest Lawn, for his efforts in finding Jan Styka's lost masterpiece, (which had originally been commissioned by Ignacy Jan Paderewski) bringing it to Los Angeles and constructing a special building to display it.

Bruzdowicz is presently busy with composing music for the III Festival in Ceret, France which includes Concerto for 2 guitars and string orchestra and a Quintet with saxophone. She is also writing her fifth opera, "Apollinaire," which will premiere next year in Marsielles and Wroclaw. When the Olympics were held in Barcelona, she was commissioned to write an opera on a modern theme, "Tides and Waves."

Marta Ptaszyńska has also written operas and her children's oepra, "Pan Marimba" was such a success in Poland that it was sold out a year in advance. Ptaszyńska is presently Professor of Composition and the University of Chicago and spends each summer in Poland where many of her works are performed, including the Warsaw Autumn Contemporary Music Festival.

Krzysztof Meyer is a prolific composer and also is a professor of composition in Cologne. Several of his recorded compositions are listed in the Schwann catalog. You may read more about all three of these "birthday" honorees in the Composers section of our web-site.